Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-11-09
Outline Program to Meet
Weevil.
To the Editor of The State:

there is crying need TOT d wen
thought out program for agricultural
procedure under boil weevil condl-
tions asked DR.. w. w. Long and R. I.
Manning to form a committee OF
well qualified men to formulate such
program for fhe state.
These gentlemen appointed the fol-
lowing committee, which met in Co
lun,bia on September 27; DR.. w. w.
Long, Wade Drake, j. Ross Hanahan,
R. C. Hamer, ]. W. Castor, G. w.
Duvall, DR.. W. C. Brown, R. B. Cum
ninsham, B. w. Segars, R. I. Man
ming and D. R. Coker. Mr.. Coker was
selected as chairman and Mr.. Cum
ningham as secretary. All were pres
ent except Mr.. Hamer.
The opinion of every member as
to the best farming methods for boil
weevil conditions were fully express
ed and all agreed on the main feat
ures of program. A subcommittee,
consisting of B. w. Segars, R. B. Cum
ningham, j. w. CASTOR, DR.. w. w.
Long and D. R. Coker, was appointed
to draft the program. This committee
met in Columbia October 8, all pres
ent except DR.. Long, who was repre-
sented by Mr.. Blackwell, and the ac-
companying program and recommen-
dations are the result Of their work.
This program in substantially Its
present form was submitted to all
the members of the committee. Mr..
brakes approval of the program has
not been received and Mr.. Hamer has
withheld approval as he considers it
conflicts with the cotton associations
plan of not more than one-fourth OF
and farm being planted to cotton.
The program was submitted to a
meeting of farm demonstration
agents at Clemson college Friday,
October z, and was discussed and
approved. The program, therefore,
goes to the people with the authority
of a strong and experienced commit
tee and with the o. k. of the extern
sion department.
The suggested program follows:
The march of the boil weevil
across the cotton belt has been ac-
companied by panic and demoraliza-
ton. Farmers, bankers and mer-
chants, frightened by one or two
years of heavy losses, have in many
cases curtailed operations and cred
its to the point where farming was
stified and labor was forced to leave
the country to prevent starvation.
There are signs that similar panic
may occur in parts of this state un-
less means are taken to reassufe the
people and point out a safe course for
agricultural operations under boil
weevil conditions. To this end q
group of practical farmers and busi-
ness men in cooperation with the ex-
tension bureau have studied the sit.
uation in the light of their own ex-
perience and that of other statse and
the accumulated experimental results
of governmental agencies and beg
leave to present the following sug-
gestions and program as one which
will meet the situation, preventing
decentralization and enabling our
farming and business interests to
continue profitable operations.
1t is especially important to pre-
vent our people from stampeding in
to new and untried fields of agricul-
ture in which they will fail for lack
of information and experience. Prom
ising new crops should of course be
tested and where proved successful
should be increased as rapidly as the
people gain experience but not faster.
Must Reach All.
The problem is not so much as to
what to do as it is how to reassure
the people and get the information
of how to proceed to every farmer,
renter, and sharecropper in the state.
This must be done if it is done at all
by the larger farmers, merchants,
bankers and professional men who
should make it their business to reach
the isolated farmers and tenants and
discuss with them the program of op-
erations under boil weevil conditions.
The greatest responsibility rests up
on the landowners. If they are going
to continue to own their lands they
will be obliged to see to it that those
who farm them have correct infor-
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