The Starkville news., 1920-02-13
"EUertually"- "---Wem Have HOTEL Ngc ~,
DIXIE YAM POTATO
CURING COMPANY
STARTS BUSINESS

AT meeting of the stockholders
of the Dixie Yam Potato Curing
Company held Saturday night at
Sturgis, the organization of this big
enterprise was completed. All of the
stock was reported subscribed, and
the following officers were elected:
j. c. Harrell, president; F. M.
Adams, vice-president; B. F. Seward,
secretary-treasurer; o. F. Turner,
manager; Directors, S. P. Morgan, B.
G. Dotson and j. B. Drane.
The company starts with fattering
prospects, and it will be great help
to the farmers of Western Oktibbeha.
The News editor was in Sturgis
Tuesday and the people there are
enthusiastic over the prospect. In
speaking of the future outlook, Mr..
o. F. Turner, the hustling and COM
petent manager of the Potato CURING
Plant said:
mississippi was once and for a
long, long time an all-cotton state.
The destruction wrought by the boil
weevil made the cotton industry ex-
tremely uncertain and improbable.
Whether we wanted to or not we
were forced to depend upon other
crops for money. Many plants have
been tried and many have proven un-
satisfactory. | think the dissatis-
faction and failure have been largely
due to two causes which are, first,
lack of sufficient knowledge and
equipment necessary for the success
full growing and harvesting of the
new crops; second, inadequate facili-
ties for marketing. It is uaually q
dangerous Il dertaking or farmer
to go heavy on a crop that is, with
him, untried and for which he has no
established market.
"For the farmers of Western Ok
tibbeha, | am going to suggest three
crops which think will be very prof
liable for this year. These crops
are sorghum molasses, peas and sweet
potatoes. All of these can be grown
on the same land and with the same
tools, teams and labor that we have
been using for the growing of cotton.
They have been grown in this section
successfully since the oldest people
can remember. They are very val
liable for both food and feed, and
have hitherto been grown principally
for this purpose; but, why do I sug-
gest them as money crop? The an
swer is short: AS a substitute for
cotton nothing can excel them. Sweet
potatoes at 75c per bushel at harvest
time is more profitable than cotton
ever was in this section and the same
can be said of sorghum molasses at
S1.00 per gallon. When the cost Of
growing and harvesting is taken into
consideration peas at $500 per bush
el are more profitable on our thin
hill lands than is cotton, and | wish
to call attention to the fact that The
Dixie Yam has been paying the farm
ers $3.50 per bushel for all the peas
brought to Sturgis for the past week.
This price is abnormally high, but
they have seldom been below $500
per bushel in the past two years.
"Now as to the market for these
crops, | will say that the farmers and
business men of Sturgis have organ
lied the Dixie Yam Potato Curing
Company, the purpose of which is to
look after the marketing of the above
crops.
"This company has purchased 2200
bushels of pure Nancy Hall seed po-
tatoes that are guaranteed free from
all disease. These potatoes will be
bedded out and slips furnished to all
who want them at very low price.
The company is also handling fertili-
zer for the farmers and agrees to
take all of the merchantable Nancy
Hall potatoes brought to them this
fall by the farmers of this territory.
"Now men, many Of you realized
only 25 or 80 dollars an acre for your
cotton crop last year and if you want
to bump your heads on the same post
again, proceed. I know that your