Rockingham post-dispatch., 1922-08-24

being among the number, have Lit
tla faith in the argument put forth
by the advertisement. In an articl,
by Mr.. Page he tells of the returns
ON the money ne has invested in
orchards, and as he is among the
big investors he is worth hearing
Another reason why Ralph Page
is substantial evidence is that his
statements are based on an audit
Of his business. At the end of the
season he has an accounting of the
seasons work, and every expense
and every item of income is set
down and balance made, and he
knows what his orchard interests
have done.
Sam Richardson is another peach
man who smiles at the fears of the
men who are making the protest,
Mr.. Richardson said that he is not
disturbed any by sale of his fruit
this year. Some of it toward the
last might have sold much better,
but when he counts up his profits
he says it leaves him margin enough
SO that he will not dig up his trees.
In fact, he was emphatic in saying
that he could sell his peaches for
lower figure than most of them
brought this year, and still be en-.
couraged to stay in the business.
The News is not inclined to be-
little the statement OF Derby, War
ing, Cowgirl, Butler and the other
signers, for they are men of intelli-
gence, and it is always a sensible
course to follow any argument, no
matter where it leads to until the
truth is reached, for frequently
things we do not suspect are brought
out. Yet at the same time it is be-
lieved that the Sandhills has no
more reached the limit of profitable
planting of orchards than that we
have reached the limit OF profitable
industry as a whole. Probably
some men this year will not find in
the orchards the profit they hoped
for. 1t is the same in every indus
try. No. business on earth has "A J
positive and continuous success.
The steel mills, the railroads, the
coal mines, the factories of all sorts,
have their bright days and their
dark days. Andrew Carnegie olce
said that the steel industry is
either a prince or pauper, either
making loads of money or gnawing
at crust. Possibly some men in
peach belt will come through this
summer with narrow winnings. But
in the main it is believed that the
business has brought a big margin
of profit to the Sandhills.
However, all this is aside OF the
point. The Sandhills country is
nowhere yet near the limit of its
development in fruit culture We
have come to the place where we
can make what is probably the
finest peach produced, and we are
getting reputation for this particu-
lar fruit. To scare when we have
reached the summit Of Mount Pts,
cash are going to be done. Among
them will be the further improve
ment of marketing methods, which
the association is already planning,
and the further economics in the
cost of production, which will
come with each successive crop.
We have to learn how to make a
crop at the lowest possible cost, SO !
the fruit can be SOLD in competi.
ton with the lower grades of fruit
II any such comes into competition
at any time. Then we must also
make it possible that the lower
grades Of fruit at least be salvag-
ed by canning, other processes, and
it is possible that we will presently
arrange that any seeming surplus
at any time. shall be sent to can
neries. The idea has prevailed here
that our fruit is too expensive to
30 to canneries, but if we make the
right kind of canned products the
canheries can pay satisfactory
price for Sandhills fruit to make il
profitable to raise peaches for can.
aing as well as for market in the
raw.
The News is of the opinion that
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