Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1929-07-25
GARDNER ADVISES FARMERS
TO ORGANIZE FOR HELP

Raleigh, July 23-Farmers of
North Carolina were urged today by
Governor o. Max Gardner to Use GER
titled seeds, form their own CO.
operative associations, and translate
ne material benefits to be so obtain
ed into higher standards of living.
Governor Gardner was addressing
the 9th annual STATE farmers con-
vention al North Carolina SCa.e Col
lese on the agricultural problem of
the state and during the course of
his address he outlined his ideas for
farm relief in the state.
Before outlining his plan for agri-
cultural progress in the state, Gov
ernor Gardner declared that he be-
lieved he knew something about
farming and knew that he knew
something about losing money at it,
although he thought he also knew
something about making money at it.
lie declared that his ideas were not
original with him, but that he did
hope to see agriculture of the state
become permanently prosperous.
The major agricultural problems
of. the state, he said he beliveed,
were those of production, marketing
and making sure that gains achieved
in production and marketing shall
reach down to the people actually
farming, and shall be translated into
higher standard of living for
for them.
To solve the problem of produc-
ton he advocated an increase in to-
tai production of one-fifth. This
plan, of course, if applied to the
country as a whole, would benefit no
part, he said, as the return due to
glutted markets would be no more
for the larger crop than it is for the
present production. However, if
North Carolina alone increased its
crops one-fifth, the effect on the
price would hardly be noticeable.
This increase should be done without
increasing the acreage 20 per cent,
and the labor used the same amount,
he said, through the use of selected,
certified seed and the use by the in
dividual farmer of more farm ma
chinery of the latest and most i'm
proved types.
A 10 per cent increase in return
to North Carolina armers, with
crops valued at S3O4, 100000 in 1928
as the basis, would result in an in
crease in revenue to the farmer of
$3O,000,000, or an amount equal to
the amount paid by farmers in
taxes.
Organized effort in the produc-
ton of high-grade seed must be con-
temporary with any plan for better
production. State and federal agen-
cies are already aiding the farmers
but they should, through an organi-
zation of their own, help themselves,
the governor continued. This or
ganization, on which Professor W. A.
Darst, of State College, is now work
ing, would most efficiently work in
this state, the governor said he be-
lieved, under the name of the
North Carolina Crop improvement
Association.
Marketing is just as important as
increased yield, he continued, and
expressed the. hope that President
Hoover's farm board, which through
it's chairman and vice chairman has
already issued a call to farmers to
organize, will help materially to
solve the marketing problem through
state and local organizations.
These organizations must, he add
ed, have plan for orderly regular
marketing of each years crop that
will take the profit of farming from
the speculator and give it tc the
farmer.