The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1866-03-22
Cotton or Grain I?

| OO1tO1k VI 04CI4A
} Shall cotton or grain be our main croE
this year, is u question of no little mo-
ment at this time.
4 In our impoverished condition, the fu.
turo moro than ordinarily uncertain, and
free labor problem of doubtful solution,
it is natural that everybody should desire
to plant all the cotton possible, which
will pay at least $3.50 per bale, and if the
season be favorable, enable the planter to
buy his provision, &c, and lay by some
thing for contingencies.
Many are going to make Gotten their
sole crop-planting only little corn or 9TH
er grain. Everybody is going to plant
some cotton, and those who never saw q
cotton stalk are now buying seed, and
calculating with paper and pencil the
great returns they are going to make.
Cotton presents the readiest means of
making money, and therefore, all are hat
in hand to his Maesty-now, more than
ever, King. But thore is an old econom-
ical adage-"dont put all your eggs in
one et"-which might be advanta-
geously remembered by the cotton-wor-
shippers. If the season should be unfa-
yorable, if the worm, the grasshopper, or
any of the other enemies of the "great
staple" should make the crop a failure,
and bring all tho pencilled estimates OF
profits to eught-nay, make the result,
after paying the freedmen and supporting
/ them, q loss instead of a gain, where is
the money to come from to buy provis-
ions, &c? Or suppose that the crops OF
the Northwest should fail, or be INSULT
cient, and prices advance considerably
above the present high standard, even
supposing that we do make the cotton
we expect, and get $3.50 per bale for it, if
we cannot buy provisions or are obliged
to pay an immense price for them, where
is our profit
Last year all the labor that was availa-
BILE was employed in growing corn and
wheat, and yet it is an admitted fact that
the supply of brcadstuffs in the country
now, is insufficient, and that this is one
of the causes Of the present high prices
of grain. The supply of labor is now
materially reduced below what it was last
year, both in quantity and quality, and
if it be almost exclusively employed in
the production of cotton, to the neglect
of breadstuffs, we may depend on it, that
when driven to Northern market to
buy all we want, and thrown on the ten
der mercies of railroad companies to
bring us what we buy, we will find that
the magnificent Profits of our cotton, if
we realize them, will pass out of our
pockets into those of "our friends of the
great Northwest" of whom we heard
such dattcring tales during the war, and
into the insatiate maws of the railroads
to whom the direst popular necessity, is
the most favorable opportunity.
The temptation to plant cotton is very
strong. 1t will certainly pay largely il
we make crop; but that If depends on
two other ifs, namely: if the season be
favorable, and if the freedmen "conclude
to work" 1t would be wise, therefore,
to guard against contingencies, and let
each agriculturist, whether he be the
large planter with his thousands of acres,
OF the humble farmer, plant enough OF
grain at least for his own use, and then
he may WOO the smiles of King Cotton
as much as he pleases.
"Make all tho money we can this year,
and sell out" is the cry of petulance and
impatience, and has no wisdom In it, for
it amounts to the same thing as killing
the goose~that lays the golden egg
Plant cotton, but remember that roast
ing ears arc not to be despised that q
few bushels of wheat at home, without
sending to Cincinnati to get them, and
then sending to the depot day after day
to see if they have arrived, are great
contribution to comfort, and that little
rye for grazing patch, and other purpo
ses, may be cultivated with advantage, il
used in moderation.-Southern Banner.
- In o Jolly party over a glass o.