The Era-leader. [volume] (Franklinton, La.) 1910-current, 1920-02-26
the production of more food and

the production of more food anc
feed crops and live stock, d. vel
as to the high price of cotton and
other cash crops.
Cotton, Dr.. Knapp says, is not
actually very high. 1t is high as
compared with prices in former
years, not as compared with cur
rent prices of other commodities.
Then he quotes these figures:
"From July 1918, to September
1919, according to the Bureau of
Labor Statistics of the United
States Department of Labor, the
wholesale price of cotton increas-
ed 143 per cent, cotton yarn l67
per cent, brown sheeting 206.9
per cent, bleached muslin 258 5
per cent, wool 1886 per cent, b.,
con ll5 per cent, hams 100 per
cent, lard 146 per cent, salt pork
1913 per cent, eggs 102 per cent,
milk ia per cent, corn 1885 per
|
cent corn meal 1898 per cent,
wheat flour 1885 per cent, rice
| 149 per cent, white potatoes 155
per cent, sugar 1914 per cent,
mems welt shoes l49 per cent,
and women's welt shoes 210 3 per
cent. Before the farmer decides
that the high price of cotton will
warrant his planting the entire
acreage to that crop, to the neg.
lect Of all else, he had better
make a pretty thorough examina
ton of the retail prices of the nee
essities of life at the place where
he must purchase th-m during
the next year if he fails to pro.
duce them on his own farm.
IF we have learned anything
surely We have learned that
large acreage in a good year
brings a heavy crop, and general
ly results in a lower price; and if
we know anything at all, we sure.
ly know that the present situa.
ton is due to the wastage of war
and to four successive short crops.
The country never experienced
such a condition in its history.
IT the acreage in cotton is increas-
ed, it must be done at the sacri.
flee of food and feed crops, or
increased labor. The expert
ences Of 1919 ought to teach south.
ern farmers that they can not
handle, with their present supply
of labor, an increased acreage in
cottonj the labor is not there"
Dr.. Knapp then outlines what
would be, generally speaking, a
safe planting program for 1920.
The first item is a good home
garden for every farm family and
every town and village family.
The next item is that the produc.
ton of corn on southern farms.
should be maintained and the
acreage increased on all farms
and in all sections which do not
now produce sufficient quantity
for home use, except that in cor.
tain sections where corn does not
always thrive grain sorghums
should be substituted. The im.
portanos of small grains is point.
cd out, but, as they mostly seed
ID in the fall, they are not inclu. 6
ded in the planting program.
Enough hay and forage crops {
should be produced to supply ans f
ply the live stock on farms of the =,
South for one year, with an OK. l.
less for the sake of safety and for +
lily and town consumption. The
South should maintain it's produc.
ion Of meat and increase its pro.
luction of eggs and milk. a
"There is no thought" he
avs, "that cotton acreage ought
o be reduced, but only that the
ure of price should not blind our
yes to the necessity Of food and
eed. The purpose now is main
Y not to reduce tile acreage in
God and feed crops. Ii VIZ pro.
lido fnr th, noon ,o;t;oo oe nc