The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-10-15
Farmers To y.
Meet Saturday
Plans For Anti-Boll Weevil
Farming Beginning to Take
Shape

At 12 o'clock, noon, next Satur-
day, October 18th there will he
held aa important meeting Of farnl~
ers and other business MEN at the
Sumter Chamber Of Commerce to
discuss truck growing and selling.
Every citizen Of Sumter and Sum
ter county is invited to attend.
For several years past, the Sumter
Chamber of Commerce has been
holding county mass meetings and
there have been hundreds of COM
munity meetings all over this
county at which the farm demon
stration and home demonstration
agents, and the secretary of the
Sumter Chamber of Comm ;rce,
with specialists, men and women
from the United States department
Of agriculture, Winthrop and Glenn
son colleges, the state department
Of agriculture. and others present
to discuss necessary crt diversifl-
cation to get ready for the boil
weevil. Boil weevil experts and
others warned and pleaded with
the farmers to be ready for this
cotton eXterminating insect.
Last April the Sumter Chamber
Of Commerce held a largely attend
cd mass meeting at the Girls High
scheel in Sumter at which COM
mittee was appointed to organize
a marketing corporation with Mr..
r. E. Belser, chairman of this
committee. SINCE that time this
organization has held two or three
countrywide mass meetings in
Sumter at which plans for tiding
over the. temporary hard times"
and preparing to substitute some
thing Or a number Of cash crops
for cotton were discussed and
plans outlined, and various COM
mittees appointed. Everybody
knew then that the boil weevil
could and was going to ruin our
prosperity.
Now the time is here 10 begin
to do something concrete and def
mite for next years farming meth
DDS. Chairman Belser IS about
ready to launch the marketing cor
poration. Other we'll defined plans
Of the Chamber of Commerce and
the determination of the numerous
discussions are ready to be sprung
The time is ripe to begin getting
busy with new farming and busi-
ness methods. We cant wait until
planting time in 1922.
VIII the farmers Of Sumter coun-
ty listen now to the warnings of
the federal and state governments,
agricultural experts, and CONNER
cial and banking associations? The
farmers know now beyond doubt
what the boil weevil can do, what it
has done. The merchants, manu-
facturers, real estate dealers, bank
ers, insurance men, automobile
dealers, live stock and agricultural
machinery dealers, all, everybody
knows what the boil weevil can
do TO paralyze business of every
kind, and taken in connection with
general def1ation of prices of COM
modities, the slump in cotton par
ticularly and the general stagnation
and industrial agricultural and bus
mess lines, what to expect in the
future unless the agricultural dis
trfcts can be made to produce mil
lions of dollars worth of saleable
commodities other than cotton.
The Young Mems ,B u n s
League of Sumter is working with
the Chamber OF Commerce and
with the farmers and with every
other working agency to try to get
someting done. Lack Of interest in
the plans and efforts Of the men
and women who are trying to
awaken the people Of Sumter coun-
ty to the menace confronting us is
practically criminal, and the man
Or woman who is selfshly Or lazily
Indifferent is a Stacker as danger
Gus as were slackers Of all kind
during the great world war.
Sumter county and eastern Car
olina have a big fight, a war
against adversely, against human
suffering, against common enemy
Or. a number Of enemies. Every
man and woman is needed in this
fight Attend the mass meeting
on October 18th. Attend every
other meeting called for trying to
unite our people, we can overcome
our present and immediate future
troubles If we but work, and all
pull together. We are going 20 pass
through a period Of trying times,
we will have to stand for much
that we are not accustomed to,
and do things We have not been
doing, but do these things VIC must
beyond any doubt. But Sumter
county with it's natural advantages,
unexcelled climate, fertility Of soil,
intelligent citizenship, railway ia
cilities for distribution for our pro-
ducts, opportunities TO produce
many millions of dollars of COM
modities always in demand, can, by
pulling together show that peace
hath it's victories no less renowned
than war.