The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1866-07-18
Communications.
iron THE RERALD.1

L =
Mr.. EDITOR: Last week | cndoay-
orcd to answer tho first throc
of your "Qucstions to Farmers" 1t
is my purpose in this communication to
proceed with shc same general subject.
You ask, E
4th. "What is tho supply of labor
and what measures are needed or pro-
posed to increase and regulate it Z"
In tho beginning Of the year it was
thought that the demand for labor
would not be met. We often heard
The remark ':nonc vi tho women intond
to work in til, field" Il; Indicating
that there would not be enough Of
field labor. But that the supply is
sufficient might be inferred from the
Tact that the demand has been met !;
that II Is not too great il evident from
the fact that none arc unsucrcsofuIly
looking for employment. Yet the de-
mand has been less than before The
war for some Of the farms haze not vet
been fully stocked with horses and
mules with which to employ the usual
number of laborcrs, and the retire
ment Of some of the females from the
field has about kept supply and de-
mand III cquilibrio. This being true
1T must be admitted that thcSupp'y Of
agricultural labor is either too limited
for the prosperity Of the country now,
or it was unnecessarily large in form
years.
l take the ground that it was too
great before by ut least one-fourth,
because onc-fourth Of the land cult
vatcd did not produce more than COM
pcnsation Tor the wear and tear of
tools employed in The culture, but was
worked simply because the labor could
be furnished, and cit made little" !"
To pursue ti!., further at pre- saN!,
would draw me from the question in
hand. Suppose one fourth Of The la
borcrs formerly employed in agriauI-
tnrc are withdrawn from 1.-THE country
is not necessarily pobrcr for the least
productive lands are those abandoned
and, other things being equal, those
cultivated will produce as much ua ~
did before, minus al almost infinitely
small fraction, and the labor that pro.
duccd this fraction could bo more pro.
'itabiy employed.
with The past system or rlabor, one
in which The reward was fixed. let the
success be what it might, this country
could nos, without rctrcnchmcnt in
some quarter, have supported IL much
greater population, nor the same for
any great length of time ;but with
laboring population educated in the
habits of an industry stimulated by
hope ofthe full reward of its success,
and by fear of the consequence Of its
failure, orof idleness, it could once
have supported and perhaps could yet
support more than twice the popula-
ton it has had at any former period.
An immigrant laboring population of
these habits substituted for the freed
man, would in due time ciloct this re-
suit and 50 far us substituted for
them, or introduced in addition,
would create a tendency in that direc-
ton. The introduction Of such labor
crs might be encouraged in two ways,
lst. Persons possessing large guam
titles of land, which they arc eth
CT unable or disinclined to use,
might propose torrent or lease, in guam
titles of fifty, one hundred or two hum
dred acres, to such immigrants as
would diligently and carefully culti-
vate them, until they would be able to
purchase them and permanently settle
III tho country.
2n. Societies of prudent, sagacious,
and patriotic men might do much, by
asccrtaining The wants of the country,
and collecting all useful information
and placing it before such as might de-
sire to emigratc with view to a moro
successful cXcrtion of their industry.
The supply of useful labor might, in
one or the other, or in both Of these
ways be increased. The best rcgu!u-
tor of the supply is tho permanent in
tcrcst of the laboring people in The
country. Gives.
July 7, 1866.
foR Tux HERALD.