Vicksburg weekly herald., 1870-04-30
THE FARM.
COTTON As A SURPLUS CaOP.

We extract the following rom
the report Of the Department of
Agriculture at Washington, for
January:
The folly Of planting all cotton,
and buying all farm supplies, was
exhibited on an extensive scale
before the war, and has been
abundantly exempliiied since: |.
It is u precarious dependence; it
is carrying an entire stock Of
very fragile eggs in one basket
over exceedingly rugged roads
/ ,. 1t involves heavy expenses for
transportation and commis5i 5ions
on bulky supplies for men and an
imals OF the farm. 3. 1t prevents
the adoption of any system OF ro.
tatiOn aud the most economical
means of fertilization. 1t is a folly
that in 1865 and 1861, plunged
thousands of struggling planters
into utter bankruptcy. The wis
dom Of the opposite course is well
illustrated by the following extract /
from Il letter written by q repre- |
sentative Of Il very large class,
who found themselves at the sur
render" without money or bust
ness, or the means of living-in
this case a man with large fam
ilv Of small children, Calvin c.
Jones, of Wetumpka, Alabama:
will now give you the history
OF my proceedings from the sur
render to the present time. At
the surrender / had ninety dol.
0 lars in hard money. There were
, ten of us in family, myself, wife,
D and eight children. l had no
I provisions, hut had two horses
and one hundred and sixty acres
: of poor pine land-plantatiOn
: gone down. / went to work for
9 what we could eat, as it was too
4 late in the year to try to make
i crop. The lst Of January, 1866,
| went TO work to make a crop. ]
took my hard money and bought
!, provisions with it, and planted
all my laad, about fifty acres, In
corn and peas. Ny neighbOr'
E. wanted to know why l did no
plant cotton; they said they coulC
raise cotton enough on one acr,
~ to buy as much as would grow
on five. told them that thr
first thing with me, was some
n. thing to eat and then | wOult
) raise some cotton. 1t proved Il
be bad crop, but | raised cor
and peas enough 10 make N
meat and to do me for the yea
1867. | then planted about ha
u INV land in cotton and the balanc
-, in corn and peas, / made iiv
i bales of cotton, and corn an
! peas and lneat enough TO de- m
/, for the vear lN6S. then sold III
W moor land for $500, in three pay
mcuts, and bought a plantation o
the Coosa river, ten miles aboN
q, We.umpka, for which promise
$1,000, in TWO payments. nj
e. nv children went to work; myst
~ ~ and one son big enough to plo
II and four small ones not lar
- s.. enough to plow, were my lorC
y Wuma.le 100 bushels of corn al
% 81. 100 worth of cotton. hi
IIss corn, peas and meat to do me f
tx the year 1860. My eldest son qu
3 me and went to work {,
% himself. I had one above elev,
= years Of age and put hi
- to the p.ow, and we have this ye
% made III bales of cotton, &"
bushels Of corn, 300 bushels
oats. 80 bushels Of wheat n
, 4 70 some potatoes, and 1900 pounds
S Ss3 pork. Daring the last five ye'
. have lost four head of horse
sill | have not bonded any cote
90 My ncighbors that wentto maxi
IS cotton 10 buy corn aud meat wi
are still at it, and they arc Just q
~ wear behind. They have to S
SO their cotton before they mak'
nj ten or twelve cents
20 pound, in order 10 bny IN
=. and bread, aud just as 10
IS as men pursue that course Il
p; % % will always he behind. lhave
&c, worked any freedmen at all, an'
{ 20 think | came out best, for tn
~ ~ who do work them in this nei
. g borhooA generally, come
o. losers. with difficulties and Il
suits. During the five years 81
Of the surrender, | have not used
nsed manmes, rs my means have b
is Of limited. Ifcycrybody, both vi
and black, would go 10 raising Il
own corn and meat at home,
Ger would BE- happy people.
Nan The following is asserted to
Inn It safe remedy for blind stags
Il "r' IN horses:
pun First. Bleed at least half q
ION from the neck (the jug
vcin), then take a Tablespoon
mes of tincture of camphor and pu
airing each ears, holding the ears FIR
..or, for one or two minutes, so as
-. prevent the horse from shakln
uoli" i'' out before it reaches the I'm
} will branum tympOnum," the OF D.
ono So, ,,b;oh IL IL intended,