The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-08-28
Our Agents in Charleston
AGRICULTURAL ADDRESS Ga COL
D. W. AIKEN.


Lawson's Hall on Friday morning last
for the purpose OF hearing ali Agricuitu'
raj Address from the Secretary and
Treasurer of the State Society, ana iol
oraanizinra Grange OF the Patrons o!
EusbaNry." The Address was ali
that might have been expected from one
so able to interest and Instruct. we
rerret that it was not listened to by q
larger audience, and were it i'll our pow
or. would present it in full, for the ben
eft of our readers. 1t told Il good many
unpalatable truths, but truths, never
theless, that our people would do well to
consider; and exposed errors in our
system Of agriculture, q proper appre-
citation OF which can form the only basis
of genuine reformation. Whether or
not we endorse every conclusion OF the
sneaker, we must hail him as true plo-
neer in the work of reform, OH advocate
with the ability and ea:nestneSs 20 her,
aid forth the claims Of an enlightened
and progressive system of agriculture:
For months past Col. Aiken has been
cnraocd in his mission, and has been
doing o good work, and whatever dis
courarenlent he may have met on the
way. and however much he may be DIS
heartened By the greatness of his work,
we have no doubt that his words like
bread cast upon the waters,' viii earn
the promised blessing.
Col. Aiken introduced bis remarks by
stating that it was not his design tc
make q formal speech, but only to give
q plain talk to the farmers, stating the
results of his experience and ooserEa-
tion, in relation to the agriculture OF the
State. His address was intended TO!
farmers and be regretted that larger
number were not present. lie had, le
said, been canvassing the State fol
months past. ard had been forced to the
conclusion that we were not an agrlcui'
tural people-work;ng without system,
going b!;ndfold into farming, without
any proper conception OF means, or lore
sight as to results and, as q consequence
meeting with almost universal laliure
AS Agent of the State Society, ne hao
been making an appeal for - sUbserip
ton in its behalf, but was met Win Tue
general response, I'VE are too poor t(
subscribe" Poverty was the univefsa
cry, and was well justified by the. ap
pearance OF things everyWhere-neS:ect
ed farms, and diiapidated mansions. /
the whole State could be put up az auc
tiou. he thought it would sell Tor lesi
than III 1876. =, :,
The cause. OF this poverty, lie attr.b
uted, first, to the
RESPL sSsNEsS OF CUR PEOPLE.
Tvervbodv wanted 20 sell, all were dis
contented, and. none were inlprovih:
their farms and dwellings. The evidcG
casyof this want Of thrift were to bese
eyerywhere-in rail fences about the
mansion, and if gate there was, one sus
pended by leather hinges-nothing tt
make desirable legacy for ones chill
dren. and cherished abiding place
He said he had just met three men o!
the train, who were seeking homes Ill
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas
respectively, thinking to better thei1
condition. 1t WAS all wrong, he said
They would go far, and fare worse thai
ho,e There was no better home any
where, than in South Carolin-non'
more desirable in the way OF climate
soil. water, and variety of productions
mall the West, he had seen nowher
hut in North Georgia, cotton and Glove
GROWING beside each other in the sam
field. In 1870, he had, he said, been alb
,sent on n four months tour in the West
.ond had met some five hundred Carroll
mans who had emgrated, but they were
ali discontented. Hc had seen repre-
sentatives OF every class from the tw'
horse to. the twenty horse farlner-h'
had met % from Abbevllie-and al
Were discoDtented. a gentleman IRON
Winnsboro, said he would go back, bu
he was ashamed Of being laughed az
Yet this planter made his 400 bales t
$50 acres, but realizedno net profits. l
money was made, it was spent at TN
springs, and no expenditures made Il
beautify and adorn the home. OF TN
planter. As q consequences, pfopert,
would not bring in the market one-hal
OF its true value.
Another cause of our poverty, whicl
he assigned WAS
THE IGNORANCE OF Our PEOPLE.
The peoplc of our State were fur behint
those OF their sisters-thcy were ignor
ant eoua!ly Of agriculture, Of histor.
and politics, and Of eTerything whici
had trauspired ont OF the State. Thl
le attributed to the fact that anterior Il
the war. there were no political partic
here-alI talked and acted one way
He had, he said, been on thrce-inui'
farms, whore there was no Bible IN th
house-ha had encountered half aozer
such cases, and two in the county o
Abbevillc. One half or two thirds @
the voters Abbevi,le did net tax
either of the county papers. Ther'
Were men here running, thrce-mul'
farms, who did not know the name o
an agricultural paper; and he had me
tho owners of farms in Abbeville Tht
did not know the name Of either of the
county Dapars. Yet Abbevi!le was re-
rarded as the Banner District, aud as
such eycitcs the just pritle of her }soo
D]c. Some men among us would make
money anywhere, but the mass OF the
Deopie are poor, and poor because they
are Ignorant. The great body OF the
children between nine and fourteen
wears of ace, were not sent to school,
and for this parents We're to blame. The
law. tthe bestwhich the present govern
1nent had given us, had made provision
for the education OF all, and parents
should avail themselves of its provis-
ions. They should be compelled to send
their children to school. Then we
would have a different state OF things
from the present, when out of popula-
ton of 10000 Writes of the State, there
were not more than 5000 subscribers to
agricultural journals, or Il proportion OF
one to thirteen. lie was everywhere
met. he said, by the response, 81 am no
book-sarinorn as if without the results
OF scieutific research embodied in books,
there could be any progress in agricul-
tarc or anything else. Our young men
devote months and years to the study of
law aud medicine, but expect to succeed
in farrning. without training or eXpe-
rianc3 JtC dstailed a conversation he
I,os md wit,, David Dickson, the ce1e
hrat4{I farinar, who told him that the Sc
ere, nj saccess was, to piow deep and
Iowa hill. lie had followed his advice
onti reapcd Tie benefits. He had got a
Lar-snare-turn-down plcw, and sccne;