Imperial Valley press., 1922-06-07
DAIRYING, AN ANCHOR TO WINDWARD
BY F. B. Fuller
Vice President of Southern Trust G. Commerce Bank


1t is little difficult to enter into frank discussion of
the attitude of the banker toward the dairy industry with
out danger of being misunderstood From the banking
point of view there is very important difference between
the dairy business and the cotton lettuce cantaoupe
business for example, and everything favor OF dairy
ing as basis of credit but this does not imply that
banker holds friendly attitude toward the vegetable
and fruit industries which much to Imperial Val
ley that he considers them unworthy of encouragement
1t strictly professional and mpersonal and out of
the hard of the situation without regard to sentiment
It does not even take into consideration the broade phases
of the question namely that every banker knows that it is
desirable diversity of interests and from
possible Indeed the banker knows better than
that to have the Imperial Valleys activities wldened to IN
cude the growing of dates grapes grape fruit tomatoes
asparagus Strawberries lettuce cantaoupes and melons
is most important from economic point of view and yet
the hard coldbooded fact remains that dairy enterprise
is bankabe while large extent the other enter
prises not bankabe unless supported by some other
security
considers fully Returns from the vegetable fruit
business by conditions beyond the control of
the grower No matter how we'll he may do his part, the
crop be entire failure either because of conditions
of the weather from the collapse of the market If the
has nothing but his it possible for him to be
ruined and to ruin the banker with him. should the banker
commit himself too completely to this sort of enterprise
No bank went broke because its funds were invested IN
the wrecks Of those who have unwsey staked farming en-
terprses which controlled by uncertain or speculative
factors. ra}'
In my experience in Imperial Valley have plenty
of with almost nothing and acquire comfortable
little fortune by consistently following the dairy business
have this done times when the conditions OF
dalrylng were by means favorable Odlrymen nave
pulled of the hole with scrub and twenty cent
butter They have saved themselves after they had
almost crinally overlooked the necessities OF providing
ample feed The dairy business has worked out because
its product staple in constant demand at all times and
the business is supported by natures tendency to
increase Bankers all running after darymen whose
capital measured in hundreds of doars but they mani
langud interest in the bonanza farmer whose
crop may bring him than the banker will accumu-
late lifetime The not that the banker does
not wish the latter man we'll but the banker is handling
other peoples money and must play safe
There is practical side of this question from the
farming point of vew The vegetable producer needs
dayman and the daryman needs the fruit and vege-
table grower Canaloupe and vegetable growing hard
made except old alfalfa sod while on the
other hand alfalfa land gets point after while where
can only be restored productivity by the of in
cultivation such the vegetable administers
The mutually helpful and mutually necessary
All of the high yielding enterprises have their place
plenty situated that they afford to
for the big stake that is involved There
are men with talents for organizing who play
this game with reasonable safety But the OF modest
means be safe and more than he wants
to stay with the dairy business and the dairy
business will stay with him.