The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1921-06-30
GROW MORE FOOD
IS ADVOCATED
PRODUCTION OF DIFFERENT
WILL SAVE TRANSPORTA-
TATION COSTS.

Increased transportation costs and
lessened returns from the products
they have to sell will compel thousands
OF American farmers to grow more of
their own food, in the opinion of Off
cials of the United States Department
of Agriculture. These transporta-
ton costs will prevent shipments of
the more moderate-priced ffresh
fruits and vegetables which are pur-
chased by the growers of single crops
or specialties for use in their own
homes, and the lack of a market for
special products in turn will be
blow to the buying capacity of the
growers of those specialties.
Can not Pay Freight On Water.
"The American farmer is not going
to be able this year to pay freight on
water" said a department official
"Water makes up large part of fresh
fruits and vegetables. The answer Is
that he must grow his own table food
He must also study the possibilities
of substitution. This applies to vege-
tables, fruits, poultry, eggs and dairy
products which must be transferred
from commercial channels to home
consumption if they are to come with
in the reach of the average farmers
family.
specialized tanning has created
conditions of which comparatively
few persons are aware. The grain
farmer in many instances buys, even
his potatoes and green vegetables; the
fruit farmer buys his dairy products,
and even the man who raises milk for
creamery, condensary, or cheese fac
tory is likely to send his cream or
milk away, feed the skim milk or
whey to the calves and not make his
own butter. This year, just as far as
possible for him to alter his system
in single season, the department
officials advise that he get back to
the old plan which was aptly describ-
ed as Giving at home" This means
not SO much remaining on the farm
as it does deriving every practicable
product for consumption from the
farm.
"The average American farmer
knows how to raise other crops than
those on which he specializes, but it
has seemed good business, or at least
expedient, to devote his energies to
very few or even single cash crop
and buy his necessities, just as is
done in other specialized industries.
The grain farmer is perfectly capable
of raising his own potatoes, his green
garden stuff, and melons, tomatoes
and other garden fruits, to take the
place of orchard fruits which in many
parts of the country have been killed
by late freezes. If the farmer has
a piece or really good garden ground
he can add materially to the variety
and wholesomeneGs of the farm fool
supply with scarcely any expenditure
except for seed, md seeds, fortunate
| ly, are lower this spring than for sew
eral years.
Poultry Most Important Meat Supply.
"The same may be said of poultry.
With increased freight rates this year
the general farmers principal meat
supply will come out of his poultry
yard, either in eggs or in table chick
ems and other fowls. Poultry is the
quickest meat supply to produce and
the farmer will do well to build up
small flock as rapidly as possible
The increased freight rates on butter
and eggs, together with the farm
money shortage due to the disappoint
ing returns from last years crops will
make it advisable for many farmers
wives to return to the butter-making
arts which they learned as girls from
their mothers and which have been
largely discontinued as farmers be-
came specialists.
Fruit etaohrdlaardarararaarararal
Fruit is likely to be scarce in rage
and important farming regions, but its
place can largely be taken by vegeta-
BILE products. Two things are clear.
In the first place, the average farm
ers, as it stands now, can not afford
to pay freight on the water which
makes up the larger part of both
fresh and canned vegetables and
fruits. In the second place, under ex
isting conditions he can raise thos'
things cheaper himself than he car
buy them, and he can make many sub
stitutes out Of the garden and poultry
yard if he sets out to do it. He has
the material for the crops and he has
not the money. 1t is not good busi-
ness to run in debt except for essen
/