The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1945-06-28
Pikens Citizen Makes
Outstanding Farm
Record Over Years
W.. J. Volts Started
From "Scrotch"
$4,000 Today


A Holmes county farmer who
started below scratch" 10 years ago
at the age of II today has land, live
stock and equipment valued at $780,
000--all accumulated by working
hard on the farm, saving and fol-
lowing sound farming practices.
At first, the story of how w. j.
Waits, Of Pickens, Route /, rented
land and a mule and borrowed SIS
to buy corr to feed the mule, sounds
like a fiction story. .
After a person meets the shrewd
business man who resolved early in
Life to make good for himself and
his widowed mother, it Is easy to
understand how he has made a re-
markable success in q few years by
planting every ere on his 1,767-
acre farm ,(and he rents another l.
600 acres), to crops best suited to
each particular strip Of land.
Mr.. Waits has not only taken full
advantage Of suggestions and assis-
lance rendered by various agricul-
tural agencies, but he has done more
than his share when It comes to CO
operation For example, before he
moved on his farm. he had the CCC
map ths enttrey place and plan .
five-year program Of, Improvement
which he completed In two years.
All Of his land was ditched and ter
raced before he started on his sue
cessful farming career.
The story Of, Mr.. Waits moves
rather swiftly from the day he
bought a mule for SOS at Lexington,
and led II home. 4 distance Of le
miles, to the day when he bought
his farm for $4,000 with 20 years
to pay and finished the last payment
In five years, and later when he
paid $4,000 cash for additional acre
age.
Mr.. Waits, the son Of Ward Tay-
Tor waits, had five brothers ana i've
sisters and was fatherless at the age
OF IL. His school education ended
after three months in the ninth
grade, but his practical education
has never stopped.
Although Mr.. Waits Is very modest
and gives due credit for his success
to such agricultural agencies as the
Soil Conservation Service, Extension
Service and AAA, he does not hest
tate to tell you that although he has
been thrifty, I'VE have not gone
without anything we need" The
Waits have a son, Joe, Jr., II years
old.
Mr.. Waits, who was reared on a
farm, at the age Of II rented six
acres Of land from Ida Cowans, ne
gro woman, for $25, which he agreed
to pay In the Fall. He put four acres
in cotton and two acres in corn He
rented a mule for SIS and borrowed
$25 from the late A. P. Marlborough
to feed it on. Both loans were pay
able in the Fall. He produced two
bales Of cotton and after laying by
his crop, he worked at a sawmill for
81 a day.
The second year Of his farming
venture was the beginning OF his ex-
banded farming operations. He rent
ed five more acres Of land from
Florence Jones. negro woman, for
$45. Then he employed Charley
Barnett, negro, as share-cropper.
He borrowed $40 for Charley, but
did not need any money for himself
as he boarded with his mother, pay
ing her in work such as milking the
cows and doing other chores. He had
enough corn from his first years
farming to feed his mule.
During his third year of farming,
he took over his mothers place
which his oldest brother had been
managing since the death OF his
father. He continued to work the ii
acres which he rented from the ne
gro women.
The fourth year he made an agree
ment with his mother to pay the
$1,000 mortgage against the estate.
She agreed to give him 6 acres OF
the farm, leaving her n acres, pro-
vided he paid the mortgage indeb-