Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1872-03-15
Essay on Plantation Economy.
D. CAPT. JAS. u. TITerEy. or EpGE-
q e 6. coSIBE.
". PTesitt and Gentlemen of The Ga,
Fear Agricultural Association :

opposite. III every instance WleFe planter
uses the properperseYerance with economy,
success is certain
1t will not do to work hard and save
nothing any more than to. be always saving
! the pittancc of a-half days work, for nci-
Their will answer the purpose of thrift
Economy i'll our opinion means that we
should have iHdicious system in on
! every management from the largest TO the
smallest item on the plantation. Economy
means that we should not work too much
or too little, eat too much Or too little,
dress too MUCH o. too little, or to do too
much or too little Of any and everything
! that it is our duty to perform.
! This being the sequel Of mans success
| there might be volumes written IN crteRSO,
| but it is simply our intention TO give an
| outline Of the economical part Of the prac-
/ teal duties OF the plantation.
In the first place every planter should at
! the commencement Of each year go into a
calculation, debit or credit, on the farm.
lie should determine what lands are to be
! planted and then make a reasonable esti-
! mate what amount of the various crops il
! viii produce. Then he should place a
! medium price on the crop. When this is
! done he can know to some degree of GER
tainty what amount is to be expended to
leave certain amount of profits.
Young men, inexperienced i'll farming,
/
when they first commence by Over-estilnat-
ing the amount to be produced, and con-
] seQucntly employ and misapply more labor
than is necessary III the cultivation. In
! the second place, it is economy not to over
! tax yourself by planting too much for the
! quantity of labor you intend to operate
win. If you do, at the,end Of the year it
is more than likely you viii los by it.
In the third place, 1t IS the height OF OK
TO IlI,h
poor or badly drained that YOU cannot real
ize profit from it.
In the next place, it is extravaganza to
/ have sorry teams and harness. 1t is just
as easy, and much cheaper, to have good
teams and harness as bad, and here we
will remark that it will pay any farmer
| who runs three plOWs to own five mules or
horses. Then il one Of them should be-
! come faded during the year, you could rest
| him, and this is not all. After q wet sea-
son, which is ottentimes the result, you
could remain out of the crop with the plOws
! until the lands are in good condition, then
| by using the four You could catch up, and
by this method you could better cultivate
the farm.
1t is believed by most farmers that to
feed five mules to rsn a three horse crop
will not pay. This is a mistake, for the
five will not require any more to Aeepthcm
I ed in the usual way. Besides these mules
or horses will last much longer, and will
perform mu h more work in the day, as
they will move moro briSkiy than if worn
+ down by daily toll. In our opinion, with
this management, three freedmen will per-
form, with mules thus kept, as much work
as four kept in the usual way. so there is
: a saving of at least one hand and rations
which is an item OF economy 40 to be over
looked
GOOD STOCK QUAETERS.
Every planter should have comfortable
quarters for his animals. How any per-
son consulting lis interest can allow his
! horses and mules to stand in a quagmire
I and take tie storms OF winter and the heat
! Of summer, believing this to be economy,
is strange to account fo". This cannot be
classcd otherwise than domestic and i'm
moral extravaganza.
+ No reasonable person can believe that
his horse, COW and sheep can be- as profit
able that if thus neglected. This is not
economy, as the horse will not be in as
good condition TO serve his owner. and
! will not last as long as if well provided for.
Neither will the COW, sheep or swine make
! as profitable a return in flesh, butter and
! milk. In moral point of view, how any
! person can work his horse all the week and
drive him to church on the Sabbath to hear
/ the docrIle oI mercy laNSih' anu on his
! return put 'ili'' "illIndl III s'ch quarters
/ 'ha' IL WouiH III oeOteF 10 ne OH 'le ie'-
ward si''e 81 d mousse OF STACK curing
snow. storm, seems strange
GOOD Tools
! 1t Is needless 10 say that every }Iantcr
i should provide himself with good nipple
mCnts to work. If your tools are good 40
shirll or slsull can have any excuse why
he has not performed 4 days work. 1t is
economy 10 have implements Of the best
variety, from the wagon to the trace hook,
for without these 1t would be impossible to
! operate 10 advantage, as you would not
! do IS much work with the same labor or
do i so well.
IMPROVEMENT OF TIL; SOIL.
Il is the common custom to clear land
and cultivate il wear after wear until it IS
worn ont
/ Every planter should cpdcayOr to put on
The soil rs much as lie takes of. BY this
! method the soil viii return q handsome
] dividend annually. We should use less
OF tie commercial fertilizers and apply
mari and vegetable deposits that abound
on almost every farm i'll eastern North
Caroline. as source OF economy. We
know il i held that the planter has not the
time 10 die. haul and apDIy mari and
muck. and therefore he is forced from ne
/ ce>sity to use the MARYLAND or Long Island
dirt because il sinks. Who has not the
time to gcthcr and appIy the vegetable de-
pc,sits and mari he walks over daily when
he appropriates a portion Of each wears
labor to the purchase of their fertilizer .
Does any sane man doubt that if the
MANY thousand Of dollars that have been