The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1870-01-08
USEFUL DEPARTMENT.
SDeeiae Crops

-# ~-~ F#T -r.U r tfar -
II it were sats for farmers to place
their chief reliance on any one crop I'M
der any circumstances, cotton at the
South would seem TO be that crop. But
with all the facts and circumstances
which have been urged in favor of cot
ton 90 a specially, the experiment: is
generally admitted to have been dlsas'
trous to planters.
On this point we fluid a statement by
a correspondent of the Southern Cultl-
vator that we think worth the attention
Of those who advise northern fsrmers to
devote their attention to some one crop
and of those who propose to follow
such advice. The name of this cores.
pondent is e. w. Stokes, Wooton, Lee
Co., Geo. Southern agricultural wrl-
tiers generally back their statements
with their W sign-manual. We adj
mire this fashion. There is a frank
ness, manliness, honesty Of purpose
apparent in this style, which is lacking
when one adopts any sort OF a fiction
for O signature. 4r@. II f5..l
VT Mr.. Stokes is a planter. employing
about sixty hands on his own land, aud
is also a merchant and furnishes supplies
to from forty to sixty Of. his neighbor-
ing planters, taking the produce OF their
plantations or farms in payment u the
fall. He says:-h&z'1 .
J., / find that those who buy both corn
and meat lall they use) W have any
surplus money Left; that those who buy
all their meat, and only a portion of
their corn, have money over i n proper"
ton to quantity Of corn purchased ;
and that those who raise oil their corn,
even when they buy all their meat, are
doing very well. The few who raise
both corn and meat, make money very
fast. These ! know to b. facts, in the
face of the argument, that The same
acre that yields Is to 20 bushels OF
"a corn worth SCOT $50, will yield 100
pounds to LOCO pounds seed cotton,
worth from $35 to $75. 1t is difficult
to explain why corn purchased costs SO
Il much, and that raised on the farm is so
cheap !. yet I know, and no doubt
thousands Of observant planters knows
p that he who buys all his provisions
= never has any surplus cotton money.
I ann inclined to think that the
bought corn does not really cnst SO
much, but that the principal explanation
of these facts, is that q good planter can
raise nearly a full crop OF cotton, and at
the same time raise an ample supply
of corn, because with good management
the heaviest OF the work in The corn crop
is past, before The heaviest Of the cot
ton crop begins, so that he who plants
cotton alone. loses enough time to raise
his corn, for. the simple reason that
without any corn crop at all, he can
raise very little more cotton than he
could had he q sufficient corn crop
planted. aug maze .atgnafr +,
Now lift is a fact, that a planter who
raises no corn or meat, has never had
any surplus money since the close of
the war, with cotton ranging high all
the time, except in 1867, how cap We
expect anything bnt ruin. the first year
oar cotton crop is cut OF, OF the price
is low /? If -four people, had raised their
corn and meat il 1866. ~, they would
not have cared a straw for the low
prices Of cotton in the latter year named,
even il, the SPECTATORS could have con-
trolled the price, ard kept it down.
live IN al, good d cotton and corn region
as / have seen anywhere, and we are
highly favored this year, although Jour
crops are not iull, yet they are 30 much
better than they are in most sections,
ethot we, certainly ought to feel thankful.
IL travelled over most of the West and
North tbs past simmer, and having
seen the effects OF the drought upon the
corn CROP and / pity the cotton maker
who has not raised lat least) his corn
This war