The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1922-09-30
ORGANIZING THE
COTTON FARMERS
Agricultural Leaders to Wage
Statewide Sign-Up Cam
paign.

jackson, Miss, Sept. 25.-Follows
ing conferences between the extern
sion division of the Mississippi A. z
M. College and the executive commit.
tee of the Cotton Marketing Asso-
citation and Farm Bureau leaders
Chairman B. B. Virgins and Cam
paign Manager Gus Hill, are an
nouncing the plan of carrying on the
cotton "sign-up" campaign. The
feature of this plan is the almost loo
per cent participation of the extern
sion division. Recognizing that the
greatest problem facing Mississippi
agriculture today is that of getting
satisfactory prices for its cotton, Di-
rector R. S. Wilson and State Agent
]. w. Willis of the extension depart
ment have turned their entire for
ces into this cotton marketing work
for the duration of the campaign, or
from October Is toeDecember %.
In order that cotton growers in
Mississippi may have the plan fully
explained to them, the extension di-
vision has arranged to work the
county agents and leaders in groups
of four. In carrying this out the
county agents of the four counties
that are grouped together will all go
into one county for ten days to hold
meetings all over the county and
then go with the members of the
committee to every farmer in the
county and explain to him in detail
the full workings of the cotton mar
keting association. After complet-
ing the campaign in ti1at county the
four county agents with the leader
will switch over into the next county
and will carry out the same proce-
dure there.
This team of county agents will
work very closely with the members
of the farm bureau in each county.
The organization committee in each
of these counties will be largely
made up of members Of the county
Farm Bureau. After the county "a
gents and leaders go into the various
parts of the county to explain the
proposition to the farmers, the
farm bureau members of that county
will make a canvass that will give
every man to whom the proposition
has been explained an opportunity to
sign the cotton marketing contract.
Following the close of the first
ten days campaign in each county
there will be general canvass of
the entire county by the leading
farmers of that county who are most
interested in the movement.
This great farmer "sign-up" is to
be known as Victory Week, and it
is during this particular week that
the cotton association leaders expect
to reach their goal. The farmers
themselves recognize that it is their
one problem to establish this associa-
tion and operate it and they are an
xious to lend their service to the de-
velopment of the system that will
not only benefit them, but will also
take care of their neighbor's cot
ton.
Preceding the coming of the coun-
ty agent team in each county there
will be an intensive publicity cam
paign put on in the counties by a
specialist from the extension forces.
These men, who are trained organiz-
ers, will go into the counties and
will work for several days, arrang-
ing meetings, securing the support Of
and putting out advertising matter
all over the county. The publicity
squad as it is at present organized
is composed of j. w. Wilson, A. G..
Spinks,. E. P. Whitson, T. M. Patter-
son, ]. T. Copeland, ]. F. Hurst, ]. E.
Tanner and P. F. Newell The first
counties to be organized by this
group of publicity men are Scott,
Lauderdale, Jones, Lowndes, Ponto-
toe, Neshoba, Walthall, Jefferson,
Prentiss, Benton, Pamela, and Holm
es The days for the publicity cam
paign in these counties are fixed
from October 8th to 14th.
An important factor in the cam
paign will be the work of the home
economic agents under the leader
ship of Miss Susie v. Powell, state
home economic agent and assistant
director of extension, and her dis
trict agents. Miss Powell is tremen-
dously interested in seeing better
prices for cotton, recognizing that
1t will bring prosperity to the farm
ers and more comfortable and salts
factory living conditions for farm
ers' wives as we'll as the development
of homes and schools.
In order that the best possible ad-
vice in organizing the cotton asso-
citation may be furnished to the
farmers the leader of each group of
county agents will be trained man
who has had experience in organic
ing cotton associations in other SOU
thern states.