The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette., September 14, 1912, Image 1

About The progressive farmer and southern farm gazette. (Starkville, Miss.) 1910-1920

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™ni^3 FAim. l&MErFE
mi and Home Weekly for
Mississippi, Alabani*°j, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee.
_______ BlRMINCluV. ALA.,—MKMPHIS, I'KNN.
Vol. XXYII. No. 37._SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 19U. Weekly: ~$1 a Year.
The Kind of Enterprises We Do Not Yet Need.
DOES the South need large canneries, co-operative creameries,
and packing houses? The average person would probably give
a prompt and positive answer, yes; but a study of these enter
prises which have been established shows a large per cent of failures.
What are the causes of their failure if the need really exists?
| We venture the assertion |- 1 - -
« mat uiese enterprises nave
generally failed because no
real need for them exists. That
a need for more farm canning
outfits, more farm dairies and
the growing of more meat ani
mals exists, cannot be denied ;
but the need for large canning
plants, co-operative creameries
and packing-houses will only
come when the production of
materials for canning, dairy
cows, and meat-producing ani
t mals is increased many fold.
For instance, a large can
ning plant was recently estab
lished in a town in the boll-wee
vil territory. No contracts were
made for growing crops to
can and no contracts completed
for the finished products. The
results were simple, but disas
trous. Not sufficient materials
could be secured to onerate thp
plant economically and sales could not be made of the small quantities
canned. The end is apparent, the cannery closed, the machinery is
for sale cheap and those who invested their money have lost it. All
this because a new enterprise about which nothing was known, and
for which there was no real need, had been established without due
consideration.
The South has no money to lose in this way. We need more farm
canneries, but until we grow sufficient products to justify a large
plant and can induce someone who knows the business to assume the
largest share of the investment, such an enterprise does a positive in
jury to the advancement of our agricultural interests.
For the same reasons it has proved disastrous wherever and when
ever co-operative creameries have been established to encourage dairy
ing. The farm dairy must precede the larger co-operative creamery.
Until we have more dairy cows the co-operative creamery will contin
ue to fail as it has in the past. A man who has a dairy herd and cream
ery equipment to handle his own product may afford to add to his
equipment and buy cream from his neighbors, but large plants and an in
vestment of from $3,000 to $6,000 before the milk of 400 or 500 cows
is available means financial loss and a set back to the dairy business.
We need more farm dairies, but the South has no money to lose in
co-operative creameries. The people in the Arctics have no use for ice
factories and the inhabitants along the Equator have little use for
heating stoves. Likewise we have no use for co-operative creameries
until we get many more dairy cows. The building of expensive
creamery plants should follow, not precede, the coming of the
dairy cow.
A HOLSTEIN OF A HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE TYPE.
We Must Have More Cows of This Kind Before We Go to Building Big Creameries.
Every little while we hear of efforts to establish packing houses
in small cities all over the South. The writer has been critised be
cause he has taken the position that these packing plants must fail,
and are not needed. A country that raises as little livestock
as that part of the South east of Texas, has about the same need for
--1 packing houses that it has for
snow shoes. Possibly small
packing plants might be made
successful in Richmond, At- J
lanta, Birmingham, New Or
leans and Memphis, if exceed
ingly well managed. jj
When the packing-house
which recently failed at Natch
ez, Mississippi, was started, the
writer stated it must fail. It was
as certain to fail as anything in
the future could possibly be
predicted. A packing-houst^to
run profitably must have a sup
ply of hogs and cattle and
those who run it must have a
thorough knowledge of the
business and large capital.
When we have sufficient
live animals to sell to support
modern packing plants they
will be built by men who have
the capital and knowledge nec
-J _.... «1_ ll.4:i
vocihi ^ v/pvi iiiv mu
that time comes we must supply our local markets with live animals
and fresh meats as far as practicable and ship the balance to the mar
kets already available. It would be better if we had these markets
nearer home in order that shorter hauls and lighter freight rates might
increase the profits, but the South can raise hogs successfully and
profitably and ship them to the markets already established. j
We need to give more attention to marketing farm products, but
we have no money to lose in enterprises which common sense should I
and does show are certain to fail. New enterprises are only help
ful when they succeed.
FEATURES OF THIS ISSUE.
A BOY WHO RUNS A FARM. 7
AN UP-TO-DATE CREAMERY. 12
CHOICE OF WINTER LEGUMES. «
CO-OPERATION FOR THE COMMON GOOD . II
EARLY SPRING CABBAGES. 18
HINTS ON THE SOWING OF SMALL GRAINS . I
HOW DRAINAGE DISTRICTS ARE ORGANIZED. 5
JUST A BIT OF EDEN. M
MAKING THE HOME GROUNDS ATTRACTIVE—IV . 17
MISSISSIPPI FARMERS MEET AT A. A M. COLLEGE. 15
PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT OATS—III. :l
PROPER SHAPE FOR THE LAYING HEN . 14
QUESTIONS ABOUT ANGORA GOATS . 12
SOUTHERN FARMERS MUST CO-OPERATE IN MARKETING
THEIR PRODUCTS. 10
THE FARM WIFE’S VACATION. »