The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1921-01-07
AN "OLD FARMER"
TALKS TO HIMSELF
He Contrasts The Present With Some
OF The Days in Past Years. Thinks
Modern Benefits Pretty High.


A farmer, between As and 81
years of age, in good health and witt
a rudimentary high school education
living upon tract of 440 acres OF
land, found himself one Saturda!
night, in street parlance, "up against
it" In many respects his farm was
ideally located. 1t was well watered
A small creek wended its way from
one end of the farm to the other
and upon it's banks grew cane that
furnished good picking" for the
cattle and horses through the winter.
There were about 225 acres of the
farm in a good state Of cultivation
most of which often produced bale
of cotton per acre, and there was
but little trouble in raising 80 to 40
bushels of corn to the acre. The
creek sometimes "got out of it's
banks,'' yet it rarely did much dam
age. There was fairly good dwell
ing on the farm and the tenant
hOuses-in number-were as good
as the average in that vicinity.
Some good milk cows and other cat
tie, fifty head of hogs, dozen or
more sheep and about 20 head of
goats, horses and six good mules
were in the pasture or about the barn
and lot. Yet in spite of these sur
roun6ings, this good land with its
water and pasture, this farmer found
himself at Christmas, 1920 with only
about % bales Of cotton (the boil
weevil destroyed about rs bales for
him) and owing at the bank $4,000,
besides sundry small obligations
amounting altogether to between
five hundred and a thousand dollars
Many things were turned over in the
mind Of this farmer that Saturday
night and finally he found himself
almost talking out loud" on this
wise: What is the matter? / live on
good land and nature usually does
her part. 1t is true that the boil
Weevii came this year and got my
cotton and I am really not to blame |
for not having but 25 bales to pay |
my debts with. The weather was |
such, it rained and rained, so nobody |
could make corn and while l have, |
maybe, corn enough to pull me |
through until spring. yet the place
made scarcely more than a half a
crop. | have some hay, a few sweet |
potatoes. Two years ago, | did not
owe anything, had $1,000 and Is
bales Of cotton to sell at this time.
What has become of it? Has the
bank toted square with me; / reckon
it has. The merchants have charg-
ed me like the dickens, but / got
a good price for what | sold. ] re-
member to have sold merchant one
day ham for 40 cents per pound
and only little while afterwards, /
was pricing some shoes from the
for which he asked me
$3.50, l said, 4 used to get these
shoes for $3.50, yes the merchant
said and / used to get that ham
from you at II cents So / hushed
But something is the matter. Is it
because we don't work enough on
The farm? Have l run around too
much this year in my Ford N.Y.
wife told me the other day that she
bet this ear had cost us more this
year than our groceries and our
shoes. We have heard and heard
about crop diversification and re-
the two years in which l
diversified the most is the two years,
With the exception of this one, that ,
made the least money. Somebody
'aid to me a few days ago when / ;
vas in town that the reason / did
not make money when / diversified :
most was because had no system ,
about marketing what / made. i
save been turning what that man :
'aid over and over in my mind and
rave about come to the conclusion y
hat he was right. guess if a mer- :
,hant undertook to sell all of his !
Foods in one day, or in two o, three g
llfferent days in as many months, :
hat he could not get what they were 7
worth. The thought then came to =
ne that it was system that saved =
he merchant and i have about reach !
ID the conclusidn IN that system of !;
and system more especial :,
Y in marketing, is about the only :,
ure for the ills Of the farmer. l -
I'M satisfied that better marketing =
will help me-. Why l ought to be in :,
ependent. ought not to have to -
e turning over and over in my bed :,
t night and lying awake about g
Continued on Page 81 ;.