Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-04-23
F ARM DEVELOP
MENT HAS|s Of
PROSPERITY
w. N. Smith,, Secretary
Fitzgerald Chamber of Commerce

Prior to the year 1918 farming in
! South Georgia was very simple BUS
mess, in fact no business at all. The
white people owned the land, having
kacquired it mostly by inheritance or
by purchase at from five to twelve
dollars an acre, and the negroes did
the work receiving as their pay the
coarsest kind of food to eat and a
few clothes OF the cheapest kind to
wear The negro and all his family
including his wife and small children
worked in the cotton fields, made the
crop. turned it over to the landlord
and received as his net gainfor the
year enough money to buy few
pounds of stick candy for the chill
dren. calico dress for the old lady
and a quart of whiskey for himself. In
the meantime the land owner had
about PLAYED even on the years oper-
atoms as a farmer but during the year
had sold some timber for turpentine,
sawmill, or cross-tie purposes, recelv-
ing for it enough money to keep his
children in school, or maybe buy a
new Ford. In other words, as a gen
eral proposition, our farmers in Gcor-
gia by selling the timber grown on
the land while the Indians were roam
ing over it were doing just about as
the two negro soldiers did on their
way to Paris. The story runs that two
negroes from Georgia while in France
got permission to visit Paris, and were
told when leaving camp the distance
was 10 miles. After having walked for
or hours they met boy who upon
inquiry, informed them that it was 10
miles to Paris. Having walked an
other 2 or 3 hours, they met an old
lady, who was pleased to tell them
that it was 10 miles to Paris. Where
upon Sambo, looking at his partner,
remarked that it was curious bust
ness, but they were holding their
own
About this time the boil weevil in
his march toward the rising sun ar
rived here and Immediately upset all
our old and accustomed ways OF do
ing business. The negro and his FAM
ilv could no longer take his mule, one
ton of guano and ten or twelve dollars
worth of farming tools on forty acres
of land and bring in his ten bales OF
cotton, in the fall of the year as had
been his custom. In addition to this,
his candy and calico dress had scared
to unheard of prices, and his quart of
good old gin had been replaced by a
half pint of stump. So there was no.
thing left for him to do except to leave
his one room hut on the old farm and
seek other employment.
Now let's see what was happening
TO the land owner all this time while
the colored tenant was having his
troubles. He woke up along about
1920, and found himself steadily los
ing money every year with but little
better encouragement tor the future.
He found it harder each succeeding
wear to paw such fixed charges as in
terest, taxes, etc, to say nothing OF
keeping up the necessary repairs or
making any improvements on his
farm. With our only money crop
crown in the usual way failure, what
can we do, or what can we grow to
take its place? That's the one question
our farmers have been trying to an
swer for several years.
I know that I am voicing the SEN
timent of everybody when l record
J the fact that we want to see our
farming districts prosperous, and
therefore it might not be amiss to set
down a few observations to be taken
for what they are worth to you.
If you don't like any of them just
pour 'em back in the jug.
Cotton at present prices can be
grown proftably by planting a small
acreage, using plenty of fertilizer, cul-
tivating it properly, and using poison
Neglect any of these and you are
gambling with all the odds against
you.
It has been proven to our entire
satisfaction that we have one OF the
greatest tobacco growing districts ii
the world, but we can't grow 1t with
out expert labor. Very few OF oul
farmers know how to grow tobacco
and therefore to make success, VIZ
must get farmers who understand thu
cultivation and harvesting of this crop
These must of necessity be whit
| t-,,a-s from, other tobacco grown: