Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-22
amounted to serious economic blund.
Tried to Hold Crops

| erS.
Tried to Hold Crops
GAS an example of what have in
mind, our farmers undertook to- hold
their crops for higher prices at the
| wrong time, thereby insuring a more
complete slowing up of our trade &C.
| tivitieS than might otherwise have
occurred. This action was in a
| large measure retroactive as well,
and like the ripple starting from the
| center of the pool, radiated to every
part of the earth's circumference.
The farmer felt that he was the vic
! tim of circumstances and that he
was done a great injustice. The
conclusions in this respect were well
founded in many particulars. The
action taken by some agencies no
| doubt precipitated the economic
slump already in sight and aggra-
waited financial conditions to degree
wholly undesirable. Nevertheless,
our farmers could not expect to es-
| cape the inevitable, and now that we
| are faced by a condition and not a
| theory, let us not make the mistake
of wasting all our energy on what
| Has IlcppSIlSUs IlS SOOIl6I we lOISSI
those unhappy times, face the future
with resolution and work confidently
for the rewards which will ultimate
| ly be accorded our producers, the
| sooner will this great readjustment
which must precede our complete
| economic recovery take place.
'In many respects, the farmers
situation could not be worse. Crops
| produced during the fevered period
Of postwar activities at unheard-
of prices were not sold, or if sold,
at a depreciation of their cost of
| production that has almost wiped
out his credit. He is confronted by
the payment Of notes at high in
| terest rates, which he cannot meet.
There is no demand for many of
the crops he has harvested He
must have longtime credits if he
is to win his way out of the finan-
cial maze in which he is now en-
| tangled.
He must be supported and en-
couraged by every class of society,
he must be helped by all to regain
that degree of equilibrium which
will stabilize his business and put
our primary industry back on a
permanent basis again. The phil
osophy of the French nation should
come to our rescue at this time.
| 'C'est lie Guerre,' is what they
said, no matter what happened to
| them. France is building back rap
! idly, because she realized that her
! troubles came from the war and
| that the only way to overcome them
! and build back her nation was
| thra110L f0rcrotfinc on6 fn
work and charging off the mistakes,
errors and losses as contribution
| to the cause which she so nobly
espoused.
! Errors Cause Troubles
"a part of the troubles by which
we are confronted at this
time, therefore, arise from our own
| errors of commission and commits
sion; from our failure to visualize
world economic conditions; from our
| own mistake in helping to make the
| condition of frozen credits nation
wide. On the other hand, we have
| also been buying luXuries most ex-
tensively, and in many respects, we
are still guilty of that practice. The
| great reserve of wealth which came
| into our hands and, which should
have been laid up as store for the
| future was unWisely and foolishly
spent for non-essential luxuries. We
made the mistake of trying to buy
happiness through an orgy of spend
ing when we should have realized
that happiness is commodity pur-
chased only through service and sac
rifice.
"In the south a good many of the
difficulties our farmers are now eX-
| periencing are supposed to be local.
though I suspect they are all more
or less reflected by conditions in
other parts of the country. What 1
shall have to say along this line IS
' therefore probably more generally
| applicable to conditions throughout
/ the nation as a whole than might at
) first seem to be the case. In the
| south, we failed to raise and supply
| ourselves with sufficient amount
of essential animal and human food
products. We not only failed ito live
at home as completely as we Should
during the years of our greatest
prosperity, but we are not &oing it
at present. It is quite conservative
to state that we are purchasing in
Georgia, for instance, food and food
stuffs equivalent in value to $500
per farm, or approximately $3.50
! 100000 a year for the common
wealth. I am sure conditions are
not widely dissimilar in many other
of our southern states. Therefore,
instead of making cotton our main
money crop as taxSSee surplus
product, a gooC part of it was ac-
tually mortgaged to the north and
west the day the seed was planted
for food and feed supplies which
should have been grown locally,
Boil WeeviI Bad In 1921
'The same is true in regard to
our animal industries. We have
failed to support, organize and eX-
tend them on a basis commensurate
with our needs, though our soil and
| climate conditions are favorable to
an almost unlimited development
along these lines. Relatively speak
ing, the ante-bellum planter laid
more emphasis on live stock raising
| than those of recent generations.
Difficult and costly transportation,
such as the farmer of today is again
experiencing, no doubt was a de-
termining factor in this situation.
1t seems providential under existing
conditions that we should now be
faced by a similar problem. During
the year 1921 the boil weevil has
literally eaten up and destroyed the
cotton crop on thousands of acres
of our most fertile soils. This
makes it fundamental that a part
of our tillab1e areas be devoted to
some other purpose in the future.
The relief now so essential can best
be secured by emphasizing animal
production. Not only will this type
of farming best Conserve our nat
ural resources, but insure liberal
and varied supply of meat for use
in the home dietary. 1t will also
permit the balancing up of our farm