The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-03-04
The Worker OF Cooperative Miracles.

The peanut growers Of Virginia and North Car
olina, who had suffered heavy losses by sudden
drop in prices. modified their. industry,
and called on Aaron sapiro. counsel for fourteen
California cooperative exchanges, 70 draw up
their plan Of organization in the fall OF 1920.
No sooner was the campaign of peanut growers
we'll under way toward majority of sgnerS. than
leaders in the tobacco growing industry Of Virginia
and the Carolnas called the Western worker Of CO.
operative miracles 20 conference OF growers.
The representatives OF the Carolina and Virginia
growers met with Aaron Saplro in Richmond, Nir-
elnia. on December lG 1920 Mr.. Sapro pointed
the fac, that tobacco, like cotton is in some
respects easily adapted to cooperative market
ing than the raisns prunes and apr1cots by which
the California growers have risen TO prosperity
from a debt t-rdden condition. similar to that in
which the majority OF Virginia and Carolina grow
erS find themselves today.
After painstaknG consideration of the task of
signing up a half of all tobaccogrowers in the most
conservative and oldest industry Of Virginia and the
Carolinas and the large problems OF Warehouslng.
STORAGE finance and distribution iIvolved in handl-
ing crop of several hundred million pounds. the
leaders called mobilization Of representative
bacco- growers in each state.
County delegates from most tobacco GROWING
counties of Virginia Lynchburs early in 1921
State leaders there outlined the plan Of marketing
tobacco by cooperative sales. The growers of Nlr
ginia faced Aaron Sapiro and We're asked why they
persisted in the worst marketing system in the
world Asked why they dumped tobacco on the
warehouse floors and were Wiling to accept the
grades and prices set by spectators, instead OF
n
association OF the growers, they saw the need for
change.
Told that per cent. Of California farmers car
ry crop mortgages today. while 60 per cent Of all
tobacco growers in Virginia labor under them. the
growers of Virginia heard how California farmers
had bridged the gap between the country and the
city by maintaining such prosperity, " coopera-
tive markets. as the Virginia growers had tasted
only once OF late, and lost again.
When Aaron Sapro told the growers Of Virginia
that they could stabilize their,lnduStry within
single year by marketing majority Of the crop OF
the old tobacco belt through cooperative sales OF
no marketing association the growers OF Virginia took
linn at his word. and forthwith planned their task
Of signing Il majority of growers in their state TO
the fve-year marketing contract sell their crops
through the Tobacco Growers Cooperative Assocla-
ton.
After similar mass meetings at Raleigh, North
Carolina and Florence. South Carolina, similar
program was adopted for both cotton and tobacco
farmers, each group organizing by commodity.
Backed by the extension divisions OF three states.
endorsed by the State Bankers Associations OF Efr-
ginia and North Carolina the cooperative move
n1ent in those states has made amazing progress
Virginia has already signed UP 1900 Cut OF her
$4,000 tobacco growers. North Carolina major
ity of her cotton growers and South Carolna has
made rapid progress in the movement for cooper
ative sales