The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1867-03-13

How do You Stand?
At this time when our labor system is undergoing
a radical change, it is of paramount Importance &c
keep the most rigid plantation accounts The planter
who kept such accounts when be employed slave labor
| alone Can form very accurate estimate OF the
relative value of free and slave labor; but it is more
than essential to keep such accounts now, "heL
the laborer possessed the capital Of his own TABOR
which must be annually paid for. We presume, no."
ever, that there few, very few, planters IN tn&
parish who could tell you, to dollar, the cost OF eV
cry bale Of his last cotton CROP yet every one shouc
be able to do So The agricu.turist should as abso
lucly know his annual profit and loss as the merchant
and only by planters becoming thorough business
men, can planting hereafter become as remuneratITc
as formerly
What it costs per capita, tosatisactorily discharge
the demands of Labor and what the actual cash value
of production, should be known with mathematical
certainty. Nor should the plantation be robbed. That
is there Should be expended in repairs and Improve
mcnts upon it, the val Of the interest on the capital
it represents If planter do this, he is drift
ing If his plantation is worth SO O00 and his labor
costs him $1,000, his income ought to net him ten per
II he can only settle with his aborcrs at the end OF
the year, his capital thc pIauation,( has not only
failed to bring him fair interest, but lie will have
thrown his own time away. Hence every planter
should absolutely know whether lie is making money
by planting or not, that be can in case Of failure
withdraw his capital TO remuneratye fields
When man lets any business 90 at skies and sevcns
he Is III far way to disaster, and tbs will hereafter
be realised rs true Of Planting Planters must realise
that the good old ways and the good old days are
things that existed once upon time, like scene in
fairy tales. Now, only by care and energy can cur
broken fortunes be mcndcd up and then kept in the
"fuI tide Of successful experiment."
WILL CoTroS INToXICATE?-We don't mean to in
sinuate that it acts like the thousanland-one iorI
denominations politely called liquors. but we 10 think
cotton affects men very like the 'i"sune root" With
many the mouth is as ful! Of cotton as that of GER
tain SNAKE but they not so dangerous They will
'bitc only themselves. With the ncccssalos Of life It
almost starvation rates, hundreds Of planters are pre-
pairing to plant almost exclusive cotton CROP and If
the Lord lets sixtcuths Of it mature will not cotton
be lower next gathering than at Tie last? We think
it will, while food will remain high, and We shall be
dependent upon tie West for what we get tool The
mass OF our planters seem to trust Providence "
for food, but they scramble terribly for cotton Divide
the trust little, and raise atlc2st pound of corn for
every FIVE Of Gotten.
Take parable. \ certain man named John Smith
was in the Recommending business After working
like hero for whole year, he found that it took the
proceeds Of eight brooms ont Of every ten sold to pay
for his material Ah," said John, as he cast IN
his annual reckoning, " must do better than that or
shall be swept away by my own Jrooms." So he
bought him some ground, and "neck Of woods,
and grew his own broon-c and cut his own tim
bcr The next year John found lie had larger profit
for his labor
When our planters get into the methoIc way Of
tar8ng, and keep the most exact and careful state
ments of cost and expenditure, they will begin to see
the importance of being sclfsustaiug just as far as
possible. No planter has the excuse of judivious
agricuurist for buying either mules corn, iuoasScs
potatoes vegetables or butter. The darists Of Yves
tern Ohio don't feel bit kirdicr toward the Texan
who las thousand head of CATTLE and yet buys Nor
hern butter and cheese It isn't indeed by any sort
Of hocu5 pocus ins;stoncc that have so many ar
c!cs Of Yankee manufacture about our persons,
arms and[households. Our own habit of dependence
invites the supply; and until get some real, manly
lcaions Of Iaborous selt-dependence, we bad best
axe the supply without "culsng the bridge that car
les US over"
If the people would listen to Us, they would have
tut one dea-low to make themselves as lfsustain:
ng as possible. Our poliicl state Of affairs inctcs
IS to this end. Wclavc no elections of Governors +
congressman, &C., to Lotlcr us. All We need is
ctieh again, and the quicker set commercially
Independent and powerful the shall recover
nr cloudcd rights oMoney is powerful. If all those
gar estates down the not dcstroyed-ifi
c were just where we were years ago, none o
'rliy-wc should be vastly more respected by our e
ortbern guardians: {