Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-11-10
How to Make the Farm Pay

This question is one that at present is ag,
tating tho minds of more farmers than any
other. Politics or the method of govern
ment has been supplantcd by the still moro
inn rtant subject of how to exist. Mr.
Obediah Jones, of Arkansas State that has
folt, with moro severity, the heavy hand Of
government than any other in the South, OK
cept North Carolina, has written sensible
and we'll digcsted article on tho subject in
tho american Stock Journal, in which he
makes it appear that to make the farm pay
proportioned to Investment requires creator
skill than most farmers possess. Agricul-
ture has been in the South gigantic failure
since the war, and many farmers in the Nor
thcrn and Northwestern States have been
Just as unsuccessful There must be some
reason for this. It docs not lie in tho soil,
nor climate, but in tho want of a diversity of
crops. One or two crops are never romuner-
ative unless prices are cxhorbitantly high and
for this he says there are two reasons:
First-Ono hand can produce more by be-
ing enabled to cultivate larger area.
Sccond-Exolusive production causes over
production, and consequently low prices also
creates a demand for articles not raised, con-
scqucntly high prices for the nccessarics Of
life.
Tobacco has almost ruined many portions Of
Virginia, kentucky, Missouri, and some Of
the Northern States.
Wheat is running the Northwestern States
and Territories. Cano culture is injuring
Louisiana and cotton has bankrupted tho
cotton has brought upon us the compound
evils Of cheap cotton, high provisions, worth
less labor and exhausted land.
NJ, f,r,,or 10 m nakino tho farm nav nm loco
no is keeping up its fertility. There is moth
ing gained by gathering succession of crops
and wearing out the soil. Crops will de-
crease from year to year, and the land finally
become valueless.
To make the farm pay, first and foremost,
keep up its fertility: there are three ways Of
doing this, rest, rotation and manure. The
first Is adapted to all new countries, where
natural summer and winter range is sufficient,
land cheap, and hay valucless; the second and
third arc adapted to countries where winter
food has to be provided for stock. There, in
stead of rest, it is more economical to rotate
with clover, peas, ctc., turning ovor the sec
ond crop as q fertilizer, and saving the first
orop for hay. Tho third is adapted to all
countries where land is extremely high. In
such countries it is cheaper to feed all pro-
duce and apply manure, than to turn under
green.
To mako the farm pay, every farmer must
be governed by tho circumstances that sur
round him, he is compelled to invest in land,
labor and agricultural implements. Who're
land is cheap, labor and labor.saving imple-
ments high, as much Of tho former and as
little Of the two latter should be used as pos
sible. This can be accomplished by dcvoting
tho largest portion of the farm to summer
and winter pasturago, requiring little labor,
machinery, oto., and giving handsome profit
oniaycstmcnt. think this system well adap-
ted to many portions Of tho Southern States.
Where land is high, labor-saying machinery
is cheap, as much Of these latter should bo
substituted for labor as possible, food should
bo cut and fed to stock, as grazing land is toe
no Northern States furnish examples of such
localities whore land is extremely high and
labor extremely low Ten hands can 3ho' BE- prof prof
ono m"o,y Would be- required, woro the conditions
reversed as in tho South