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lave the facilities and I
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jrnish salt and cure I
!! 1-2 cents per pound, I
eep meat in storage as I
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tve a long list of satis- |
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General Agricultural
Conditions in Georgia
The situation of Georgia farmers i
in two-thirds of the counties is very
serious. Mose commentators have
overlooked this fact because of the
favorable prices of our major farm
crops, and because of the splendid
condition in areas growing special
ized crops, such as peaches, pecans
tobacco, pimentos, etc., and in sec
tions where the cotton crop did
well. It is true that the value of
agricultural products is higher than
last year. It is true that some sec
tions made splendid success with
new money crops. This, however,
does not help the vast majority of
farmers who have had poor yields,
or total crop failures. Our October
11th crop report showed a crop fail
ure in a great section of south Geor
gia. The state in general had a
short hay crop, short peanut crop,
short cotton, short corn—indeed, the
composite condition figure for the
state October Ist was 66 per cent of
the ten-year avereage. and the low
est in the Union. These facts are
brought out in detail by the corres
pondents of the Bureau.
Recently the Crop Reporting Ser
vice requested its correspondents, in
the various counties of Georgia, to
give a report on farm conditions in
their sections, with special attention
to the following particulars; labor
conditions; farmers quitting farming
effect of the weather on crops; crop
rotation; financial conditions; new
crops; crops abandoned; use of fer
tilizer, etc.
A critical study ofthe various data
on farm conditions sent to this de
partment indicates generally strain
ed financial conditions throughout
tlie state, with some exceptions here
and there. Croppers and renters are
almost all in debt and cannot pay;
either do they see any prospects of
liquidating these obligations. To a
■ extent landowners are
V jaacing Federal farm loans on their
| lands, which automatically prevents
them from any further use of their
holdings as collateral with any local
bank or business concern.
According to statistics already on
record, many farms in Georgia are
mortgaged to loan companies, either
local or foreign. From the reports,
it appear* that some holders of such
mortgaged farms are surrendering
their claims to the mortgage holders.
Unfavorable seasons are most gen
erally accepted as the primo cause
of unsatisfactory crops harvested in
1923. Os course, the boll weevil
was more disastrous on account of
The weather. Nearly everyone con
cedes the efficacy of calcium arsen
ate in fighting the boll weevil. How-,
ever, generally speaking, some far
mers are slow in adopting its use as
1 a preventative for two reasons: viz.,
the cost of material, and the addi
tional labor required for its proper
use. This additional labor is con
sidered some'what of a burden to
most of the laborers, • except the
landowners and his hired .help.
It is generally estimated by our
reporters that all the present supply
1 of corn and stock feed will be ex
* hausted quite early, ranging from the
’ first of next January till not later
1 than planting time. Os course, there
P ,
are exceptions, for some farmers
’ will have a sufficiency. Thus, we
5 see that only a portion of the farm
ers in Georgia will have supplies suf
ficient to plant their crops in 1924.
There seems to be much doubt in
i the minds of our reporters about
- renters and croppers, and, also many
- landowners, being able to secure
t Sufficient supplies to make a crop
s next year.
There has been a considerable
* movement of laborers from Georgia
farms. About ten per cent was
1 shown by the replies to a question
‘ naire concerning the labor conditions
r of Georgia, recently sent out from
THE LYONS PROGRESS, LYONS, GEORGIA.
this office. This movement of lab- ■
•orers from the farms, seeking to bet
ter their conditions, does not seem ,
to be adversely criticised, because
our reporters recognize the present |
distressing conditions. The general
impression conveyed to our minds
from the study of all data referred
to above is, that there will be much
idle land in Georgia next year, rang
ing higher than fifty per cent in
some instances, and apparently com
ing as low as ten per cent only in a
few instances. Much of this recent
farm movement has been negroes to
the North and whites to Florida.
However, there is a portion of farm
labor absorbed by employment loc
j ally in sawmills, railroads shops, and
public works.
The use of fertilizer by the farm
ers of Georgia has been considerably
increased this year, as stistics from
Snore sources than one will confirm.
This adds to the financial embarss
ment of the producer, and, in a large
I number of cases, the yield has been
! insufficient to meet the fertilizer
bill. This must be absorbed as loss,
either by the supply merchant or
the landowner, as the tenant gener
ally is unable to meet this bill, and,
as mentioned in a former paragraph,
he is departing to othej - fields of
activity.
The farmers also feel the weight
of taxes, for many farmers fear that
their property will be sold for taxes
in the near future. Also, the in
crease in the price of certain com
modities, which of necessity they
must have for use in growing a crop,
adds to their burdens. This is
strongly stated in the following ex
act quotation from one of the reports
received:
“There is about 25 per cent of
laborers on the farms that was here
four years ago, andVhey are still
leaving. Croppers and renters, not
being able to pay expenses, become
disguested and leave; thus leaving
the landowners with nothing to pay
expenses and no money to pay his
taxes. Also* all farm implements
and hardware cost too much to farm
with. An axe that cost a few years
I ago 75c, now cost $1.75.’'
We have reports which say that
I farm owners are anxious to turn
[ over their farms rent free to anyone
[ for the year 1924, who will pay the
f state and county taxes on them. One
I correspondent says that he could rent
r. a hundred such farms in his county
| any day by noon.
| Some of the reporters make a
3 statement like this: “Only those who
I i are out of debt forward with any en-
I j couragement and zeal to the coming
II year.” Many expressions relative
11 to economy used, being used and to
Ii be used, are made in these letters.
I I The only hqpe they have is through 1
I the practice of strictest economy.
There is a tendency in many places
I to practice crop rotation, as suggest-
I ed by our best agricultural authori-
I ties. However, this is wise and safe
Ij farming, and should be practiced
I now and ever; but it does not remove
I the present distressing conditions,
I and many perhaps who would gladly
I adopt such a system of farming, are
I now unable even to undertake the
I making of a crop during 1924. An-
I other remark noticeable in many of
I j these communications is, that land-
I owners themselves are, performing
I I more of the actual labor on the farm
I j than ever was before; this, together
I i with the use of labor, saving machin- ,
IJ ery and improved methods in farm-j
II ing, is, to some extent, compensating
11 for the loss of laborers.
Two new crops are partly taking (
I the place of cotton—these crops are
I peanuts and tobacco. The former
j has been grown to a greater or less
extent in some sections of Georgia
for several years. The area in
which this crop is grown has been
somewhat extended, perhaps in ac
cordance with the disastrous advance
of the boll weevil. The latter crop,
tobacco, is the more recent of the
new crops. Tobacco has been grown
successfully in many of the south
Georgia counties this year, and the
prifce received has been satisfactory, i
There is considerable enthusiasm in
the tobacco section over the tobacco
prospects
ly increase the acreage. However,
“There is many a slip ‘twixt the cup
and the lip”, in the growing and the
marketing of tobacco.
Summing up, we find, as stated
above, that the financial condition in •
about two-thirds of the counties of
Georgia at present is nothing short
jof alarming. This is evidenced by
the fact that the landowners seem
| to have no inclination to assume any
obligations for supplies to secure ten
' ants for the coming year, and the
tenants, generally, are unable to fi
nance themselves. Consequently we
J find in this situation, largely, the
cause of labor exodus, farms lying
| idle, and gloomy prospects for the
future. J
The above conclusions are drawn |
with reference to the state at large.
In some sections a more hopeful con
dition prevails. Roughly speaking,
in arear this might cover one-third
of the state. Possibly the same pro
j portion might apply to individuals,
scattered here and there over the
state. However, we nfct the fact
that individuals are to be found in j
greater or less numbers in all sec- •
tions of the state, who might be class
ed among those in fairly good finan
cial condition and imbued with a
spirit of assurance and hope for the
future. The areas referred to,
where more hopeful conditions pre
vail to a greater or less extent, are
those sections devoted largely to the.
growing of peaches in middle Geor
gia, apples in north Georgia, and
pecans in south Georgia. The re
turns from these fruits and nuts for
the year 1923 will be largely satis
factory, stimulating further and
more extensive efforts along these
p ,
lines. The cotton, corn, peas, beans,
’ hay and other crops cultivated in
r* " # I
these sections, have been retarded in
growth and reduced in yield by the
’ I generaly unfavorable weather pre
’ vailing almost throughout the year.
In addition to this favorable re
port, there are a few scattered sec
* tions in the state —however, more
f or less limited—in which the yield
s of the general agricultural crops
' have been almost up to the normal,
‘ especially where calcium arsenate
V has been properly on cotton cul
> tivated. Also, there are other less
s favored sections, when compared
' I with one just mentioned, but more
s favored when compared with condi
tions a year ago, which report that'
f the general financial agricultural
e conditions have been improved dur
-1 ing the last twelve montns.
t At first glance, the above report
e may not be considered in line with
? the Monthly Crop Report, published
y in the October 18th issue of the
s State Market Bulletin, for the rea
s son that the report just mentioned
i gives the total valuation of the 1923
s crops to be about nineteen million
dollars more than that of the 1922
crops. This aparent discrepancy is
referred to by Mr. Childs, who com
plied the report, in the following
sentence: *
“The farmer who will be forced
to buy corn to feed his stock during
the next crop season, receives little
i consolation from the fact that corn
is worth about thirty-five cents a
bushel more than is was last year;
and, from that point of view, it
seems that the increase in the value
of Georgia’s crops does not give a
true picture of the economic situa
tion.
For us to get a comprehensive
I view of the entire agricultural situ
ation of tfye state of Georgia, other
additional facts must be noticed;
much more fertilizer was used, which
increased the inital cost to a consid
erable extent over that of 1922;
also, there has been a considerable
increase in the use of calcium arsen
ate, which is another item of cost in
the 1923 crop.
Furthermore, the recent years of
shart crops and deflated fiances
, have made the farmers’ financial
condition worse and worse; and the
balance of unpaid obligations due at
, the close of 1922 have increased
the year 1923, according to
i the rate percent added, which can
| not be, at least, less than 7 per cent.
: This addition item must be taken in
| to consideration, when we compare
I the farmers’ financial oonditoin in
the fall of 1923 with the same in
1922.
Moreover the farmers have made
a supreme effort during 1923 to re
coup the losses of the past three
years, and to approach as near as
possible a normal financial condi
tion.
The short yields and unfavorable
conditions referred to above have
blighted their hopes, and, in a large
number of instances, their enthusi
asm has vanished, leaving them to
seek a liveihood in other lines of •
endeavor. This is evident by the
large number of small farmers who
have left Georgia farms, seeking em
ployment in nearby industrial plants,
on public works, or have migrated to
other states.
In considering this bird’s eye view
of conditions in Georgia, you must
keep ever in mind the fact that only
Georgia’s Agricultural Conditions;
Have Been Reviewed. For a full
consideration of Georgia’s financial
condition, one must, in addition to
her agriculture, make a comprehen
sive study of her possesions in rail
roads, mines, banks, commerce, and
manufacturing industries.
This summary of Georgia’s crop
, conditions was prepared by Z. R. Pet
tet, Director of the Crop Reporting
I Service, in complinance with numer
| ous requests of farmers, bankers,
i credit men, and business interests, to
show the exact status of Georgia
farmers, and to explain why a favor
able valuation did not mean univer
sally good conditions.
The statements above are based
upon a series of reports from a
fcorps of about four thousand corres-
I pondents in every county in the
| state, being the result of many hun
dreds of tabulations of figures, as
well as of numerous detailed written
and explanatory reports by counties,
furnished by the local crop report-I
ers. Those desiring further infor
mation are referred to ou rregular
report of October 11th, and Cotton
Report of October 2nd. A report
♦
* * * 4p
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I Toombs County ?
' Bank
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if Urges Farmers to kill their cotton stalks i:
—— ——— ..
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i: now. Clean fence rows and stumps. Start <|
NOW in the Fight Against the Weevil.
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I! TOOMBS COUNTY BANK I
*
J CAPITAL AND SURPLUS - - - $37,000.00 Z
jo LYONS, GEORGIA
OFFICERS: o
- W. A. McNATT, President. R. L. PAGE, Vice-Pres. ::
:: ' W. T. CHINA, Cashier.
• * 4f
it
HII II I’»»»♦»•»
for the current month, with details
will be issued November 2nd on cot
ton, on general crops, November Bth
Summarized county stories, from ev
ery section of Georgia, will be re
leased for publication in the near
future. Copies can be secured, with
out cost, by addressing the Coopera
tive Crop Reporting Service, Z. R
Pettet, Director, 1710-14 Citizens &
Southern Bank Buildings, Atlanta
Georgia.
COOPERATIVE CROP REPORT
ING SERVICE.
Z. R. Pettet, Director.
COTTON
Cotton is advancing to new high
levels. It is too valuable to hold at
home uninsured against fire and
damage. Consign your cotton to
us. We will make libearl advances
against your shipments and hold or
sell, as desired.
SAVANNAH COTTON
FACTORAGE CO.
Savannah, Georgia.
A good Thing - DON’T MISS IT.
Send your name and address plain
ly written together with 5 cents
(aqd this slip) to Chamberlain Medi
cine Co., Des Moines, lowa, and re
ceive in return a trial package con
taining Chamberlain’s Cough Remedy
for coughs, colds, croup, bronchial,
“flu” and whooping coughs, and
tickling throat; Chamberlain’s Stom
ach and Liver Tablets for stomach
troubles, indigestion, gassy pains that
crowd the heart, biliousness and con
stipation; Chamberlain’s Salve, need
ed in every family for burns, scalds,
wounds, piles, and skin affections;
these valued family medicines for
only 5 cents. Don’t miss it.
Cures Malaria, Chills
and Fever, Dengue or
Bilious Fever.
Wearing Glasses In Childhood
often averts serious trouble
later on. Our examinations
for children will reveal defects
if any. Bring or send your
child if it shows signs of imper
fect vision. If no defect, there
will be no glasses. For any
age, let us take care of your
"optical needs.
W. E. WALKER, Jr.
Optometrist l
VIDALIA, GEORGIA