Richmond planet., 1923-05-26
SOUTHERN FARME ERS
FIGHT MAN SHORTAGE
COlOred LabOrers Leave for
Northern Industrial Centers.
Exodus Of COlOred Man is
an Awakening
preston News Scrvice)

(Prcston News Scrvice)
Memphis, Tenn, May 24.-Every ef-
.lrt that is humanity possible is beins
put forth throughout the south to com
pete with the increasing farm labor
shortage caused by the migration OF
Negro farm laborers TO northern indus
trial centers According to a state
ment issued by DR.. e. r.. Lloyd, plan;
ers ere putting into use modern farm
;;.a machinery to offset the loss OF
man power.
According TO reports from farm i'm
r;oment dealers in various sections OF
the south g. records have been brol.
en- by the installation Of modern farm
ing implements for the cultivation of
the crops. A prominent manufacturer
of farm machinery of Springfield Ohio
said that the exodus of Negro laborers
IN the south will certainly prove an
rvc-ol cher to farm machinery manu-
f.,tUrers as it will cause the southern
planters to abandon their general anti
c"a'eti rneihCas cf faimini; Tire rl"nt
er, of the south have heen far behind
other sections of the country in meta
tGs of farming. The old mule AMI
single shovel plow, abandoned ~
northern and western sections over
LaIf a century ago are still common
oy.r tie sCutl Modern reapers, gang
plows, check-row planters and sulky
cult vators gre rarely found among
the idlln II 'rhinery Of a southern
planter. These modern implements are
nCy coming into wider use and in
irany sections they have advanced TO
the FordsOn tractors. The migration OF
.he Negro is god-send to manufactur
efs and an education to the southern
planter.
nr. Lloyd commenting on the situat
ion says, "There has been greater
sale of modern farm implements this
sring than ever in the south. THIS
Indicates that planters are determined
to combat labor shortage by purclras-
ing and placing into immediate use
all the best and most modern cultivat
ors and other farm machinery they
can buy. The planters failed to buy
last year after making good crops ana
were face to face this spring with con
ditions almost entirely new to them.
tnat being a serious shortage of labor,
tire class of labor the south has de-
pended upon since it has been cou,.
try.
these reports of labor shortage Or
course, it is bad in certain localities,
S,:t in many places the reports indi-
cate there is no labor shortage. / am
glad TO see the southern planters dis
banding the old before the war meth
ods Of farming"
NEGRO EXODUS IS AN
AWAKENING
DR.. Lloyd also sees great blessing
brought about by migration Of Negro
labor. He says: 1--WE see improved CO
ditions in other classes of business. We
finu them in our modern lives of ever5
day living. The farmer, big and little.
must get away from the old time meth
DDS of growing a crop. He must ad-
vance with the age. His time OF living
in the past is over unless he wishes to
follow blind mule and rickety ola
cne-horse plow up half-broken fur.
row through the field.
Improved farm machinery is more
essential today than ever. The exodus
OF Negro labor is proving this to be q
fact. We must go to our farming On
modern methods II we want to keep
lace with our youngsters wlro are com
ing back from the north to the old
homestead with ideas uptodate, ana
with the youngsters from the nortu
who are marrying our fair daughters
tf the south"