The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-10-07
An Exposure of Official Ignorance.

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letter from the Commissioner Of Agricul-
ture in this State, and which originally
appeared in Cincinnati paper. We call
cd attention to his extravagant assertions
at that time; but did not enter into de-
tails concerning the stupidity and ignor-
ance of this official, believing that our
readers would detect his manifold errors
without any assistance. This letter has
recently been published in other newspa-
pers, and a correspondent of the Colum-
bia Ph@nir thus exposes the reliable sta
tistician:
Henry Sparnick, Esq, Commissioner, &c.
Sir Your remarkable communica-
tion in the Cincinnati Commercial, of the
18th September, republshed in the Co.
lumbia Phenir, of the 24th of the same
month, demands an exposure of it's absur-
dities ut the hands of some practical man,
who knows, which evidently you do not,
something of the productions, and aver
age harvcsts of your State. Without
questioning the motive that. prompted
such an extraordinary epistle-whether it
were an attempt at Munchausenism or
whether it was to inform the readers of
the Commercial, that South Carolina had
Bureua OF Statistics, and that ego was
Commissioner, or whether you believed
the present "black and tan" General AS
sembly had "lively appreciation" ofour
agricultural wants, not heretofore enter
tained by our Legislature--l simply in
quire, where did you get your statistics !?
You assert that your only reliance has
been the census reports OF the United
States. Can you, from those reports, got
a single idea published as fact in your
letter?
You say, cover 100 bushels of corn and
60 bushels of wheat have, with ordinary
cultivation, frequently been made to an
acre in this State" Has your credulty
induced you to publish your total unfit.
ness for the Office you presume to fill !?
Where have you ever known such yields
to be harvested in this State Frequently"
even with extraordinary labor?" Scv-
eral years ago, one gentleman in Wins
boro produced fifty bushels, perhaps, of
wheat, on single experimental acre (;
another in Cokesbury grew LOO bushels
of corn, and third in Columbia produc-
cd, by irrigation, 200 bushels Of corn
But that similar crops have ever, at any
time, in any portion of the State, been
produced upon more than a single acre,
with most extraordinary preparation, and
excellent seasons, is all news to the plan.
ting interest of South Carolina.
You further state, that since the war:
"by good ploughing and a moderate use
of manure, 800 bushels of corn have been
gathered in the samo area. Under my
personal observation, PIP bushels were
made on one acre, within the corporate
limits of thiscity last season, on land that
can hardlybe classcd ordinary" Pray
tell US who grew this wonderful crop ?
Have YOU not been VanWinkleized? Ten
years ago, think, DR.. Parker grew this
Identical crop in Columbia
But you proceed "Prior to 1860, our
average harvest per acre, according to
the official reports of the United States,
was 600 pounds of cotton, 25 bushels of
wheat, 40 bushels of barley" &c, &C., and
this too, "despite the carelcssness of slave
labor" &c. and "snce the war, this av-
erage has been largely increased" Is
this shameless ignorance on your part, or
is it. wilful Misrepresentation Such an
average yield has never been made on
any two plantations in any District in the
State, and if it is 80 reported in the Off
cial reports of the U#ited States, it only
| l., -; 10 hilif1
The planters of South Carolina will
agree with you, that 'we are blessed in
the distribution of the seasons" and that
our climate and soil enable us to grow
any crop produced elsewhere on the
esrth's surface, within the temperate
zone. But they beg YOU, when you repre-
sent abroad the interests which they
cherish so dearly, that You will do SO truth
fully. Do not invite the energetic imml-
grant to see what you never saw IN South
Carolina. His credulty is of different
stamp from yours, and he will be driven
off rather than induced to come, by your
exaggerations. He comes to make liv-
ing by honest labor, you make yours
we'll, it matters not how The land own
crs of South Carolina appreciate the adj
vantages presented by her soil and eli
mate to the immigrant, and "with open
hands they hold them out, and invite tho
children of every section and cline" !"
(save Afrc's sunny sands) to come and
enjoy them. But at the same time, they
protest against having theiraverage yields
misrepresented abroad by one rs ignor-
ant OF their agricultural statistics as
he is of the Yeepoos Of Tartary, and as
little entitled to be their spokesman as he
is to the enjoyment of his annual salary
feeccd from them by unjust taxation:
A PLANTER.
- Recently, Mrs. Denny, resident OF
Princeton, Ky, purchased lot of duck