The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-04-24
Z. 7. Raburn, of Calhoun County,
Finds Little Discomfort With
Cooperative Marketing Among
Growers of That Section.

Hon. z. T. Raburn, a former state
senator and well-known Calhoun
county farmer living at Morgan, has
Just returned from a trip to Virginia
and North Carolina, where he went
to investigate the VirginiaNorth Car
DINA Peanut Association, a co-opera-
tive marketing association similar to
the Georgia Peanut Growers Cooper
alive Association, which is being or
ganized in southwest Georgia, and in
a letter TO The Dawson News gives
conditions there just as he found
them. He says:
AT the request OF a number OF pea
nut growers OF my county | made
trip to Virginia to study at first hand
the operations of the Peanut Asso-
citation OF that section. The purpose
of my trip was to ascertain Tor our
farmers the truth regarding the sue
cess or failure of the cooperative
movement in that section and to ind
out whether or not in the opinion
of the farmers of Virginia and North
Carolina this plan of marketing pea
nuts was feasible and whether they
were satisfied or disconnected with
the result of its operations. AS in my
opinion this was a movement OF farm
ers. calculated to benefit farmers, |
decided that I would go to the farm
ers themselves Tor information. | felt
that it was possible that if | went to
employees OF the cooperative assoc1a-
ton they would be inclined to dwell
upon its merits, while the cleaners
and shelters would be apt to be pref
udiced against the movement. | am
reporting, therefore, the result OF in
terviews with some eighty farmers
from about six different growing sec
tons OF the Nirginia-Carolina peanut
belt.
The first point at which I began
my investigation was the section
about Petersburg, Virginia. This is a
Spanish producing section, and the
association has about fifty per cent Of
the growers signed up. I hired a car
and drove out into the country and
personally interviewed the following
growers: ]. V. Hanzlik, R. F. d., Pc
tersburg, Va; James Wagner, R. F.
D.. Petersburg, Va; c. w. Sedivy,
r. F. D., Sutherland, Va; ]. w.
Adams, R. F. D., Petersburg, Va. All
these men have been members of the
association since its formation. They
all expressed themselves in practical
ly identical terms.
Hanzlik's statement is a fair SAM
Pile He said Il am we'll pleased with
the peanut association. | received $1.05
4 10
Ny non-member neighbors received
about 90 cents per bushel. The asso-
citation, in my opinion, should have
more members, because the cleaners
are fighting the association, and in
1921 had enough stock to hold the
market down long enough to make it
embarrassing for the association.
believe the association will do much
better on the 1922 crop" Mr. Sedivy
added to practically these same senti-
ments the statement that he would
join now if he were not a member,
and would advise all other farmers to
join. Mr. ]. w. Adams further stated
that one of his neighbors Of Suther-
land, Va, had recently joined and
that many other neighbors of his
were coming in with their 1923 crops.
Alter finding the favor here unani-
nous in favor of the association | left
the Petersburg section and went by
auto to the section about Disputanta,
Va. This section produces both Span
ish and Virginia type peanuts. My
first interview there was with bank
er, Mr.. J. H. Binford, president OF
the Farmers Bank of Disputanta, who
is also a farmer. Mr.. Binford said he
was member of the peanut associa-
ton, and that he felt it was good