Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-05
a Highly Urgent Task for
GEORGIA Business Leaders
.HE fundamental and far-reaching prob

Georgia Business Leaders
"HE fundamental and far-reaching prob
lem of providing markets for Georgia
food crops can be studied to peculiar ad-
vantage and with keen announcement In the
enterprising county of Lowrdes. Years ago
Valdosta began the development of CONNER
cial outlets for farm products other than cot
ton, and from small beginnings the process
has expanded and diversified until today 1t
serves a wide range Of varied needs There
are milling and elevator plants capable OF
handling a large part of the county's surplus
production of velvet beans and corn, two con-
Germs taking annually as much as one hun
dred and twenty-five thousand bushels OF
corn. forty per cent of which is raised In
Lowndes For peanuts there is both a Smelling
plant and an oil mill. There are also three po-
tato-curing houses, with an aggregate ca
pacity of twenty-five thousand bushels, which
is greatly multiplied by virtue of the fire.
quent "turn-overs." canning plant ADDS
notably to the potato growers market aids
Finally, two stockyards, built under govern
ment supervision and conducted according to
the most approved methods, invite selling and
buying of beef cattle and swine.
These facilities, be it observed, we're not
created in day or season, but are the out
growth of steady enterprise, which fore
glimpsed opportunities to serve and which
was fostered in turn by the frultage OF It's
own sound ventures. Especially should it be
noted that the business leaders of Valdosta
and the country about did not wait until dl-
versified crops had reached large proportions
to consider providing markets. II they had
waited there would have been neither prog
a Jnnn mt of
new and enrching veins of commerce. 1t
was the promotion of better marketing that
led the way; Immediately followed an in
crease in food production; and step by step
the two went forward together, sowing on
every side fresh bounties of prosperity. so
must it be wherever crop diVersltcatlon, that
basic and urgent need of Georgia, is heartily
and permanently encouraged. From men
whose commercial interest and experience give
them practical insight into the problem must
come the initiative, for rarely will farmers
in this region launch upon extensive raising
of foodstuffs unless convenient and assured
markets therefor await them.
In a forwardAthinking town not far from
Atlanta, merchants and bankers, seeing how
imperative it was that crops other than
weevil-besieged cotton be raised, undertook
to procure from farmers in the adjacent
country pledges for the planting of a certain
acreage in sweet potatoes, on the strength OF
which they proposed to establish potato
curing plant They met with so little encour-
agement that the enterprise would have been
abandoned by men less canny. But they,
realizing that the countys common interests,
their own included, depended materially
upon production to take the place of i'm
periled cotton, resolved to go ahead regard
less of the seeming Indifference. According
. ly. potato-curing plant was built, not as
large as it would have been If the desired
pledges had been given, but capable never
theess of caring for a goOdly CROP and the
fact was duly advertised by public prints and
word of mouth. Bold az the experiment was,
it stands richly justified in results, for the
curing house is fast filing with delicious
yams. And it will not be surprising, nor par
ticular1y regrettable, if some of those who
declined at the outset to cooperate, find the
plant too crowded to receive their own yield.
Each town, of course, has it's peculiar needs
and difficulties; each must work out its own
solution. But the situation may be safely
generalized at least to the extent Of saying
that all should muster their keenest business
sense to the imperative task of providing mar
ket facilities and market incentives for di-
yersifed farming. Those that do will pros
per in the seasons and years ahead. Those
that do not will find their tributary districts
growing ever less productive and less profit
able. Georgia counties which aforetime pro-
duced thousands of bales of cotton will be
lucky if in this year of the boil weevil's hey
dey they produce a few hundred and next
year they may count by beggarly scores
Crops of some kind there must be, or bust
ness will starve; and the one sure way to
stimulate food planting it to vouchsafe in adj
vance channels whereby the grower can con-
vert his products into cash.
II cooperation from farmers be Sc
cured to begin with, all the better. In mum
erous instances, no doubt, it can be. In the
Lowndes county region, farmers have con
tracted to plant an aggregate of three hun
dred acres in cucumbers and three hundred
w hn nod hn f,Irn chnH and hl
cultivation supervised through the agency Of
Mr.. J. w. Chamberlain, of Valdosta, who mi
tiated the interesting project, and in the
same way the produce will be Grated and mar
keted. Zone per cent of the returns, from
the sale of the cuCumbers and beans" writes
The Journals staff correspondent, Mr.. Ralph
Smith, twill be used for the compensation Of
clerical help; siXty-siX per cent will be dis
tributed among the producers in proportion
to the amount of cucumbers and beans eacf
supplies and thrty-three per cent will be
used to defray the cost Of selling, Grating
and marketing This plan, with it's con
tinuOus co-working betwel the production
end and the sales end Oi the enterprise, il
hv &c CT hn