The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1921-03-15
A Warning to Farmers.

| Editor Dawson News: l have Just returned
from an extended trip through South Caro-
lina Georgia and middle and east Alabama:
have talked with a great many farmers and
business men on my trip, and | can truthful
ly say that | have never in all my lite seen
people so up in the air" as to how they shall
proceed with their farms this year
| have studied the situation more closely
than | have ever before, and / am going to
sound a warning now, and if the farmers do
not heed this warning they are going to be
sorry for it.
There is enough cotton to run the mills OF
the world for tweniy-four months now on
hand, You will notice it has declined from
AZ to II cents in six months, and all the cot
ton people say now that it will go to 8 cents
by the first of May. With a big crop this
year it will sell at 3 and cents October next.
Now, what is the use of buying fertilizers,
planting another big crop OF cotton and make
it at loss OF more than IL cents pound,
and not be able to sell the crop on hand tor
one-third of the cost?
What is the remedy? We have all kinds OF
advice, from every source, and by the best
talent in all the land, and yet | see on every
hand evidence of a big cotton acreage tor this
year. Nearly all the land | saw prepared was
for cotton. 1t would be better If the land
were allowed to grow up in weeds this year
than to be planted IN cotton.
| was talking to gentleman i'll Georgia,
who said he ran twelve ploWs. He now has
on hand two cotton crops and he has no
feedstuffs at all on his plantation | asked
him what he was going to do and he said he
was going to plant every acre on the place
in cotton, even the front yard and garden,
for said he, this is the last year we can
make cotton account OF the Weevll. | told
him this year would ruin him.
A comparison of our section with some of
the country through which | have just trav-
oil hot oil rI1I n
any country. Here we have been diversifying
for five years. You might stop the trains from
coming to Enterprise Ozark and Geneva for
six months and we would not suffer for any
thing to eat.
Peanuts and Hogs.
1t is true that we have had to sacrifice our
peanut crop this year, but look at the hogs
we have grown and fattened on peanuts. |
have one customer who paid me on last Fri
day ST 10000 out of his hog crop grown on
tWo-horSe farm. He has plenty of everything
to run his farm this year; which he does with
his own children and no hired help at all.
Why don't you Georgia and South Carolina
people cut out your cotton crop this year,
not buy a pound of fertilizer plant every
thing in corn and peanuts and raise hogs, and
let the boil Weevil starve out one year; hold
your cotton until next year and get cost and
interest for carrying it over? Peanuts will not
need any fertilizer at all; you can make from
fifty to seventy-tive bushels to the acre where
you had corn and cotton last year without
the of single pound of commercial fer
tilizer
Peanuts will bring a good price next fall
and winter. Why do l say so? We are sure
to get 4 cent per pound duty on all imported
peanuts, and that will stop importations en-
tire1y. Last year the Orient shipped one hun
bred thousand tons OF peanuts to this coun-
try, besides the oil.
If you do not want to gather your peanuts
put them into hog hides. Recent statements
made to the government by the packers of
the country show that we facing hog
famine. They say we are nineteen million
hogs short of two years ago, and went on
to say that there is not enough meat in cold
storage to last IS days. This being true how
do you expect to overdo the hog business?
When you can get $1,000 each for a bunch
of eight months old pigs that perhaps have
never eaten an ear OF corn don't you think
that will beat cotton at 8 cents per pound?
| II you let your hogs eat your peanuts in the
| field you would never have to use any fertili-
yer at all; your land would get richer every
year.
This letter will be followed next week with
| a letter on peanut culture. With very best
wishes for my fellow farmers, | am sincere
| ly your friend H. M. SESSIONS
Enterprise Ala.