Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-06-20
SYRUP AND PULASKI

ONIONS-The Leader reproduces below an ed
itorial from Saturdays Atlanta Journal in refer
ence to Georga's untapped possibilities and the
promise held out in isolated instances Of the glor
iousy brilliant future in store for Georgans who
awake to those possibilities. The Leader has been
trying for fifteen years to 'sel Georgia to Geor-
gians', to make our home folks wake up and take
notice OF the pot of gold at this end of the rainbow
Along this line want to mention OF many
farmers who are really taking advantage OF the
possibilities of Georgia agriculture Mr.. d j. Seig
Ter Mr. Seigler is -four season farmer His
harvest time is fifty-two weeks in the year He
is selling something, live stock or garden truck,
cotton, tobacco melons, or something from
New Years eve to New Years morning the year
around. Mr. Seigler was in the Office Saturday
morning and he said something thar started he
editor to thinking along a new line:
You are talking about its being time Tor the
business man to get up and do something. think
1t is time for the farmer to do something it is the
business man and not the farmer who is taking
the big losses this year. The farmer got his mon
ey when cotton high whether he sold it icr
cash or secured advances of credit on it. He has
blown his money and now he is kicking al tut
hard times. 1t IS time he started digging more
money out of the ground. There is plenty OF it
left"
Mr. Seigler doesn't know what hard times mean
He is digging gold out of his land all the time,
Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter prices may
rise or fall but he has always got something to
sell at profit. And every man who follows a
plow through Georgia's fertile fields can do the
same
But all this is off the subject The Journal
says:
News comes from Fitzgerald that the first stage
has been completed in the experiment of the Unit
ed States government to make syrup from sweet
potatoes The formula was tested thirty barr IS
OF the new syrup produced, and those who
tried it declared it at least equal to the famous
Georgia cane.
That is interesting item in the DAYS grist Of
news
Another comes from Hawknsville, where fr.
5. Gibson, successful farmer recently Ship ID
carload ofonions to the Atlanta market, thereby
planting milestone in the onion industry so far
as 1t concerns Georgia,
Here are two illustrations of the vast possibili-
ties in Georgia agriculture to which the state ap-
fNAAy A"S hot Aully dWdkCHSu---l lie use OF the
georgia yam for syrup, and the opportunity for
Georgia to become as great an nion-growing state
as Texas
The yam as an edible has long been famous. 1t
ranks today with the watermelon and fried chick
en- as one of the most luscious dishes on Georgia
tables But should its potentalites for syrup be
sufficiently developed, it will enter the commercial
heid on greater scale than ever Already if IS
Planned to submit samples of the syrup to CANDY
manufacturers, nthe belief that production can be
started Immediately on large scale, should the
leading manufacturers contract to take sufficient
OF the supply
| ne opportunities in onions as crop loom even
greater according to Mr. Gibson. who for ten wears
has grown them on his ten-acre farm and who
claims to have produced the worlds record Weld
of onions per acre.
Texas hitherto has been the onion state. From
$55000000 to 100000 worth OF onions are pro-
duced each year in south Texas. Most OF Geor-
gas onions come from Texas Georgia consum-
ers pay the freight them, when. could they OBJ
tain from their own fields, the saving would be
more than $500 to the carload.
Moreover, the Texas onion crop is financed at \
Tar heavier expense than would be necessary in
NSWSld' IIdcucally all eNaS onions are grown
by irrigation. Mr. Gibson is authority for the
statement that there is no spot in Georgia where
onions could not grow without irrigation-partic-
uary in middle south Georga-direct from the
seed, not from the set plant
Ye Georgia has produced scarcely any onions
worth the mentioning. 1t is authoritativelv sta.
ted that so much a carload has never been shin
ped to market outside the state. The proposal
OF Mr. Gibson that the onion growers association
be formed in the state, undoubtedly should Be
ii warmly greeted by farmers everywhere The gen.
eral patriotic interest to serve in putting Georgia
to the forefront in the onion market since the
Georgia consumer will profit as well as the Geof