The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1922-11-09
COLORED FARMER MAKES Sue
CESS IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY
Berry Cunningham Harvests and
Stores 500 Bushels of Sweet Pota-
toes in His Own Storage House.

One of the longest and best write
ups of colored farmer we have ever
read recently appeared in the Spartan
burg Journal. Doubtless the article
has been read by thousands Of peo-
pie, white and colored throughout the
state with unusual interest. The
County Record reproduces it here for
the edifcation of its colored readers,
and others whom it may interest:
Forty years ago, Berry Cunning
ham, a young colored farmland from
Anderson county, came to Spartan
burg county to establish new home.
Berry had no assets other than a
fine physique, indomitable energy
and a desire to own his own home.
Berry Cunningham's record on his
193-acre farm, near Reidville, this
year bears mute but eloquent evil
dence to the fact that his desires
of 40 years ago have been realized.
Berry has just finished storing 500
bushels of sweet potatoes in his own
storage house. This crop of tubers
was harvested from less than two
acres of ground and would have been
much larger had it not been for the
prolonged drought that had a bad
effect upon sweet potato crops few
weeks ago.
Fearing that the boil weevil would
make cotton raising in Spartanburg
county improbable, Berry resolved
last year to plant less cotton in 1922
and to cultivate his cotton land in
tensively. He will have 40 bales of
cotton to sell, and Is of these al
ready have been turned over to the
South Carolina Cooperative Cotton
Marketing association, of which Ber-
ry is an enthusiastic member. When
he delivered this cotton to the CO.
operative association, Berry astound-
ed the receiving agent by declining
to take the amount of advance money
to which he was entitled. Berry
said he did not need the money and
preferred to have What was due him
draw Interest at the rate of 6 per
cent.
Berry said, while in Spartanburg
today, that he used no poison in
combating the boil weevil this year.
Instead, he relied upon rapid culti-
walton and picked up fallen squares
assiduously. The result was that
the weevil in reality caused Berry
very little trouble, although some
curtailment of Berry's cotton crop
resulted from the pests activities.
Berry now has in his cribs enough
of his 1921 corn crop to Garry him"
through 1928!
He will gather about 500 bushels
of corn this year, but none Of this
will be needed to feed Berry Cum
ningham's stock next year.
Berry also has harvested more than
500 bushels Of Irish potatoes, and un-
doubtedly would have secured 1000
bushels on the seven acres devoted
to corn had the lengthy drought not
effected his potatoes.
A large portion of Berry Cunning
hams farm is devoted to producing
grain and forage crops. Berry has
'had good luck" with alfalfa and
with other forage crops, his fodder
being surplus in so far as feeding
his livestock is concerned.
Berry also believes in raising live
stock. He keeps a registered Jersey
bull and three cows and raises hogs
to provide his family with an abund-
ance of meat throughout the year.
Berry said today that he is making
arrangements now to breed Hamp-
shire hogs on large scale and will
secure his foundation stock within
short time. His farm is peculiarly
adapted to livestock raising and he
expects to devote more time to this
phase of agriculture than formerly.
He keeps Rhode Island Reds in his
poultry yard and plans to increase
his flock of purebreds and eliminate
mongrels entirely. An incubator will
be used to produce the chickens
needed for home use and for market
on the Cunningham farm.
Berry uses a tractor on his farm,
and in addition to the six mules used
a truck is employed in doing the
hauling incident to the farm work.
Berry also owns his own touring car
and his farm, is equipped with every
conceivable modern farm implement.
In order to achieve the best results,
Berry has found it necessary to use
the best tools obtainable, and his