280 HUMAN FACTORS IN COTTON CULTURE 



viding ordinary clothing and doing without what was wanted 

 except necessary things; have not kept even growing cotton. 

 People can talk and theorize, but I have been and am going 

 to mill. I owe no money and have no interest to pay. I can 

 borrow money from the bank or buy on credit. I have grown 

 cotton in the past to buy those things that I do not grow 

 or make, but after ten years of good management I am now 

 compelled to grow cotton to pay my running expenses. I run 

 behind to the tune of about 2 cents a pound on my cotton. 



"We farmers will have to quit buying, or debts will get 

 us and ours. What makes Georgia seem to be prosperous is 

 that millions are loaned each year from long loan agencies 

 for periods of five to ten years. If I had a long loan interest 

 to pay I would have to give up right now. I could only af- 

 ford jeans for clothing and work barefooted. The long loans 

 are procured by farmers to square up with. There is no 

 money in growing cotton at 15 cents a pound and even at 

 that price a farmer could only get the necessities of life, at 

 a less cost he cannot. I would say that I am above the aver- 

 age farmer." : 



3. "I own my land, run four plows and work my children 

 as laborers. We make an average of thirty bales of cotton 

 a year. I borrowed from a long loan company to improve 

 with. After paying taxes, fertilizer, clothing and shoes, I 

 have no money left. When my five year loan fell due I had 

 to borrow from another loan company to pay up with and 

 had to borrow a little more this time to fill up the hole caused 

 by trying to have part of the necessities of life. There is 

 no money in growing cotton for me, but there is nothing 

 else I can grow for market except stuff for a home market 

 and this is limited. I have no money now and will have to 

 borrow from the bank or get goods and supplies from a 

 credit store." 22 



21 A. A. Moshburn, Doerun, Ga., cited in ibid. 



22 A. P. Tucker, Moultrie, Ga. cited in ibid. 



