The Little River news., 1923-01-27
CONSERVATION OF
 SOIL IS ESSENTIAL
Biggest Problem Confronting Arkansas Farmer, Says Governor McRae-
 Boil Weeyil Menace.

Llttle ROCK, Jan. Z4.-'1he basis Ot prosperity of Arkansas is it's soil and it's conservation is the biggest problem the statement of Governor McRae in his address to the members Of the Soil Improvement and Safe Farming Cam paign' at the county courthouse yester- day afternoon.
 Beside Governor McRae several az riculturist experts of the state and Clarence Ousley, former assistant sec retary of agriculture, of Dallas, Tex addressed the meeting. Those iIclud- ed in the program were Dr. Bradford Knapp dean of the College of Agricul- ture of the University of Arkansas; Charles G. Henry, president Of the Arkansas Cotton Growers Association and M. T. Payne, director of the exten- sion service of the University of Ar kansas.
 The campaign is being conducted this week throughout Arkansas by the Agricultural Extension Division of the University of Arkansas in cooperation with the Arkansas Bankers Associa- tion, the Arkansas Cotton Growers Cooperative Association, the Southern Soil Improvement Committee, the agri- cultural departments of railroads tra- versing the. states and many bUsine S organizations. Governor McRae said that if Arkansas farmers allow their soil to deteriorate, their prosperity would deteriorate accordingly. He stressed the necessity of agricultural education in the state Governor Me- Rae told a brief story in connection with agricultural education. He said | that when Secretary of Agriculture James Wilzon during the early history of agricultural extension work sent demonstration agents over the country two agents visited his office at Pres colt. Governor M3Rae said he refer red the agents to two tenants, one Of whom gladly accepted the cooperation of the agents, but the other tenant refused their assistance. He said that the tenant who worked with the agents materially increased all crops he planted and finally purchased an 80- acre farm as a result of his better farming teaching. The other produc- ed about F bushels of corn to the sue Gesolla}} tenants 20 bushels.
 Proper Mark ting ESscasiai.
 Charles G. Henry of Newport presi, dent of the Arkansas Cotton Growers Cooperative Association said that the object of the meeting was to encourage safe farming and to put the industry on a businesslike basis. He said that one of the most necessary features Of businesslike farming is to sell cotton properly Marketing, he said, is half of agriculture.
 All efforts of agricultural depart ments, fertilizer experts and pure seed advocates have been confined to in creasnig production," said MT. Henry. Until recently there has been no con- certed effort to properly market what Is raised There is no use in increas- ing production without a correspond ing increase in price. The consumer has been getting the benefit of increas- ed production, not the producer"
 The only remedy, Mir. Henry declar- ed is cooperative marketing.
 The fundamentals of cooperative marketing he enumerated as followa:
 Accurate grading by experts.
 Proper care of products.
 Sale of products by experts
 An income that comes in the year around instead of feast and famine" proposition, as at present.
 Operating the business: in a busi- nesslike way.
 Dr. knapp Discusses Bell Weavi!. Dean Knapp discussed the boil weev il situation in Arkansas. He said that the yield of the crop did not depend so much on the boil weeyil as it did Oh weather conditions. He said if wealth CT conditions were unfavorable for the WeeTil, and if farmers would give close attention to cultural methods, that large yields of cotton could be grown ovon under boil weevil conditions, but where the weather was very favorable to boil weeyT infestation that, regard less of the activities of the farmers, they would destroy a large per cent of
 he crop. He gave to the audience of farmers specific instructions as to pre- paration of the soil, intensive cultiva- tion, necessity of planting early matur- Ing varieties of seed and the destruc- ion of hibernating places of the weey-