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Progress
vol. 3
CAIRO, GRADY COUNTY, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1913.
NO. 32
The Boll Weevil Peril is a
il—A
W fOIIII IMTHS PUBLIC
FOR GRADY
TERM
Danger Threatening the Prosperity of Us All. HowTo Meet It—How to Avoid
The Calamity Following in Its Wake—Is a Paramount Issue. There is
a Remedy—Will You Have It, Mr. Farmer? Read and Decide.
Every effort is being made just
. now to warn the farmers of Geor
gia of the near approach of the
South’s greatest peril, the
Boll Weevil, and, as much as is
possible, prepare them for its
coming. 1
It is a fact—a strange fact—
that in other states ravaged by
the Weevil, the farmers have
stubbornly and persistently re
fused to heed the warning and
have suffered the terrible conse
quence's.
Whether Georgia farmers will
see and heed the danger signal,
is yet to be seen,
A Mississippi banker writing
on this subject, says:
“To begin, I wish to say that
the Boll Weevil is a monster of
such hideous mein that he is hard
to slander. Our neighboring coun
ty, Wilkinson, which lies in the
extreme southern corner of M is
sissippi, was the first, to receive
the visit of the Toll Weevil about
four years ago. Prior to his ap
pearance this county’s crop was
around thirty thousand yearly —
and in 1910 this same county
made less than one thousand
bales. The county in which we
live, Amite, prior to the Boll
Weevil, raised about twenty-five
thousand—in 1909 we did onl
.raise .thirty-five hundred. In
these.two counties, heretofore,
cotton has been the basis of credit
from a crop standpoint—the re
sult being that credit is regulated
to the past, comparatively speak
ing, and our people are utterly
demoralized. If the.Boll Weevil
should visit your section, and
very likely*he will, and conducts
himself with you as with us and
on the borders of Mexico—the
first year he makes his appear
ance—he will cut down the crop
from fifteen to twenty per cent.
—the second year, from; I will
say I believe, not lpss than^ fifty
per cent. The third year he
practically destroys thewhole crop
This you can fely upon strictly.
If a good portion of the banks
you represent is in a cotton coun
try, having cotton as basis, I ad
vise that you have your people
begin at once to preach and prac
tice diversification, beginning at
once to decrease cotton acreage,
continuing yearly to decrease
until he shall have made his ap
pearance—for he is sure to com:
in your section—and surer to de
stroy all cotton, unless in the
meantime the government should
find how to successfully handle
the young-man. ”
“The greatest trouble Wbl be
the'unwillingness of .your people
to accept advice; nothing but the
downright experience, bitter as
it is, seems to suffice. They can
not possibly reallize how pesky
this little fe’low can be.’.’
“It was not an uncomon thing
during this last fall to see a far
mer drive in-town with a few
hundred pound of seed cotton,
representing his entire crop, to
be delivered to his merchants.
11 remember distinctly one n~xro
I brought iu on mule-back twenty
j three pounds of seed cotton
1 His crop prior to Boll Weevil
] timesjXvas arehn 'five bales'of
j cotton. I recall a planter who. is
! a patron of the bank that planted
' upwards of forty acres and his
j yield was not eight hundred
pounds of lint.”
“Our farmers are now rapidly
diversifying; planting oats, pota
toes, corn, peanuts. In. this sec
tion the peanut will, be their
marketable products. Hogs,
cattle and stock are also claiming
their attention to a large degree.
We are carrying considerable pa
per for the farmers — waiting-
waiting for the dawn of day,”
A Mississippi Farmer Says:
“People outside have no con
ception of the havoc wrought by
the Boll. Wet '1. Many families
before prosperous were broken
up and had to nmve away. Yet
there was absolutely no need of
you and will reach here on sched
ule time. Your farmers will be
caught asleep' just as we were
and lots of them will go by the
board.
“The remedy is very simple
and that of course is to diversify
ci;ops in time to divert the disas
ter. This and this alone will
save vou.
“In my territory is a promi
nent merchant who does a large
credit business and before the
pest came he told his big custom
ers thot he would not carry them
another year. This he did, be
cause he knew he could not in
fluence them. But his smaller
trad he told he would carry if
they would follow, his directions,
which was to raise hay, coin,
peas, etc., and little or no cotton.
When the crops were gathered
that man got everything coming
to him and bis customers were in
good fix, while the other mer
chants were b ke or seriously
crippled and had no trade besid
es.”
A Prominent Georgian says:
“I have been in the Boil
Weevil districts to the west of us
considerably during the past five
years, and I want to assure you
that it is real, not a fancied,
danger. The advent of the Boll
Weevil into any section brings on
a local panic. The merchant is
compelled to shutdown on credit
ing his farmers; incidently he
stops purchases from whole
salers, jobbers and manufactur
ers, and all the interests suffer.
GEORGIA’S DANGER
“After many years’ struggle,
Texas has in a measure, succeed
in controlling the Weevil, but
Texas is naturally better fitted
to / combat the Boll Weevil
than any other state in the cot
ton belt. Our Georgia condit-
To the Teachers and Patrons
of Grady County Schools;
At a recent meeting of the
County Board of Education, it
was decided to have only four
months public term during the
year 1913. This action on the
part of the Board of Education
was necessary in order to meet a
deficit resulting from the fact
that for the past three years it
has been necessary to spend
more than the appropriation to
keep up the standard of teachers
they have employeef, and this ac
cumulated deficiency is so great
now that it will take a months pair
off the schools to come out evOai
at the end of the year. Tht»
Board regrets the necessity of
cutting short the term for this
year, but they do not think it a
good plan to continue the policy
of making the indebtedness
greater each year. The Board
feels certain that it will be able
to put the term back to
months for another year.
By order of the Board of
ucation of Grady county,
J. 8. Weathers,
. Superintendent of Schools*
five
Ed-
ions more nearly approximate
any suffering or loss of money if % oge of Louisiana,, where the
the people had only heeded the cr ^ ^ been cut from a million
plainest, warning. • -Ibales to 265,000 in five years. It
You are going to be in the j g ^h'at kind of a situation that
same fix,here in Georgia as sure j gtai . eg U g. j n ^e f ac6) anc ] the
as the sun shines. The Boll great majority of our people are
Weevil is making straight for so blind that they cannot see
their danger'
“You may ask whether or not
there is a remedy. Yes, but it
means an entire revolution of
our agricultural methods.
“Cotton can be grown under
Boll Weevil conditions, and will
be, but by intensive and diversi
fied methods. The ordinary cul
tivation given cotton in this state
by the average farmer and ten
ant won’t make 100 pounds of
seed cotton per acre under Boll
Weevil conditions. We must
change to high-class, intensive
farming, as against t he ‘nigger
and mule’ class of cropping, and
‘land-skinnin,’ and we must, do
it now it we are to escape disas
ter.
“Two courses of action arc
open to the-'; rffer r.:v. ho"may
■choose betwc.n tin .. He may
decline to heed the warning, he
may adopt the do-nothing policy
and refuse td believe the men
ace until it is upon him- he may
wait until this pest has destroyed
his crops and he finds himself
hopelessly in debt, facing ruin,
and with only one way out—the
method he should have adopted
before this curse came upon hi x
Or, being wise, he. may adop'
the policy which will save him
from this ruin, not only save him
but will make him prosper as he
never prospered before, and will
set him apart Irorn his l'elows
and mark him as a man of fore
sight and judgement in his com
munity.
It is singular, ypt providential
that the remedy which is to save’
opr farmers from ruin and our
people from ’ -.nkniptcy is also
the cure for most of - the ills of
the farmer to-day. . It is simple.'
Any farmer may apply it with
out the co-operation of anybody.
All he heeds is his own consent.
It will not only save him from
the boll weevil, hut will add to-
his income and profit.
With the coming of the Boll
Weevil the basis of credits to the
farmer will be completely and
radically chr tged. In the past
the farmer’s credit with the
banker and with the merchant
have largely depended upon ho\v
much cotton he was going to
plant or had planted. This wTl
be changed, and the question
which will be asked the farmer
when he applies for a loan itt. the
bankorforcreditAvithlhemerehant ‘
will be hew little cotton, and how'
much of corn, hay, oats, rye,
wheat, peanuts, potatoes, hogs,
cattle, mules, horses, watermel
ons, fruits, etc,, lie will raise.:
If the farmer will raise these
crops, and others, he will not on
ly be able to obtain credit, but
better still-, will need very, little
cradle ,
$ hunks'.are taking very
advan c ...utions with refer
ence to the coming of the Boll
Weevil. They are saving to their
customers among the farmers
that when the Boll Weevil comes
thev will help only those who
have heeded the warning and be
gun t. diversify their crops prior
to its coming, and all banks and
ah merchants will be forced to
abopt this policy to a greater or.
less extent.
It is inevitable that you must
answer the question yourself—
to yourself. What will your an-
swe" be? Which course will you
pursue? Now is the time-for you
to decide. It is a question for
this year—not next year.
You are about to p’ant your
1913 crop. What shall it be?
WiU y m.diversify? Will you heed
the'warning and profit by the
experience of. others, and become
financially independent?. Or will
you. too, adopt the do-nothing-
policy, and subject yours'elf to.
the privation, hardship an finan
cial embarrassment which must
and- will inevitably follow such a
course? 'Which, Mr.. Fanner,
WHICH?
We offer you
THE BEST SERVICE IN BANKING
We seek the opportunity to prove the above state
ment, .All depositors, .whether large or small,
receive our best attention. Give us an opportunity
to serve you, and pperi an account with us today.
On 12 Months Time Certificate we pay 5 per cent
On 6 Months Time Certificate we pay 4 1-2 per cent -
In our Saving department we pay 4 per cent and com
pound it quarterly.
“Make Our Bank Your Bank”
FARMERS & MERCHANTS BANK
THE OLD MAN NOT FORGOTTEN
W. T. Crawford,
President
J. E. Forsyth,
Thomas Wight, V-president Cashier
Not “shelved” yet, is he? ''
Not by everybody; at any rate.
Dr. R. H. Harris enjoys a
unique distinction—perhaps un
paralleled. For the fourth time
in his life, he has been selected
to deliver an address at the com
mencement exercises of Mercer
University. Once the Literary
address; once as the representa
tive of his college fraternity;
twice, (including the present in
vitation) to deliver an Alumrii
address. And the last is the
highest honor of all—to speak at
the celebration of the 75th an
niversary of the founding of the
V University. He does not deny
R j that he Ls not ashamed of the
V honor.
CITIZENS BANK
CAIRO GEORGIA
» * -
I "
We Pay Interest On Deposits As Follows:
' On time Certificates of 12 months 5 per cent
On time Certificates of 6 months 4 1-2 per cent
Savings Deposits Compounded Quarterly 4 per cerit
If you have some money on hand that you would like to
place in a good strong bank, we would be glad to have you
place same with us, we will be glad to pay you interest ac
cording to the above scedule.
This bank always conducts its business absolutely on a ba
sis of conservatism, and at the same time we always endea vor
to give our patrons liberal treatment.
If you are not a customer of ours we will be glad to have
you open hn account with us, and be satisfiied with your
Banking Connections.
W. S. Wight, Pres
H. G. Cannon, Vice-Pres. W. H. Searcy, V.-P. & Cashier
MX W>; <QaE3tf-
