The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1871-11-22


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Obituary Notices and Tributes 81 90 POI
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Speech of Major T. ". Woodward before
the BarnwCll Agricultural Society.
Mr.. President, La''ics ond Gentlemen
of The BurnmcN dgriculmnt and
Afec1om'cal 81 ciety:
l am with you to-day by virtue Of
an invitation from your Executive
Committee to address you. l CON
ecntcd to accept the courtesy so COM
plimcntally extended only after so-
rious conflict with my sbcttor judg-
ment. For if | do know anything, it
is myself, aud I am us we'll aware as
tho gentlemen upon that Committee,
that speech making is 10 forte Of mine
Still, was born and reared under
that "ll suhool Of Carolina which !
yet love and honor, that taught NE
that the polite invitations Of gcntlc-
men we're not to be dsrcgardcd; and
L knew hat if failed to meet your cx. .
pcctatioDs, upon the shoulders of our
Committee would rest tho responsible
lity, for having allowed courtesy to
override Judgment in the sciectian Of
an orator. 1T is in this spi,it, then,
that L have come 10 you, with no cf-
fort at an elaborate essay, but with Il
few agricultural ideas, suggested BY
things sccu upon my own planta: ion, =,
and in tho neighborhood in which
reside. Being thrown together rudcly
and without reference to continuity
of thought, | have entitled them,
Scattering Thoughts by a Random
Farmer, and have little doubt but
that before | am done, [ shall have
thoroughly convinced you of the pc
culiar> appropriateness Of the appella-
ton.
The most conspicuous objects upon
my plantation and in my nci gh-
borhood are fields Of parchel corn and
wiltcd cotton, the result of the unprc-
ccdcntcd drought through which vo
have just passed.
Tho subject Of drought vcry natur-
ally suggests the consideration of
thrcs things. It's causes, the guard
ing against its effects, and the impor-
tation OF hreadstulis necessary to
supply deficiency caused by it.
Various causes are assigned for
those certainly more frequently oc-
curing long dry spells that consume
our crops. For it is fact that ma =
terial changes have taken place in our
seasons since the war. You must have
noted an inclination upon the part Of
Fall to incroach upon Winter, indi-
Gated by the fine weather and the late
frosts that have been with us during
tho cotton picking months for two
years past whilst Winter reluctantly
releases his icy hold upon Spring,
and in consequence the planting month
Of March is usually colder than Feb
ruary, 1t was the custom Of our
fathers to plant corn in February, and
there vas little corn imported in those
days.
l havo no doubt but that the dry
ness Of our Summer is duo to that
wanton destruction Of forest, which
has been the accompanying evil &c.
MUS of the Southern planter hereto
fore, whose whole system Of agricul-
turo was embraced in the ono idoa,
wear out my fields and clear moro
fresh lands. Who ever heard of. en- d.
tire crops being consumed by drought
in the earlier history of tho agricul-
ture Of the South? before our bcauti~
full woods had been fcllcd to make
way for that hard master, "king cot
ton"
There is no fact better authcnticat-
cd than the ono that in countries dcs-
titute of forests, there is little or no
rain, whilst in timbcrcd sections they
are Of frequent occurrence. And if
it were necessary could prove that
the fall Of water is even in proportion
to the extent Of woods and density of
foliage. I could &" furthor and show
that rain has been snperind uccd by
tho planting of a limited number of
trees. Amidst the hilly sections OF
my own District there arc some mark
cd illustrations Of tho above.
Little River, stream once navi-
gable for cotton boats as far as Kin.
caid's bridge has been rendered use
less for purposes of navigation solely
hy the clearing up Of the woods upon
tho stroamlcts that fed it. Whilst
the schools Of shad, sted trout, red
horse and perch, of which the Older
settlers delight so much TO talk, have
been hanishch from its waters by the
clay and sand that have been swcp,
from surrounding hills. Upon the
Anvil Rock plantation that joins
mine, ii, re is a marked illustration ot
tho agency Of %oods in re-cstablish
ing the volumns Of streams. Up.
on this place is small creek upon
which | have fshod and hunted for &C
years. l havo consequently had OPP
portunity for observing tho diminu