The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1922-12-16

sinister menace to the prosperity
of the South. but it is only one
problem. The great problem is
|the regulation of the production
Of Gotten so that the supply shall
not exceed the demand, and thereby
guarantee price that will insure
a fair and Legitimate profit on the
actual cost of production, this cost
beng figured TO include fair inter
ess en- investment, legitinaate over
head and fair wage fer all labor
engaged in the production of the
cotton crop. When this problem
is correctly solved the South will
en- r, 10y real prosperity. one year
after another. not by fits
and starts. The beginning OF the
solution Of the problem is in the
developments OF a rational system
of diversified farming in which cot
ton growing shah have an import
ant piaee-as a surplus crop, al
ways saleable for cash. Almost
every averv farm in South Carolina, if
not every farm without exception,
could be made to yield living for
an average family Of ordinary In
teiligence and industry. without
any cotton being planted. That is
q p proposition susceptible Of dem
onstration ard it has been demon
strafed in numerous instances IN
almost every county of the State.
The destructive advent OF the boil
wcerif has merely masnided and
dramatizcd the reasonabienss and
necessity Of !. well balanced SYSTEM
of diversified farming.
Under boil Weevil conditions It IS
not only unWi5e, but sialy-really
suicidal-to continue the practice.
TO witch majority of farmers
were slasishiy addicted. of planting
fwelye fiffeen or twenty acres
and IN extreme cases even more
than twenty acres-of cotton to the
piow The one horse farm cannot
support the labor absolutely neces-
sary to properly care fer twelve TO
twenty acres Of cotton in boil
weevil infested territory Nor can
the ten, twenty or fifty ploW plan
tation maintain the force Of labor
ers essential to properly care for ,.
twenty acres OF cotton to the ploW-
The boil ,seevil has rendered the
an cotton farming program absurd
and impossible. Cotton growing
u, under bon weevil conditions neces:-
states limited acreage. intensive.
cultivation and intelligent and
painstaking care. This forced cur.
taiinent of. cotton acreage leaves
the larger part Of the farm free to
be utilized for the production OF
other crops that can. should and
must be made to provide a hvins, or
more than living for those eTa,
ployed This much obtained from
the major part of the farm would
leave the coefon produced on the
reduced cotton acreage as a sur.
plus or profit. This is all theory
some will say in derision. OF
course, It is a theory, but is based
upon the fundamental facts of
economics and practice. It is a
theory that not few farmers have
put into practice and attained inde-
pendenee aud prosperity in the do
ing. It is a theory, that, when
generally put into practice. viii
solve both the problems that have
harassed the cotton farmers and
kept them the bond slaves of the
cotton spectators and the boil
weevi,s-the problems Of over
production and boil weevii. Both
are primarily problems Of excess
sive cotton acreage and neglect Of
"a rational system of diversified
farming that would make each farm
self sustaining and Independent of
| the nachinations of cotton price
manipulators and the ravages of
boil weevils.
TWO BLOC REFORMS
| Two nropasats at least of those