Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-08-23

A RLINGION, G'a.-F1Ve hundreC
acres of farm land il southwest
Georgia have been devoted this year
to the Lord. They are known as
the Lords Acres" The proceeds
which will approximate $4,000, will
be used for church work.
The movement resulting in this
much farm land being consecrateC
to the cause of religion, was begun
last year by the Bluffton Baptist
church, when seven of its members
each a farmer-sigled an agree
ment to ''plant, cultivate and har
vest one acre to be known as the
Lords acre.
In each case the acre so conse
Grated turned out to be the best
place on each of the seven farms
Moreover, the seven farmers who
were the first to devote an acre
to the Lord, had better crops as
a whole than any one else in the
neighborhood.
The boil weevil was especially &C
tive in this section last year, and
practically every cotton field was
so thickly infested that in many
instances the cotton crops were a
complete failure. In addition, the
heavy rains did much damage to pea
nuts. This was the general rule
but an exception was offered by the
seven farmers who devoted an acre
to the Lord They harvested ex-
ceptionally good crops.
Better Crops on Lords Acre
D. King, ONE of the seven signers,
staked his acre off in the center of
his large cotton fields. His entire
crop was good, but you could readily
see the difference in the cotton
where the acre ended. In the Lord s
acre, the stalks were taller and
better fruited, yielding nearly bale
of cotton.
The same thing is obvious this
year. The original seven signers of
the agreement. a1d five other mem
bers of the Button church have set
aside an acre on their farms to be
cultivated as a Lords acre
One comparison that brings out
the better yield of these acres is
that of two cotton stalks, one pulled
from Lords acre, the other from
the adjoining field OF a farmer who
did not give an acre to the Lord.
The two stalks were among the best
in each field, separated only by a
fence. After stripping the leaves
from each, 50 grown hollis were
counted on the stalk from the Lord 5
acre, while the other could show
but 81 bolls.
In the spring of 1928 when these
seven farmers followed the sugges-
ton of their pastor, DR.. II. NJ, Mel
ton, and staked off an acre to the
Lord. they did not dream that the
idea would gain widespread adop-
ton. But the seven planted more
wisely than they knew. 1t is even
believed that this plan will solve the
financial problem of rural churches
This year, five hundred acres in
southwest Georgia have been dedi-
Gated to the Lord, taking in nearly
one hundred churches. Reports re
ceiVed by DIR. Melton show that sew.
eral churches in northern states have
also set aside Lords acres
Flood of Letters
When the crop of the original
seven was harvested an article about
1t was printed in The Atlanta Jour.
nails Sunday magazine. telling OF
this unique plan for raising money
for church work, and of how these
seven farmers We're blessed with the
best crops in the section. Immedi
ately floods of letters began to pouI
into Arlington from every state in
the union. These letters were ad
dressed to business houses. banks
the postmaster, county officers. the
mayor, the local newspaper and
farmers themselves. However, the
greatest number came addressed IL
DR.. Melton.
Quite a few were letters Of con.
graduation from other ministers
telling DIR. Melton they were plan.
ming a similar movement in their
own churches and askins for further
details
For the most part. though. the let
terS sought Nerification of the news
paper story. AT first, DR.. Melton
answered each letter personally, bu,
soon the volume was so great tina
he was forced To have a form letter
printed verifying the article More
than 500 of these form letters were
mailed in answer to inquiries re
ceINed from people in every walk OF
life and from religious and civic or
SaniZalonS of every kind.
One of these letters was addressed
to An Honest Man, Arlington. Ga. 81
and asked whether the story was
true.
1t is believed that the proceeds
from the Lords acres in Button
twelve in number. viii amount &c
$500 this year. Last year the five
acres Melted the church a little less
than $500, enough to pay the pas
tors salary. as at that time DR.. Mel
ton preached al The Rluffton churct