The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-01-31
ANTREVILLE BUSINESS MAN
WRITES ABOUT ACREAGE
S. J. Wakefield, One of the Leading
Farmers and Business Men of the
County, Discusses Situation
Confronting People of
The County

ner has received the following leLler
from Mr.. S. j. Wakefield, of Antre-
vile. Mr.. Wakefield, in addition to
being one of the best farmers in the
county and one of the leading busi-
ness men Of his section, is man who
gives considerable thought to mat
ters pertaining to the farming inter-
ests. His conclusions in the matter
! Of acreage reduction, the use of fer
tilizers, and on the general situation
are worth considering. Here is what
he says:
Mr.. Editor
Your last editorial was timely and
to the point. That the cotton crop
will be materially reduced there is
no doubt. In the first place there will
be large per cent of the farmers
who cannot buy much fertilizers,
even if they wished to do so, and no
one will use as much as he used last
year. But to be on the safe side, why
not get together and cut it out en-
tirely as to cotton for the present
year? We have been fertiliing heavi-
ly for several crops and I am of the
opinion that we can make from six
ty per cent to seventy per cent of a
normal crop without using fertilizers
at all.
We should use a little acid and a
little soda under bur corn and plant
fifty per cent more corn than we did
last year, the result will be that next
fall we would find ourselves with
cribs bursting with corn, crop of
twenty thousand bales of cotton, no
fertilizer accounts and< should the
whole South adopt such policy we
would get hundred per cent more
money for the crop to be raised the
present year than we could expect to
! get if we farmed as heretofore. Yes.
Mr.. Editor, you are right, it has TAX
en- $500 worth of fertilizers to
raise each bale of last years crop.
Counting the fertilizers used for corn
there has been bought in Abbeville
County at least $1,000,OO0 worth Of
fertilizers to make the crops of last
year, and the whole crop at present
prices would not bring over two mil
lion dollars. Fifty per cent going for
fertilizers-now is not this a bad
piece of economy?
Now 1 am great believer in op-
timism, but you please me too well,
and l am going to call you down on
remark you made. You said there
were still ten thousand bales of cot
ten and this cotton had to be sold
before times would get any better.
This 1 agree to. But you also said if
this cotton were sold, it would pay
the banks all the debts the farmers
owed. I am sure you spoke without
giving the matter much thought. AS a
matter of fact this ten thousand bal
es of cotton would not pay the bal
ance due on fertilizers, leaving the
balance of the debts unpaid, and they
are legend. Besides there will be a
large percentage of this cotton which
will never be put on debts. People
must live, and there is no way to get
anything except by selling bale of
cotton. And we all would be surpris-
ed could we know the amount of cot
ton that has been sold for this pur-
pose since September 1st.
Now there is no doubt we are in
devil of fix. February is here. Banks
and merchants are in no condition
to extend credit to the farmers. Cap
tain Shaw's article was timely and to
the point. If there is not something
done, and that speedily, 1 do not
know what may happen. No one has
as yet gone hungry but that time is
near at hand for many, if not actual
| ly here.
l am of the opinion that fifty per
cent of the farmers do not know at
this time whether they can farm this
year or not. We all have been hoping,
if not expecting, that things would
brighten up and get better. But not
SC; they are gradually growing worse
and we had as we'll make up our
minds to accept them as they are.
| No doubt those who see this will