The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-08-28

than be without it, lie. would give up
lone half that lie was worth. 1t was I'M
Hpo,siblc to do proper work without It.
Ebut the majority of farmers plough
without all object, except to kill grass,
which was the best friend of the farmer,
ii properly managed.
Another cause which was assigned
lor tie poverty Of the people, was the
WANT or ECONOMY IN THE EMPLOY
MENr OF LABOR.
The corn crop of Abbeville would moi
average generally more than eight bush.
els to the acre, alld was most uncer.
tain crop. He had seen some bottom,
land which promised only q few weeks
since, scvcnty-fve bushels to the acre
which would not make forty or fifty ir
nu5bins and shucks. He had seen corn
which would range from four to twenty
bushels, but eight bushels Was q fail
average. Fifteen acres of cotton, aiil
ten acres OF corn was the usual proper.
ton to each mule. Now, said he. even
ut nine bushels to the acre, the yield is
NINETY bushels, and deductmS one
third for rent, and there remains only
sixty bushels, which the mule Will ell
ND, eobs and all. But in Il large numbei
OF eases the corn is not worth the
pIouch:nc. Of the fifteen acres of cot
ton. onc-third Of q bale to the acre is
| fair ayerage-the 100 900 acres of Abbe-
Vile would not make more than 2o,OCt
boles-or four or FIVE bales to the mule.
Deduct one-third for rent, and estimate
the cost of labor, the wear and tear OF
land and implements, and it Will be
found that 10 money is cleared. An
other and important consideration in
| the cotton culture, in which it differs
| from everything else is, that the planter
has no agency in fixing the price. 1t is
settled in New York by the buyer; q
man who cannot tell cotton stalk from
an okra stalk. We are thus made the
slaves of men, who draw the only riches
from our labor. On thrce-mule farm
Of seventy-five acres instead o. putting
the thirty acres in corn, let the planter
SOW in red oats, and he can dispense
with two hands, and make more ana
better provisions than before. If he has
bottom lands, he may put ten acres. III
corn, leaving thirty for cotton. AS 1000
for stock, oats, he said. was better thall
corn. 1t was the only food OF the blood
cd Arabian steed, developing muscle,
activity and strength, and on when no
animal ever is f0lndered. he had oeeh
feeding mules for four years, on oats,
and found that they got better, not
worse. Cultivate the grasses, and III
the saving of labor and other expenses,
the farmer would be we'll remunerated.
tTc advised them however, to avoid the
example of a friend, who turned in his
clover with q twister, and then grum..
bied that it did not come up. AaEured
as cotton, and cultivated rs well, and 1t
pouId pay better-an acre would yleio
1000 pounds. Yet we go on importing.
He was told at Donnaidsville, that 81 600
of hay had been received thcre-Colum..
bia up to the 1st of July had imported
600 tons of hay---Greenville was pay
ing SS. 90 per hundred, and Spartsnburg,
=. IS per hundred-and this in the best
grass growing country in the world,
where the grass reaches as high as the
cotton. TOO uIuch attention was deVot-
ed to cotton from which not 3 cent was
made in the way of net income. IN
deed the debts would exceed the credits
on the. 1st January Of each year. He
had been, he said, in twenty-one Coun-
ties of the State, and never saw liner
crop, promising in many places bale
to the acre, but the bigger the crop the
lower would be the price. We could
not compete, he said, with the West
their seasons were three weeks longer
ten days earlier in the Spring, and ten
DAYS later in the Fall-and their lands
would produce more than twice as uuch
as ours Our only hope was that the
caterpillar and boll-worm would destroy
their crop. Unless some such calamity
| Tor blessing rather) should occur, the
prics of cotton he thought would not
exceed l2A cents for this cTop-naany
were willing now to sell for l5-and j,
did not pay at all to raise cotton for less
Yet with low prices and other attendan
! evils, we have been cultivating the sta
ple, and have been more injured by thi:
| exclusive devotion than by bad govern
! meut and onerous taxation.
Another cause which he assigned was
.,iat there was s@. ."E s.r. -
NO COMMUNITY OF FEELING
between the planters OF tne SIatc
There was no union between them, bll
each was striving for self, and forming
mass Of segregated elements. Ihls "a'
the case ia no other avocatlou-lncr
1 chants had their Boards of Trade, ,poli
ticians their Union Leagues; ana IN
plan ter alone, had no organization 10
mutual aid and protection. "Ihe Pa
irons of Eusbandry" were designed Z
supply this want. The Order erorlglnate'
with an Englishman named Saunders
now III charge of a Department OF th'
Agricultural Bureau. After seTera
DAYS conversation with this gentleman
he had been prevailed on to accept III
position which he now held in relation
TO the Order, had visited all the :counte
of the State, except Pickens, Oconce
and the Coast, and had established SOM
sixty-fve oranges. The term " "g.ange'
meant 'ffarni," and was designed t.
designate club of farmers. In the CrdeI
there were three classes OF oranges
County, State, and NatioEal-the Mas
ter OF the County grange occupying
seat in the State, and the State III tn
National-each higher being compose
OF the chief officers in the lower. Per
feet community of feeling and action
WAS thus ensured throughout the oNganl
iZation. This union must be beneficial
but it was not designed to make money
and no one need join it for purposes Q
spectsa.ion; but its great object was t.
develop community of feeling betWeel
the planters of the ncighborhood. L
too would enable the planter to saw
money. Thus, the Singer Sewing Ma
chine company entered into a stlpula
ton to furnish their machines to mem
bcrs, at 25 per cent. discount, Howe's a
80 per cent, and Grover & Bakers at .
per cent. The same principle was actet
upon in the furnishing of the R,Wd
Curoliaian to members ut $3.50: Tn
consent of the various companies TO
manufacturing fertilizers, could be ob
tained to the same proposition. Afte
all, it was only selling at wholesa!
prices-onr ton at the same rate will
! twenty tons-and, asst saved advertising
and agents expenses, was the SAM
thing to the company. Was the mcr
chant injured by this arrangement? l
he was, and the farmer benefited, per
haps it would be only fair to chang
places in this particular. But the mer