The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1870-03-26
oos.o4.~ pas crop.

The folly of l.i..nring all cotton,
land buying all farm supplies was
exhibited Oh an extensive scale
b fore the war, and has beer
lbundantly exemplified since: ],
II is a precarious dependence; i
is carrying an entire stock OF very
fragile eggs in one basket ove,.
exceedingly rugged roads. .. II
involves heavy expenses for trans
portation and commissions on
bulky supplies Tor men aud AM
mails Of the farm. 3. II prevents
the adoption ofany system of TO
alton and the most economic
means of fertilization. 1t is that
20 " that in 1866 and 1867 plung
I'd thousands Of struggling plan
tiers into utter Bankruptcy.
The wisdom of the opposite
course is well Illustrated By. the
Glowing extract from a letter
written by representative OF a
very large class, who found them
selves at ''the surrender without
business, or means OF liying-in
this case man with large fami.
~ of small children, Calvin @.
Jones, of Wetumpka, Alabama:
II will now give you the history
of my proceedings from the sur
render to the present time. AT
the surrender | had ninety dollars
in hard money. There Were ten
of us in family-mvSplf wife and
eight childIen. / had no provis-
ions, but had two horses and one
hundred and sixty acres of poor
pine land-plantation gone down.
| went to work for what We could
eat, as it was too late IN the year
to try tn make IL crop. The LIST of
January, 1866, | went to work to
make crop. | took my hard
money and bought provisions with
it, and planted jill my Land, about
fifty acres, in corn and peas. Ny
neighbOrS wanted to know why |
did not plant cotton; they said
1 they. could raise cotton enough on
one acre to buy as much rs would
grow Oh FIVE. | told them that
the first thing with me was some
thing to eat and flen | would
raise some cotton. 1t proved to
bea bad crop year, but [ raised
corn ana peas enough TO make my
meat and to do me for the wear
1857. / then planted about half
my land in cotton and the b. lance
4 in c.rn and peas. | made five
bales or cotton, and corn and peas
and meat enough TODD me for the
year 1868. then sod my poor
land ior $500. in three payments,
and bought plantation on the
| CooSa River, ten mics above We
tnmpka, for which [ promised 81,
900 III two payments. | and my
children went to work; myself,
and one son big enailgh to plnw,
and four small oaes not large
enough to pillow, were my force.
We made 400 bushels of corn. and
81, 400 worth of cotton. ] had
corn, peas and meat to do ME Tor
the year 1869. My eldest sOm quit
me and went to work for himself.
| had one above eleven years OF
age and put lim to the piow, and
we have this year made III bales
of cotton, 300 bushels of oats, 80
bushels OF wheat, and some pota-
toes, aud 1900 pounds of pork.
During the last fixe years | have
lost'four head of horses; still |
have not bonded any cotton. Ny
neighbours that went to making
cotton to buy corn and meat with
are still at it. and they are Just
one year behind. They have to
sell their cotton before they make
it at ten or twelve cents IA pound,
in order to buy meat and bread,
and just as long as men pursue
that course they will always be
behind. / have not worked any
freedmen at all, and l think
came out best, for those WHO ,lo
work them in this neighborkood
generally come out. losers, with
i difficulties and lawsuits. During
the five years since the Surrender
| have not used any NATURES, as
my means were limited. Ifevery.
body, both white and black, would
go to raising their own corn and
meat at home. we would be hap
py people. II Department Of Ag
ricutture.
A San Francisco company have
ordered fifty thousand ramie roots
. frnfn NAw Orleans n. i..t ,r;ll Ia