Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1921-11-08
Duality the Key to Georgia
Production of Prosberity

M YIETHER in men or in melons or IN
M books or in tobacco, it is quality
that counts. Georgia producers can
not do better for their own prosperity and
for the advancer. emit of the Commonwealth
than to practice this time-tried gospel. That
it will multiply the farmers income, as we'll
as the manufacturers, and steadily increase
all industry's earnings is certain as
that summer showers will make cornfelds
lush and green. Moreover, it will go far
to solve those pressing problems of agrl-
culture and of business that swarm IN the
boil weeviIs wake. What shall be done
with the tens of thousands of acres on which
cotton no longer can be profitably grown?
And for the substitute crops, how can regu-
lar markets and good prices be as -ured? TO
say that the answer lies largely in quality
production, that is, in raising the BEST Of
whatever the chosen product may be, is to
state, not a theory, but fact fresh frol-, the
experience o. Georgia masters of the soil.
Consider the highly interesting case of the
outhwest Georgia Watermelon Growers As
ISOLATION, which began fUnctiOning last sea-
son with one hundred and seVenty-fve men,
bers, cultivating some twenty-three hum
dred acres. The enterprise netted an aggre-
safe of one hundred and thirtyone thousand
three hundred and fifty-tve dollars. Says
Mr.. J. j. Parrish, Jr, secretary OF the Abel
Chamber of Commerce, who was chiefly in
strumental in launching this cooperative en-
Cook county market their crops l hau been
struck by the fact that the better the quality
: of farm product the easier was its sale;
there is relatively little trouble about selling
the best Of anything 1t occurred to me thu :
il could persuade the farmers to improve
the quality Of their Watermelons and as near
~ as possible to standardize them, big diff
ficulty in their sale and distribution would
be overcome" Upon this idea was formed the
association whose specified purpose was the
-.oI<~ kr
which end there should be field inspection,
and instruction to growers, in order to i'm
prove the qaulity of 1lelOns shipped by
them" The work of producing QUALITY
began with the selection of seed, which were
of the guaranteed best, ana continued
throughout the growini, and harvesting sea-
son. Melons were thinned :" a stand Of two
to zine AMI one vine to a hill, inspectors
being employed to see that this was done
and to make helpful suggestions. Equally
careful was the supervision of hauling, grad
Ing packing and shipping. The wagons or
motor trucks for hauling the melons from
farm to railway station were padded on the
sides and bottom to prevent even the slight
est bruises an( loading inspectors would re-
1ect melon that bore trace of damage or
inferiority. These and like regulations were
in no wise Milky or superfluous, but were
adopted in each instance after close consid-
Grafton AMI always with view to enhancing
the worth Of the product. 'It was the pur-
pose of the Association says Mr. Parrish,
ito produce = melon that could be sold under
q guarantee as to quality. We marketed 1t
under the trade-name 'Sowega.' Through
out the season W lived up to representa-
lions to the buyers. And L believe that we
made substantial progress in establishing
the 'Sowega watermelon the best to be
had The carefully kept records of the
Association afford a wealth Of interesting
evidence on the profitableness of QUALITY
It appears for instance, that the proceeds
from only forty-seven cars of thirty-pound
melons were considerably in excess of the
proceeds from one hundred and rorty-four
cars Of twenty-pound melons. The former
netted the growers $16,888, or $359.48 a
car; the Litter netted $1,000, or $3.50 a
car. OF a truth, it is QUALITY that counts
Now, any field of production in which this
principle is diligently applied will Lay in pro
portion. Tobacco-grow1ng, an infant indus
try in Georgia, furnishes a timely illustra
ton. Pierce county tobacco, which was cul
tivated with ca: and according to the most
approved methods, sold during the season re-
Gently ended at an average Of 14.44 cents q
pound, whereas the highest price paid fol
tobacco grown elsewhere In the State was
I'LL cents; and from this the average de-
scended to less than six cents. From tw,
thousand acres of well-tended tobacco the
farmers of P cree derived one hundred anC
eighty-six thousand dollars-more in "actua
cash" than from all their other crops com
bined. (Yet, those other crops with the one
exception of weevil-ravaged cotton, could be
made to pay far better than heretofore i
they were planted, cultivated, and marketed
with an eye to QUALITY eve were able
to sell our tobacco crop at profit says
Mr.. B. D. trantley, of Blackshear, in thu
course of a most interesting interview IL
The Journals and the Country Bankers bet
r ter-marketing campaign, "be ause ou
! farmers improN ed their natural advantages
and produced quality tobacco 1t is the
purpose next season to carry this principl
further AMI into richer detail. Expert grow
ers from t. Carolinas and Virginia hav
been employed, under whose supervision
plans to produce the best will be carried per
sistently forward. The spirit and the in
tent of this endeavor are we'll expressed b.
Mr.. Brantley when he says: eff we can in
duce every farmer in this territory to plan
a small. acreage in tobacco and to give i
proper care, that is, have plenty of stock
plants ready by the last o. March, have hi
ground we'll prepared and intelligently fer
tilized, his plants uniformly set out an
watered if necessary, the crop plowed regu