The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1922-01-06
A COUNTY AGENT.

charges. The people are crying for
lower taxes, and lower taxes they
must have. But there are extreme
views on the subject of lower taxes,
and there, is such thing as killing
the goose that lays the golden egg.
We cannot afford in every case to
dispense with the usefulness of an
agency We now employ simply be-
cause it will reduce expenses. On
the other hand, even in the hardest
times, it is sometimes economy to
make a small outlay if the the out
lay promises results.
Some years ago, perhaps only a
year ago, we dispensed with the SER
vices of county demonstration agent
in this county. Without going into
a discussion of the wisdom of what
We did then further than to say that
We believe the delegation did what
at the time seemed to it the right
thing to do, we are of the opinion
now that with the change in condi-
.dons which have. come in the past
year we have reached a point where
the services of a county demonstra-
ton agent in this county are almost
indispensable. A year ago we ex-
pected to 60 on making cotton just
as we had in the years past. We had
gotten over our scare Of bollwee-
vii, and we were interested chiefly in
making q small crop, and getting rid
of the enormous surplus Of cotton
Carried over. Today we are at the
beginning Of a year. when no man
knows whether he will make a bale,
or two bales, or three bales of cotton
to the piow. Farming in a boil wee
vii section Of Mccormick County,
just below the Abbeville County line
last year, we learned that the boil
weevl does not simply cut off a part,
a third or half of the yield of cot
ton, but that under certain condi-
tions he destroys the whole crop. On
farms where we gathered eighty
bales Of cotton in 1920, we gathered
seyen bales last year.
There will be years we think
from such information as we can get
when the damage from the boil wee
vii will be greater than in other
years, but however much, or however
little the damage, the boil weevil is
here to stay, at least until somebody
discovers the means of destroying
the whole breed, and that day does
not seem near just now. Such being
the case we must raise cotton, and
we look to see the people plant cot
ton still, under boil weevil conditions.
We are afraid that the people this
year will proceed to plant large
crop or cotton just as they did last
year. If they do disaster awaits them.
We say that the people must learn to
grow cotton under boil weevil con-
dtions, and in order to learn, wheth-
er this year or next, they need the
services of an expert to advise with
them and show them how the work is
to be done.
Then again we cannot expect to
plant large crop of cotton and work
it slowly as in the past. We must
plant a small crop and work it fast.
The few acres in cotton will not sup
port the farm as heretofore and we
must plant other things. We need to
Know how to plant and grow substl-
tute money crops, or additional mon
ey crops, to the end that we shall not
be dependent on the income from
cotton alone. We have been advising
the growing of peanuts. Others think
well of growing sweet potatoes, the
curing and shipping of them to
Northern markets. But before we can
do either we need leader. We need
a man who can acquaint himself with
proper methods Of growing these
crops, Of gathering and marketing
them And that is the work which a
county demonstration agent can do,
il we secure the services of good
man.
There are other ways in which