The dispatch-news. [volume] (Lexington, S.C.) 1919-2001, 1922-12-06

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gagged In cotton production. The
closing of our ports to'foreign emf
grafton has ocreated a demand by
~ Northern industries for negro
labor and the. South now. invites an 8
attractive field from which to draw
; that class of labor. r''s -sk. :.sFg !,
If this exodus OF negro farm
=. labor from the cation, belt, c6ptin-S
ues, 1t means ths vast. tracts OF
land heretofore planted In cotton
and other staple farm products will
lie dormant because there ds' no
. other source. from which farm, Ia,
bog can be- drawn. Better living
conditions and higher wages must
be provided for the labor on COT
ton FERNS or the present serious
exodus OF such labor will continue
to northern industries. ".,.s
- -! The problem can only be met
., and solved by teaching the masses
OF the cotton growers hoY to sue
cessfully overcome the boil weevii
menace and maintain the price of
cotton on profitable basis to the
growers. The people of this great
Republic have overcome every vi
tai economic problem which has
confronted them since 1776, and 1t
must not be said that the Anglo
Saxon race has gone down into de-
1eat and despair before the
rapacious presence of. an insect.
heretofore there has been no
widespread concerted effort made
for practical weevil control SO as
to reach all the growers and enlist
their effective cooperation. The
United States Department Of Aeri-
culture has maintained a weevu
laboratory at Tallulah, Louisiana.
for number Of years and Federal
experts have carried on experimen
tai work In many sections of the
belt. Last year the Virginia
carolina Chemical Company estab-
hshed demonstration farms in for
ty-three counties in four states and
the results were most satisfactory
IN every instance, indicating that
cotton can be profitably grown un-
der heaVily infested weeviI condi-
tlons by the adoption of simple and
practical methods already estab-
1ished.
Scientific Investigation and ex-
periments should continue even
upon much larger scale than
heretofore, but the methods which
are already known to be successful.
If properly applied, should be car.
rled to and impressed upon eyerv
darmer in the boil weevil area.
This work the American Cotton
. Association will undertake. on a
large scale If those who are inter.
ested In the speedy rehabilita tIon
= OF the cctton-growing industry will
furnish prompt financial support
and cooperation. -: =,
The American Cotton Assoc;a-
g. tion can reach SOC. 600 cotton crow :
ers through its journal, .,COTTON
; NEWS. It's close affiliated con-
nections in the cotton-erowinr
( counties will enable the Hssociatjon
:. 20 easily organize q demunstnation
I COTTON farm in all OF the, cotton
counties heavily infested with
weewls in 1928. The Association
mas the facilities and machinery for
doing this work more effectively
and efficiently than any other or
.sanization or agency in the South.
Ihe old system OF credits by
supply merchants and local banks
20 COTTON growers, based upon, an
extensive acreage in cotton, has
ceased to operate. and the great
masses OF the growers find them
selves upon their own Individual
resources which are extremely lin
ited as q result of the deflation
period or 1920 and 1921. The ex-
'raoroinafy hazards Of growing
COTTON under boil weevn conditions
and the average high cost of pro.
auction due to limited yields of lint
cotton per aero. are combining to
make the industry unattractive and
Improbable to many thousands OF
the growers both black and white.
10 overcome these serious diff
culties during this period OF recon-
struction and rehabilitation of the
industry will call for the united
support and effective cooperation
OF the Government. State and Fed
erai, and n willingness on the part
or the, general banking, manufac-
turing and business interests Of the
whole country. The problem is
TOO extensive and acute to be sat-
isfactorily solved by the growers
unaided. .,....
a third continuous disaster to
the American cotton crop will not
only magnify discouraeen,ent
among the growers, but it will
greatly retard and disorganize the
cotton spinning interests Of this
country and abroad, It will mean
enormous prices for. cotton and
cotton goods which the world pop
ulation is in no condition to pay
The sensible policy at this time
to pursue is to determine upon a
rational widespread campaign Of
education among the growers
7. which will enable them to grow
profitable crops Of cotton upon the
na.aiL, i. L. :