The courier-index., 1920-12-17
Lee County Farmers
 Must LiUe At Home
,p, F. B. Whitaker, Demonstration 'p' Agent

fpv F.. B. WhltaKer, DemonstraClon
 p' Agent.)
 The meeting Friday night of the
 ,sa.;orna Commercial Club, held at
 ..o Elks Home to hear the report
 .f the committee appointed to att
 I'd the Cotton Reduction Conven-
 .;or was well attended and much
 nood is expected to come from the
 srooram as outlined and adopted.
 If is not the intention of this pro-
 oram to work hardship on any
 sno hut merely to insure a guaran-
 .ae e of a sufficient reduction in cot
 tor production to guarantee a price
 for the coming year near that of
 Ipa lpo cost of production. While some
 .ao aeonle may think this program too
 ggSostic it must be remembered that
 .here l,e is no program that can be
 1a;d ont that will be broad enough
 .a cover every case and under iso-
 ,o+od conditions there will necessari-
 lv he exceptions. To meet this re-
 oy,;rement a central committee has
 been appointed composed of the following men: Chas: Mckee, ". n M Newborn, Max D. Miller, R. M. Roon. w B. Mann and R. D. Smith. It is the plan of this com mittee to appoint committeeman in aacb township and to work out an organization something like the Lib- s,ty Loan organization, to carry this program out.
 In addition to the delegates ap- nointed by the Commercial Club to attend the meeting in Memphis, there were the county demonstration agent and twenty-five merchants and ulanters from this county. These men were all of the one opinion that if was imperative that cotton pro- duction must be materially reduc- ed in 1921 if disaster was to be ayerted. It is the aim of this pro- cram to cause such decrease in acreage as to insure not over half crop of cotton the coming year. During these strenuous times it is indeed confusing to look back and see what has been recommend ed within the last twelve months. About a year ago a committee of English spinners in company with a committee of New England spinners, toured the south and advocated the production of bumper cotton crop, claiming that the world was naked and needed all the cotton we could grow. They told the truth but they did not tell it all. There is no sur plus supply of cotton in the world but the trouble is, war-torn Europe is unable to buy. In other words our cotton crop holds the same re- lation to European people that a drink of water on earth holds to unfortunate people in hades. Then, again, the American Cot ton Association in a meeting in Montgomery, Ala, passed a resolu- ton saying that the present cotton crop had cost the southern farmer about forty cents a pound to pro duce it and if he should have to sell 1t for less he would be selling it at a loss. A great many people mis- understood this statement and took it to mean that the farmer should hold his cotton until it would bring i that price.
 Lee county shipped in last year something like two carloads of feed per day for each work day for her l live stock. This does not count the numerous local lots that came in, but only the carload lots. This does does not include the corn meal, flour, meat, molasses and other food for the people. If we, as farmers, had been practicing a safe and sane system of agriculture as advocated by the United States Department Of Agriculture and our agricultural colleges; if we had been growing our living at home for both man and beast, we would be in much better shape. If the banks of Lee county had the money in them to- day that has been sent out of the county for food and feed within .ne last twelve months, we could all borrow all the money we wanted, and hard times would then be as day.
 The committee will meet at an carly date and lay out complete pans for putting this program be- lore the people of the county and in 1ne meantime it is hoped that every one Will gather as much information On the subject as possible.