The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1939-02-16
through
Hazel
YES

From Mr.. A. II. Simmons, PEST
dent of the Junior Chamber of Com
to us which we have reprinted on
page 2, not because it Is any credit
to us but because 1t carries a worth
while message to every farmer in
central Mississippi.
We hope that every one OF our
farmer friends will read that letter
and investigate the possibilities there
in fully.
And in connection with this we
wish to call the attention of our read
ers to the Plant to Prosper compe-
tition sponsored by the Commercial
Appeal and in which Holmes county
will participate this year.
The competition is sponsored by
the CA to encourage farmers to live
at home. diversity their crops prac-
tice soil conservation, improve their
home surroundings and especially to
grow something besides cotton for
cash income.
1t is certain that the farmer no
longer can depend upon cotton for
his only cash crop. VIZ believe that
even the more optimistic farmers
know they can never with any degree
of certainty get fifteen cents and up
for cotton. They are going to have
to get a new source OF income.
Dairying seems to be the answer.
FARMERS OF CENTRAL MIS-
SLSSIPPI, did you know that the
peak production Of the milk plant
at Kosciusko last year was 125.O00
pounds Of milk per day and that this
plant alone can take care Of FOUR
TIMES THAT MUCH MILK?
Here is an opportunity right here
at horne for farmers to increase
their dairying to such an extent that
they will not be cotton-poor all the
the time, an opportunity to have o
source of income not tied up with
the price of cotton.
Way back in 1923 the farmers and
the business men were closer togeth-
err than they are today. Perhaps
that was because most of the BUSH
ness men did big furnish business.
Today they are spoken OF as two
separate groups which alone Is in
'sAESSxlV ~ f1s fsallSss ~Sistl~~ %ikef
price the farmer gets for his goods
When he prospers he is a good spend Il
er and business Is good. When prices /,
are low he cannot buy and business
is bad.
When the best of our business in
terests realize just how vitality we
are all affected by what Mr. Farmer
gets for his crops there's going to
be closer relationship between the
two.
II the business man would do all
he could to help the farmer market
his crops and lend him. encourage
ment In many other possible ways
there would be closer feeling between
the two and each would prosper ma
terially from it,
mississippi can never be rich state
as long as our farm population is
so pitifully poor.
We speak of the farm population
as 'pitifully poor" but we must also
add that the poverty of the farmer
is nothing compared to the poverty
of his brother industrial worker in |
the city.
If the city worker loses his job |
he is in much worse condition that |
the farmer. When his pay envelope |
stops he is at the end of his rope.
He may be evicted from his company
owned house for non-payment of |
rent and he has no storeroom full
of potatoes, meal, canned vegetables
and sweets, home cured meat and
lard. He has no milk and butter,
syrup and honey, chickens and eggs,
If he is lucky enough or hungry |
enough he may get on WPA thus los
ing his feeling of being a citizen in
MS own right, Tree anu uudlTalu, |
fearing no one, saying what he pleases
TO everyone.
1t is at least possible for every farmer
his own strength and in
genuity to earn an honest living and
a good one at home by the sweat
of his brow and the toll of his hands.
He at least doesn't have to lick
the boots of some government Off
cial to get so-caled Job" at S22
or more per month to feed his fam
lily.
The farmer gets along pretty well
considered in that light.
We hope that every farmer in
Holmes county will enter enthusi-
in the Plant to Prosper con-
test and WIN
If they follow the detectives of
the contest in their farm life for the
next year they can't possibly LOSE,