The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1920-12-17
FARMERS SHOULD GROW TO-
BAcCO WITH OTHER CASH
CROPS

The cropS have been harvested and
farmers afe giving much more con-
sideratiSn than usual to their next
year'z/planting.
although practically everyone is
mSre or less discouraged because of
The great slump in prices, the farmers
who have practiced diversified farm
ing, in the face of high priced cotton,
lind themselves in much better cir
cumstances than the one-crop farm
ers. | predict that prices Of all COM
modities which the farmer uses will
soon become stabilized upon norm
al basis and that the farmers dollar
VIII purchase at an early date, very
nearly as much as before the war. Be-
yond a doubt. merit years crop will sell
to better advantage and if diversi-
fication is practiced the farmefwil be
the most independent citizen in any
community.
Farmers should continue planting
as they have this year variety of
crops which they can market for cash
and which no doubt can be produced
another year much cheaper, thus
avoiding the great crisis which the
one-crop farmers are now facing in
other parts Of the State.
Farmers in South Georgia should
look we'll into the planting of tobacco
another year, as 4he unsettled condi-
tons in North Carolina, Kentucky,
and Tennessee among the tobacco
growers mean that there will be
reduced acreage of tobacco in those
States another year
II the Georgia farmers will plant
small acreage per pillow, select the
best seed. sow the beds early, and buy
the proper fertilizer, they will make
good money on tobacco next wear.
The demand from foreign buyers or
markets should be good and with a
normal crop produced the price will
be high enough that the farmers can
~N%AA
make good money.
Tobacco beds should be sown in
anuary to insure a sufficient amount
OF vigorous, healthy plants for trans
planting in early April, and in order
- get an early start the farmes should
begin preparing their tobacco beds
Immediately.
This year a great many farmers did
not do SO we'll with their tobacco. for
two reasons: first, they failed to seed
a large enough bed to get sufficient
plants to set out their crop until it
was rather late; second, the lack of
experience was great handicap to
many farmers throughout the tobacco
growing section of Georgia. But with
this years experience the farmers
should have no trouble in producing
a better grade of tobacco next wear
which will be more profitable and
which no doubt cssn be a~own much
cheaper.
The following report of the amount
OF tobacco sold and the amount in
dollars and cents which it brought at
various markets will give you some
idea as to the value of the Georgia to-
bacco crop this year: Douglas, 2,Oo8- |
482 pounds brought $494,438:47; Abb !
beville, 1890 pounds brought
$3O5,sO6.60; Triton l,157,36O pounds
$14l. 30o.56; Nashville. 1,131070
pounds brought $2S4,26786; Black
shear, el5,626 pounds brought $267,- |
1907; Fitzgerald 586,95l pounds |
brought $l13,75110; Vidalia, $50. sos
pounds brought $132,042.60; Nichols
1000 pounds brought $106,o42 50;
Ashburn, 407, 1881 pounds brought $751;
5l620; Lyons, 415,637 pounds brought
SSl,7lo.00. Sold on other markets
5zo,0Oo pounds. Figuring this at the
average price which tobacco sold for
on the Georgia market, the total Geor-
gla tobacco crop amounted to o,677,-
o23 pounds, which sold for 1920
4olo2, or an average of 23.14 cents
per pound.
This is money which the tobacco
growers of Georgia received at time
when little ready cash was needed
most to meet current expenses and to
pay for labor which was needed in
harvesting other crops.
Tobacco will probably never be as
high as it was just after the close of
the war, but if the Georgia farmers
will get into the game while our
neighboring states are in an unsettled
condition over their prices. they can
make money.
Respectfully, +
G. B. EUNICE,
Agricultural Development Agent, A. /