The Semi-weekly leader., 1921-12-03
HOMES FOR FARMERS
IS MOVE OF BUREAU
Government Loans Will Aid in
Home Building on
Farms.

ODS VI Tie LlOSl lISQueHL ODbId- |
cles to progress is the chronic pes
simist. The man, who will not ad-
mire the beauty and fragrance of the
rose, but persists in talking about
the thorns on the roSe-bush.
Under no circumstances would we
the pessimists On the other hand
the perpetual optimist, the man who
constantly asserts that all is we'll re-
gardless of the evidence to the con-
trary, though a much more pleasant
companion is just as dangerous to
real progress as the pessimist.
So let us look the situation square
ly in the face, weigh the evidence
carefully and diagnose the case cor
rectly and see what farming condit-
ions in Mississippi really are.
For more than quarter of a CEN
tury ,teh A. & M. College, the Exper-
iment Station, the Extension Depart
ment, and the agricultural press have
consistently advocated and preached
soil building, better cultural meth
DDS, and we'll balanced and perma-
nent cropping system, such as would
safeguard and stabilize the income
of the farmers, enable them to in
crease their per acre yields, and Sc
cure a reasonable profit by regulat-
ing the supply Of products to meet
probable demands, and by systemat-
ic and businesslike marketing. These
things were advocated as means to
an end, namely, a prosperous and
contented rural citizenship, satisfac-
tory rural social life, such as would
induce the young people to remain
on the farm, or at least a reasonable
per cent Of them. This is an object
that should not only appeal to the
farming population but the business
world, as we'll, as it is absolutely es-
sential to the success of all kinds of
business.
1t cannot be truthfully said that
these efforts have been a failure.
Much progress has been made in
many lines. Numerous individual
cases could be cited where farmers
through the influence of the above
valued agencies have completely re-
volutionized their system and meth
DDS, are comparatively independent
and their farms are such that they
justify real pride.
The question that occurs to us is
why have all of the efforts towards
improved agricultural conditions
reached individuals rather than the
masses? We are loath to believe
that it is because our people are by
nature, non-progressive or less intel
ligent than people in other sections.
l believe no one will say that agen-
cies set up by our state and the gov
ernment to advise and assist the
farmers are inefficient or have been |
derelict in their duties. The record |
of their activities will compare ia
vorably with that of any other state. |
In our opinion and we speak out |
of our experience of fourteen years
as an extension worker, the great
est handicaps to agricultural devel-
opment in Mississippi are first, lack |
of organization and cooperation on
the part of farmers in community
county units, and of the state as a
whole. We will not discuss this full
~ here as we believe the Extension
Department and the Farm Bureaus
now in process of organization are
taking effective steps that will even
tually correct this. Second, such a
large portion of our rural population
| hplnnO fn tho -hnOon inn oI
AS long as such large portion of
our land is cultivated by tenants
who live here this year and expect |
to live somewhere else next year, who
have no permanent interest in the |
soil they cultivate, or the community
where they live, it is going to be ex-
tIemely difficult to bring about a
permanent system of farming, do
any effective soil building, and we
will never have a stable and content
ed rural population.
The natural tendency of people as
well as the lower animals is to con-
tinually migrate from place to place,
| seeking more congenial environment.
This is especially true of the human
race where conditions are not salts
factory and especially if they have
nothing to anchor them to a COM
munity. With the average tenant it
is not sacrifice to move. He has
nothing to lose by leaving and he has
no, ties to hold him. He does not
feel identified with the community
and takes no pride in it. !, He is with
out incentive of local patriotism and
is ready to leave on the slightest
provocation.
Several years ago the Extension
Department started movement
known as the Buy Home" move
ment. Considerable propaganda was
distributed and one or two short cam
paigns were conducted to induce ten
ants, especially white tenants to buy
homes and to induce fnanciers to
assist them. Some results we're OBJ
tanned but the movement was halt
ed by the outbreak of the war. When
the war was over we began to re-
vive the movement but the financial
depression of 1920 made further pro-
gress impossible. Now that condit
ions are beginning to improve we
want to begin another movement for
more home-owners in Mississippi and
we want to appeal to every interest
in Mississippi to unite in the move
ment
We are not unmindful of the obsta-
cles in the way, the. chief of which
is the problem Of the tenant to Sc
cure the funds to purchase even an
inexpensive home. We realize the
financial situation with which our
banks and other fnanciers are con-
fronted. However, our Government
has established an institution which
greatly lessons this difficulty name
Iv tba Eadarot Toudt pan11 1,,;+b tts