The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-06
ATTRACT SETTLERS
TO CAROLINA LAND
Farmers From Western States Can Be Inter-
ested and Retained II Sought on Right
Basis and Competentiy ADVISED = '.s
Organization to Handle Matter
= : is Suggested
(By w. w. Long, Director Of Ex-
tension Service).

(By W. w. Long, Director Of Ex-
tension Service).
In readjusting our agriculture,
we are passing through the same
experience as the other southern
states that have had to contend
with the bon weevil, namely, the
exodus Of farm laborers..
The abandonment Of the farms
by the laborers. in great many
localities Of the state, is presenting
situation most acute for next
years operations and is raising 4
very serious question for the fu-
ture as to the use Of large areas OF
our farm lands
The state can not afford to have
these lands remain unproductiye.
therefore, the question arises-Whas
are we to do with them? We can't.
sell them to our own citizens, dn-
less some organized effort is made
to interest our best class of tcn-
ants to purchase these lands and
provide some way Of extending
long time credits in payment for the
lands and some means OF fnanc-
ing themselves on reasonable ha-
sis.
Settling the south with farm
ers from the Northern and Wes-
tern states has been failure. The
reason for this failure is not dif-
ficrlt to explain. The farmer NOV
ing from the New England states,
New York or Pennsylvania into
Iowa, Illinois or any Of the YES
tern states is moving into an .agri-
culture with which he is thorough
ly familiar, the growing Of grain.
grasses, live stock.
The Northern Or Western farm
er that comes into the South is
moving into an agriculture about
which he is entirely ignorant. He
is unfamiliar with our crops, es-
pecially cotton. our soil types are
different, our methods of cuit;va-
ton he is unfamiliar with, our L.
Dor can NOT be managed by him
and unfortunately he starts cut
with the idea that the southern
farmers are ignoramuses and that
he is going to show them how 30
farm. He applies Northern er
WesternLmethods to South Caro-
lima conditions and he fails. lie
remains in the south until he is
financially ruined, returns home
and spreads this nlisinformation
that it is impossible for man to
make a living on Southern farms.
was called upon a few years
ago to address number of Wes-
tern farmers who had moved into
the state, and I made the follow
ing statement:
: You have come into this COM
munity thinking to yourselves that
you are going to show these people
how to farm. What you see around
you, in the way of well kept farms,
makes you believe. that these peo-
pie are entirely ignorant Of good
agricultural methods I further
stated: If you apply Western:
methods to; South Carolina condi-
tons will give you five years to
lose everything you have" One Of
the Western farmers asked me
this question: What, then, would
you advise us to do?" I said, '.Se-
lect the most successful farmer in
this county and follow his meth
DDS. This they failed to do and
it is the same old story. they lost
everything they had and returned
West. -
Now 1 believe that settlers can
be brought into South Carolina
from the western states if any
agency were established in some Of
the Western cities, put in charge
of.some thoroughly trained and ex-
perienced agricuiturist, who would
go out among the farmers and
point cut truthfully the advan-
tages of South Carolina and at the
same time the Disadvantages and
not -endeavor to make people be-