The courier-index., 1921-04-22
KEYNOTE OF GOOD FARMING
We Mus. Change Our System or Go Broke

l mention these thlngS that all cotton farmers know already to suggest that an agreement, under which 90 per cent of our crop is produced, should be revised in such manner that the landlord could get some returns from his invest ment, and that the tenant be given an opportunity to utilize more of his time to make of him a producer. We have used him only as Q con- sumer. Make him assume the re- sponsibility of feeding his family, of owning and feeding his live stock. He will be burden as long as his meat and meal are furnished him. Sell him nothing except such things as will help produce some thing
 I expect to make this agreement in future, or 1 won't make any agreement. I agree to furnish the land and the planting seed, the kind l want planted. The tenant shall agree to make and gather the crop, to furnish the stock and feed 1t, to furnish the farm implements and keep them up. 1 am to manage the farm and have supervision over the stock and everything where We are jointly interested. Crops grown un- der this agreement are 10 be divid- ed in two parts; 1 get one part, the tenant gets the other. Under the new agreement 1 contemplate sell ing the tenant the teams. tools, and all the other equipment, and helping him realize more for his labor, be- cause I am to get half of the results of this labor. 1 contemplate selling him cows, hogs, chickens and mak- 1 ing him able to live at home and to give the plot of land that he works the benefit of the pastures and stock, and the diversified crop that goes with this, kind of farm ] ing.
 Farming must be so arranged that the tenant can profitably util- ize all of his time, and this time saving and industry must be in evidence, demonstrated in his ac- | emulation of stock, in his garden, his smoke house, and his cribs of provender. Surrounded by these things and in order to keep them up and coming, he finds that. he has 1 pot time enough to accomplish all Re would like to do. As a good 1 farmer, also good business man, my services will be worth as much to him as his services are to me. I said to one of my tenants, who was loafing after having caught up with his blowing:
 "Sam, you must make hay while the sun shines"
 "Mr. Mann, ain't got no use for hay"
 He must have use for hay to save the day. Gins, factories. en- terprises, that are in use only a part of the time, rarely pay a divi- dend, their living expenses contin- uing while the plants are shut down. The plants suffer while not in operation from the overhead and upkeep expense, also the deteriora- tion arising from non-use. The farm is like the factory, with this great advantage, that the farmer can use both the land and the labor all the year, with one month just as profitable as the other, if he and the labor so agree. The farm under the old agreement, employed the labor eighty days. The farm is shut down while the labor is idle yet the farmer continues to feed the stock, pay interest and taxes on his investment.
 If my farm is losing invest ment, what is it worth to me? What is the use of the laborer continuing the work if he gets no better re suits than he has in the past. was offered S225 an acre for ar old land farm last year. Nobody wants it this year because the price of cotton was disappointing. For tunately I did not buy my land when cotton was high. But if il was worth $225 last year, it is worth that much now. made money on it last year as did all the tenants who worked it. It is not for sale this year at the price offered last year.
 say, from the knowledge of ex. perience, to tn )se who did buy land while the price seemed inflated to change this tenant agreement and your attitude toward the ten ant. Don't say if he prospers you cannot handle him; that he is nc more account. As you prosper him to that extent, and no more, vii you prosper. Sell him mules ano tools, take a note and mortgage turn this over to your banker tC secure what you already owe, anc borrow no money unless it be foi taxes, interest or some actual need On a farm of a thousand acres ir cultivation there is S20,000 wortt of personal property that can bt converted into collateral. You vii have the corn and feed that you have, in past years, fed back to your stock, to sell. At present prices it would bring seven or eight thousand dollars.
 If you make use of and pursue these suggestions, you will put youl business on a paying basis. you can then pay your debts and youl investments will prove good invest ments.
 This depression and one-sided de flation of prices extends all over