Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-02-05
Marketing New Crops

Sumter county IS blessed with
a variety of soils which in this
climate will produce an abund-
ance of practically every sort Of
fruits and vegetables. These
are facts that have been demon
strayed beyond successful con
tradiction. If these magnifi-
cent gifts of nature are allowed
to go undeveloped, the fault be-
longs to somebody.
A single crop failure should
discourage no Sumter county
farmer-even if such failure
may continue over a term of
years. There should be so
many crops on every farm here
until the entire loss of a single
crop of any one product should
represent only reduction in
farm profits, an item easily over
come in the general scheme of
agriculture under a properly di-
vcrsified plan.
Cotton has SO long represent
cd the main money crop of this
section until it would appear
foolhardy to speak of abandon
ing production of the staple al
together. No thinking farmer
here will consider such a course
tor a moment, yet some have
planned to operate their farms
with a new system that takes cot
ton into the accounting solely
as cash profit-or velvet
crop. Such farmers are looking
tar into the future when Sum
ter s program will include the
production of more cows and
hogs and hens than at present,
and to a day when existing mar
keting problems as they affect
the sale of such farm products
will have been entirely solved.
1t is not a hard task, where
adequate marketing facilities are
not yet established, to "glut the
market with new product
This fact should be borne in
mind by every farmer who plans
to eliminate cotton altogether,
or to reduce his acreage to such
extent as to make cotton a bv-
product, SO to speak. on his
farm. That cotton always has
a cash value is a thing to keep
IN mind in planning the year $
planting, but no farmer should
permit this fact to overshadow
the experience of past years,
since the advent Ct the boil wee
e wi IN this territory. Cotton can
no longer be raised profitably-
IT at all-under the old methods
that once made Southern plant
ers independent and wealthy
Mills will not pay thirty cents a
pound and better for a staple
that Is so easily raised as cotton
was once produced.
With the FLAMING OF new
crops; farmers should lay solid
foundations upon which to build
their future incomes. When the
seed is put into the ground j,
the time to begin casting about
Tor a market in which to sell The
finished product. No manufac.
turer makes up a single article
before his selling plans are well
advanced; every great Industry
OF the nation that has Melted >
real profit is founded upon sue.
cess in selling; all of the greal
captains of industry assert thai
the manufacture of any article
Is useies waste of money. ex.
cept there be created at the same
time market for such article.
Farming is the greatest in.
dustry in the world today, We,
its selling plans seldom if eve,
rest upon a scientific basis. Nc
demand for farm products !,
created until these have passec
out Of the hands of the farmer,
and been made into variou,
manufactured products. IF farm
ers will give littl,
more thought to selling thei,
products the while thes,
are being produced there is ev.
cry reason to believe they will
realize larger profits from then
labor and investments. Perhap,
a cooperative marketing agent
would be step in the right di
rection; such a man could bring
millions to Sumter farmers il
years to come.