Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1923-09-06
GROWING Of
TOBACCO HERE
TO Be REVIVED
Joint Meeting of Farmers, Bank
ers' and Merchants Called to Re-
Establish the Crop
PROMINENT MEN SPEAK
Salvation of Farmers of This
Section Seen In This Crop
(By c. T. OWENS)

a. the Court House here "Wednesday.
september 5th to discuss the tobacco
industry in Ben Hill and adjoining
counties. Mr. ]. E. Turner, being Sc
lected chairman of the meeting called
the house to order by having the aud
renee to rise and being led in PRAYER
by Mr. q. A. Jolley of the Ben Hill
company Warehouse, after which
County Agent, C. T. Owens was
elected secretary of the meeting.
Mr.. Turner in brief address out
lined the object of the meeting and
proceeded to call upon different ones
tor addresses from different points in
Georgia where the growing of tobacco
has been quite profitable and satisfact-
DRY.
Mr.. Ed Algee, secretary of the
Chamber OF Commerce at Triton made
quite an interesting and instructive adj
dress in outlining the growing and
handling of tobacco in and around Tiff
ton. In his address he stated that he
was quite sure that the people of Ben
Hill County had made great mis-
take when they ceased to be interested
in the growing of tobacco, and urged
that they get back into the growing at
at an early date, but not to try to go
into it on too large a scale. Suggesting
that each farmer SO far as possible
plant anywhere from two to five or six
acres, and to secure the services of an
experienced adviser and to follow his
instructions to the letter.
Capt. Jack Dorminey told of what
he had learned by talking to the far
mers of Pierce county in regards to
growing tobacco, and from the inn
pressions made on his mind by these
farmers. the business people of Black
shear and the general wave of prosper
ity in that county he felt quite sure
that the farmers of Ben Hill county
would make no mistake in growing to-
bacco in quantities sufficient to be
we'll taken care of by the labor avail
able, or in other words by man and
his immediate family. He also stated
that he was now thoroughly convinced
that it would not pay to depend upon
cotton alone as a moitey GRIP. He
further stated that he thought the
banks and all who were interested in
building up the agricultural interests
of the county and surrounding terri
tory ought to assist in promoting the
growth of tobacco ard in fact general
diversified cropping program.
Mr.. Mum of Irwin County told Of
his experience in growing tobacco near
Ocila as fine as he ever grew in
North Carolina where he had num-
Der of years of experience in grow
ing tobacco. He stated that he sold
from 2 IL acres $399.98 worth of
tobacco this year. He also told about
Mr.. Joe Fletcher selling from 20
acres something over $4,000 worth this
year. He said the lands in this por-
| ton of South Georgia were bette tor
| growing tobacco than the lands in
| North and South Carolina. He also
sad that the best tobacco barns were
those that were made with pine poles
with the cracks stripped and dabbed
with mud, and that barns lofeet square
were more suitable for curing from
three to five acA crops than other
size barns. He also stated that it would
cost nearly one-third more to make
a sorry grade of tobacco than it
would to make a good grade.
Mr.. G. T. Young of Irwin County
/ gave us brief outline of his six years
experience in growing tobacco in this
territory, stated while he had not al
WAYS been successful in making money
in giving tobacco, but from his ex-
perience he was thoroughly convinced
that he could make money at it now
and was going to continue in the grow,
ing of tobacco. He stated that land
we'll fortified and we'll cultivated
would make 1880 pounds per acre,
and from such yields if properly cured
would bring in revenue OF from S3oo
TO S40O per acre. He stressed the I'M
portance of keeping tobacco we'll sue.
cored in order to make a good grade OF
tobacco, and to be sure and not plant
more than your own force could take
care of. He advised the use OF demon
strators.
Mr.. Dent, tobacco grower of Cot
fee county, said he had been all over
the tobacco growing section of North
and South Carolina and that the lands
of this section were better in many
respects for growing tobacco than the
lands of North and South Carolina.
He stated that in his six years exper-
fence in growing tobacco in this sec
ton that he had made an average of
5000 per acre, some years running as
high as $500 per acre, and that he
had known of others receiving even
more than that for their tobacco.
Mr.. A. H. Giddings of Nashville,
Ga, who is connected with Mr.. Gas
kins in the promotion of the tobacco
industry in Berrien and adjoining
counties having just entered the court
room was invited to the front by
Chairman Turner and introduced. Mr.
Giddings to begin with, said he was
very much disappointed and surprised
that the farmers of Ben Hill County
and the business people we're not TAX
ing more interest in the growing of to-
bacco Told of other meetings he had
attended at Camilla. Pelham, Hahira,
and other points where the people had
packed the Court houses to overflow
ing showing that they were eager for
information relative to the tobacco in
dustry. After going into details and
sighting numerous instances where
farmers in Berrien county were in the
act Of giving up and moving off and
leaving their farms, they had been in
duced by he and others who had
vision as to the growing of tobacco,
4