The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1871-02-02
AGRICULTURAL.
Labor.Saying Implements.

The agrlculGurlSIS ol tlo oouth
are very much exercised upon the
subject of labor. From every di-
rection the cry is give us more and
better labor. On the second point,
to-wit, the quality of our present
labor, all will agree that there Is
abundant room for Improvement.
On the first point, the quantity OF
labor, there is decidedly more
ground for doubt and difference of
opinion. In political and national
point of view it would obviously
be desirable to increase our white
population Gfa good class of i'm.
migrants could be obtained) to Sc.
cure control of the government
and to give needed strength in
time of war. In an industrial point
of view, however, as remarked be-
fore, there is room for doubt. The
cotton crops ofthe last two years
nearly equaling the average crop
before the war, indicates apparent
ly one or two things; either that
better modes of cultivation, &c,
have been adopted or else that the
laborers (whose numbers have Ger,
tainly decreased by the withdrawal
from the fields of women0 have
been greatly more efficient than
they were whilst slaves. No one
will admit the latter conclusion,
and the question, therefore natural
" arises, if, with a smaller number
of laborers, but with new imple-
ments, new methods Of culture &C.,
&C., crops, rivalling in extent those
of antebellum times can be and
have been produced--wheth by
pushing these means still further,
larger and still larger crops may
not continue to be made. We
have no doubt on this point, and
until the limit is reached in this di-
rection, may hot be unwise to at.
tempt to increase the supplies of la
borers ? The means alluded to are,
first, planting more largely crops
which require little labor, such as
small grains, grasses and clover; "a,
limiting the labor crops, as cotton
and corn, to the smallest possible
areas and enriching these to the ut
most nossible degree: 3D., by use of
implements to substitute animal la
Dor for human labor whenever prac.
ticable. At present we invite at
tention to the last point mentioned,
the use of labor.saving implements.
Many of these, such as reapers,
mowers, tedders, grain mills, &c,
are costly, and their use brings up
at once the question of small or
large farms. Since the war the
South has received vast quantity
of gratuitous advice from the other
side of Mason's and Dixon's line,
one of the principal items ofwhich
has been, divide up your land into
small farms" In a recent number
of the Cultivator we published an
article on Belgian farming, in which
the statement is mado that the
tendency is to larger instead OF
smaller farms. The statement is
significant because the advocates
of small farms are in the habit of
pointing especially to the success
of Belgian farming in support of
their views. The truth is that, in
all densely populated countries,
necessity forces their inhabitants
to the point of obtaining tho max.
imum yield from their lands and
stimulates therefore incessantly in
the direction of improved methods
of husbandry. But the farmer who
operates on a small scale, with little |
capital at his command, labors al
ways under difficulties, just as the
small trader or the small manufac-
turer does. 1t will not pay a small
farmer to buy a reaper, mower or |
grain drill-his little crop can be
harvested more economically by |
hand; the man who cultivates one
or two acres cannot afford to keep
o horse, &C., &c. The only alter
native in such cases is, for one per-
son in neighborhood to purchase
such things and do the work OF
several. This, however, is attend
ed with numherless veXations and
annoyances, and makes the farmer
too dependent on others to work
successfully. We oppose, there
fore, the subdividing of our south
ern plantations on the ground that
such divisions stand directly in the
way of the introduction of labor
saving implements.
At present the greatest error
committed by our farmers is the
investing of too much money in
labor and too little in machines.-
In breaking up land, the 2 horse,
8 horse or 4 horse plcw, should
take the place of the one horse