Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-12-10
Augusta Furnishes Excellent
Market-NoW CIamoring
for Sour Cream-Situation
in TaIiaferro
BY RALPH SMITH

| organized movement among the
| farmers Of Columbia county with
respect to next years crop, but it
| Is significant to note that dairying
is finding considerable favor. The
city of Augusta, situated in the adj
| joining county Of Richmond, affords
an attractive outlet for such dairy
| products as now are produced, and
the Georgia-Carolina Dairy Products
company, at Augusta, is clamoring
| for even more sour cream than 1t
now gets.
The county is a small one, with q
| normal cotton crop of 1000 bales.
| which was reduced by about 70 per
cent through weevil infestation; that
is to say, the 1920 crop of cotton
will not exceed 1000 bales. The
farmers made from one-half to two
bales to the pillow, which, all things
| considered, is better than the usual
| average among the communities
along the main line Of the Georgia
railroad.
"The seriousness of the situation
is mitigated considerably by the fact
that our farmers produced more
corn than usual, an abundance of
sweet potatoes, an unusually large
| crop of velvet beans and quantity
Of SYRUP" remarked w. S. Lazen-
by, cashier and executive manager
Of the Bank Of Columbia county.
1--WE didn't raise as many hogs as
we would have liked to, and their
character is not of high STAN
dard," continued the banker. But
it is gratifying to observe that the
production of pure-bred Berkshire
hogs appeals to many Of our farm
ers and I confidently look for a
steady development of this indus
try"
The Dairying Industries
The men who are now engaged
in dairying are not entirely salts
fled with the results they have
achieved thus far, and their dissat-
isfaction has not been relieved by
the fact. that they are now expe-
riencing difficulty in marketing
their whole milk. But there is a
reason, and a good one, for condi-
tions surrounding the industry and
a reason, too, to justify the belief
that the business will straighten
out itself.
There are eight dairies in the i'm
mediate vicinity of Harlem, so I
learned from Mr.. Lazenby. Until
very recently, they sold their entire
output, meaning whole milk, in Au-
gusta, and received for it return
that was profitable. Recently, how
ever, Augusta has shut down on the
importation of whole milk, and now
demands only sour or sweet cream.
"Most of our dairymen are not
prepared to ship only cream" ex-
planned Mr.. Lazenby. "In the first
| place, few of them are in q posi-
ton to handle advantageously their
SKINNED milk. Their farms are
not stocked, with hogs, but be-
lieve the problem will solve itself.
The dairymen will put in hogs in
self defense"
Mr.. Lazenby says that prior to the
"embargo" on whole milk, the dairy
men made profit Notwithstanding
that they purchased the feed for
their cattle.
In Morgan County.
Relatively few Of the men en-
gagged in dairying raised enough
feed stuff to supply them," said
the banker. land in these circum-
stances they were forced to purchase
the feed for their cattle. From
what I've read and learned con-
CGIHllS Odll ylISS Gill ASO " NC
lieve. that the permonent success
of the industry depends very large
ly upon the home-production of
feed stuffs.''
AS Mr.. Lazenby added, the fur
Their development Of dairying will
stimulate the home-consumption of
feed-stuff for the cattle, and this
means, of course, that hog raising
will be promoted in the county.
AS in Morgan county and else
where in Georgia, the Accent cot
ton period was anything but a
blessing to the eople of Columbia
county. It was fine while it lasted,
but it diverted many farmers from
the development of diversified crops
and induced others to invest In cot
ton lands at high prices.
"I am reminded by the Accent
period Of an incident in connection
with a piece of property I owned
near town. said Mr.. Lazenby. Il
wasn't especially anxious to sell,
but farmer insisted on buying it.
He wanted the land badly for the
production of cotton. Finally, he
agreed to accept my figure, con-
tingent upon certain deferred pay
ments. 1t proved a bad trade for
him, because he has never been
able since even to meet the inter-
est on the deferred payments. The
boil weevil made it almost impos-
sible for him to earn the interest
charges in cotton"
In Taliaferro County.
One of the singular things about
the weevil country formerly de-
nominated the cotton section) Is the
presence, here and there, of man
who made a good cotton crop despite
the pesky parasite. I found such
a man at Crawfordville, in Taliafer-
no county, in the person of w. w.
Bird, a farmer, who enjoys also
the distinction of being a member
of the state legislature.
Mr.. Bird has what he terms his
"pet farm" adjoining his residence,
| and he made a bale to the acre
old time stuff. He had only eight
acres in this particular plot of land
| but he got eight full bales of cot
| ton off it.
st attribute my success to soil
| preparation," he explained, "I pre-.
pared the soil thoroughly before
| planted a seed of cotton and then
I gave it the very best attention.
But Mr.. Bird is an unusual farm
err. Besides making a bale to the
acre in cotton, he made 80 bushels
of oats to the acre on an eight
acre tract of land, and for these
he received one dollar a bushel.
Taliaferro county as whole, how
ever, is not much different from
other counties along the Georgia
railroad. The boil weevil had 6
picnic in her cotton fields. The
normal yield of cotton is 5000 bales
The production this year didn't ex
| coed 1000 bales.
Could Be Worse
"Things might be a sight worse,
said I Z Hidden nresident of the