Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-01-12
To Diversity Crops 8
Plan Of Railroad
Agricultural Agents of A. B. & A.
To Aid Farmers

liSdliOll Is lHS open IOdu 10 dSTlCul-
tural prosperity. This is the opinion
of R. L. Bugg executive head of the
A. B. & A, Railway company with
headquarters in Atlanta, whose road
has started an extensive program in
agricultural activities.
Officials of the railway which runs
through the richest agricultural Sec
ton of the State have always taken
keen interest in tho work of farmers
along the line of the road, but now, re
alizing as they do it is stated, that
the ravages of the boil weevil call for
a new and better order of things, d.
versified farming will be pushed with
unusual vigor.
Among the crops that will be fos-
tered by the A. B. A. is the planting
OF tobacco. IL is the plan of the rail-
way to secure the consent of each
and every farmer in the South Geor-
gia territory who has already erected
a tobacco barn to plant little tobacco
II only one acre or two, not more than
tour, ocrcs on any farm. With the
small acreage it will then be possible
tor the individual farmer to make
test patch. Ell will be enabled to
watch it more carefully and in the
end will learn the art as they have
learned it in the Carolinas.
Cantaloupe Growing Urged
While primarily in an effort to slim
ulate the continuation of the growing
OF tobacco, agricultural agents of the
railway are also lending much time to
STIMULATING the cantaloupe industry.
1t was announced here today. Canta-
loupe growing will be extended thru
the watermelon section around One
ga, Moultrie and Townsville.
The unusually large prices secured
last year for watermelons at these
places has stimulated the proposition
to the extent that vast acres will he
planted this year. A break in the mar
ket with this acreage would cause Sc
we're loss to these farmers. and it is
the plan of the agricultural agents to
secure the cooperation of the farmers
to plant at least few acres of can
taloupes along with their waterme1ons
The A. B. & A. Officials and 9TH
ers who are advocating diversified
ton OF crops point to the fact that
prior to the Civil War between the
states, old time farmers were the most
independent men in the South Thew
lived at home in the fullest and the
strlctest sense of the world. Tbev
were merchants in those days who sold
cloth, sugar, coffee, tinware and fur
nlture' but there was no retail or anv
wholesale grocery merchants in the
rural towns of the whole south The
CID time merchants knew NOTHING a.
all about carrying a stock of meat
ard, flour, meal and canned goods
eAcePt perhaps, small quantity to
supply the needs of the town folks
who had no landed interests IF a
farmer ran short of food or feed he
went to one of his neighbors and
bought or borrowed his needs for that
year.
In those days it would have been
considered disgrace for farmer n
be seen hauling supplies of food and
iced from market to supply human or
animal requirements on the farm de-
cared on official of the State opri-
cultural department today. When cot
ten was planted it was grown in linn
tied way and when sold the proceeds
went into the farmers pocket as a sir
piuS money crop or dividend upon
his years business of farming
Example of Forefathers
lotion growers of 1922 must learn
to travel in the footsteps of their fore
fathers if they would shake off the
shackles of serfdom and walk in tbe
sunlight of new era of independence
and prosperity" Commissioner of 40
rlculture ]. ]. Brown. There must
be good milk COW and brood sow
tor every family that cu1tivates a one
horse farm. The corn crib. wheat
and oat barn and smokehouse must
always have an ample supply of food
stutts in them. Fields must be fenced
tor the livestock and good pasture
constructed. During all the past fortv
years of travail in the cotton belt the
real money-making independent far
mers today are those who were wise
enough to make their farms first self
sustaining with food and feed crops,
and then produced what cotton thew
could easily cultivate and harvest
No other rule will work, except for
disaster