The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1948-10-14
FILA Officials Tour
County Wednesday
W. E. Strider. Other
Co. Men, Visit Forms
With Stute Officials

A tour of Holmes county farms
and homes under the Farm Loan
program was made Wednesday
by local FILA officials, together
with interested agricultural work
ers and business men, and State
FILA committeeman. Meeting at
the intersection of highways II
and 81, north Of Pickens, the
Holmes county tour began with
visit to the residence of Bailey
Jones, colored, southwest of Lex
ington. This was one of two homes
visited on the cross-country OBJ
servation trip, with the other
stop on Horseshoe plantation at
the Claud Harthcock residence
Both farm homes toured are I'm
der the Farm loan plan.
Making the tour were w. E.
Strider, county supervisor, and
w. L. Sails, assistant county
supervisor of Holmes county;
William Moses of, Weathersby
Chevrolet company, who took
pictures; Lutte E. Ellison, county
committeeman; Aubrey Carpen.
ter. district agent, Mississippi Elk.
tension service; Walter Page,
Starkville, r. A. Patterson, Way
side, w. p. Sudduth, Starkville,
F. c. Willcoxon, Vicksburg. state
committeeman; w. H. Merrill and
Dallas c. Vandevere. assistant
state directors of FILA, and T. B.
Fatherree, director.
The Harthcock home which has
recently been built, is modern,
with lights, hot and cold water.
bathroom fixtures, butane gas
system and attic fan. a spokesman
reported.
The farm consists of SO acres of
land, purchased through the FILA
in 1912, from which the major
income is cotton, with other in
come from cattle, beans and
truck.
It was observed that Mr..
Harthcock does not owe an ope-
rating loan, and is making a pay
ment of $1,000. on his farm from
the proceeds of this years crop.
He hopes to pay for the farm
with the next four years, it was
said.
The negro home visited con-
sists of 118 acres bought in 1941,
with 40 years to pay the $4,62O.
Beginning on the program with
a net worth of approximately
$500, Jones is said by officials
making the tour to have a net
worth of $4,000, and expects to
pay for his farm in full from
this years crop. To date, Jones,
wh6 is 81 years old and has a
wife, Carrie Jones, 54, and two
girls and one boy, owes only a
balances of $1,326.
His income was found to be
diversified-from cattle, hogs,
cotton, beans, chickens and gene
raj truck produce.
He has in his pasture. 10 head
of beef cattle, consisting Of one
registered bull, 20 head of hogs,
and has recently sold several
head of cattle. He is said by Of
ficials making the tour to have
a good modern home, a good pas
ture, with land well-terraced.
Other stops on the tour were
briefly at the Lexington FILA OF
flee, where the office filing sys'
tenn and county maps were check
ed. From Mr.. Harthcock's farm
which was second on the itine
rary, the group continued t.
| Greenwood for lunch at Midway
hotel. State committeeman anc
Director Fatherree were con
tinuing into Sunflower and int
Lauderdale counties on similar
tours.
| Mr.. Strider reports that abou
80 new homes have been bull
in the county during the pas
year under the farm loan plan
and that this large number o
homes under the plan perhap
| justifies state officials interest il
making the tour.