Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1873-03-20
For the'Adyertiser
Letter From the Mountains.
WALHA1LA. S.C.a Maf.. 8. .7S

N<A NV A.~NS-2T- --~AASs
WAIHAbIA, s.c.a MAJ 8, '.7S.
Mr.. EDITOR, The duties. of my
station have been SO arduans, and |
have been so busy with other matters
for some time.past, that has moi
been convenient for me, t0Ewrite any
thing for your e1cellentPaper. But
I avail myself of q few Aonents o:
leisure how to let you. know that
have not forgotten the der old Ad
vertisea, and its numerous leaders.
We are having one ofsthe coldest
snaps here at'the pressntstime that
we have experienced this, winter. Fol
several weeks past the weather has
been unoommouly severe and bitter.
The wind often blows with great VIC.
lence for whole days and nights in
succession, and at such times it is no
e1aggeration to say thatat whistles
around the corners ofsome of the
tall wooden houses in Wahalla like
a stage-horn of the oldeatimes. My
quarters are at Dr.. Yarbrongh's, about
the centre of the townlshd during
these clustering days a@ nights, I
! have often. mistaken the hoarse music
Of the wind,fo the blowing of the
engine of the train at West Union, a
mile and half away
Lam now writing fromsa stand of
ink that was-frozen the ether morn
ing on the table near. tho fire. But
/ the weather is moderatins somewhat
now, and I hope it viii notsbe very
long before old Boreas Will cease to
blow his windy horn over these 9th
erwise pleasant and beautiful valleys
and hills. q few more weeks Of cold
and buster, of frozen hands and red
noses, and the snow viii begin to
melt upon the distant mountain tops,
old Winter will relax nisicy grip and
prepare to depart, and sRFipg, gentle
and beautiful, with sailing face,
balmy breath, and emerald robes.
will come gently down ppon US, and
the green grass and pSstty flowers
will spring up in her pash.
imagine that downan your Sec
tion the farmers haze ven nigh COM
pleted their preparationsfo planting
Some have no doubt planted corn,
and are getting ready forithe cotton
as rapidly as they can: I have often
heard of a stirring old iafmer down
on the Ridge i'll EdgefskL who was
in the habit of driviag the snow
birds from his feidssn February,
that he might plant cdra: That was
before the war, when To- sdarkey had
a master and did not take his OWL,
time to 60 to work in the morning
| I do not know whether the old gen.
tleman to whom I allude is now liv-
ing, or whether he still keeps up the
practice. If he lived mp here in
these mountains. he would find dri-
wing the birds rather an uphill bust
ness in more ways than one.
L am not farmer. nor am | anx-
ious. like Horace Greeley, to tell
"what l know abont farming" but I
have some notions IN regard to South
ern flrming which I believe to be
sound and correct. While it is true
/ that the South has been and still j.
too exclusively an agricultural coun-
try, or rather has given too much at
tention to few great staples, to the
neglect Of commerce, manufactures
mining, and stock-raising and di
versi6ed husbandry,-by pursuing
which policy no country can ever be-
come permanently rich--I do not
think we should now go to the other
extreme, quit cotton and our other
great staples, and turn our attention
altogether to the growing of the grass
es and stock-raising, wherever it is
practicable, aud to manufacturing.
My notion is that we should plant
less area or acreage Of land in cot
ton and our other staple products,
fertilize it more highly and cultivate
it better, and devote more attention
| to those other pursuits and industries
which will enable US to raise the most
of our domestic supplies, and furnish
the greater part Of the manufactured
articles that we need, and which we
now purchase from abroad. By pur-
suing this policy we would retain
among US the greater part of the pro-
ceeds or net profits of our leading
agricultural pursuits year by year,
and it would distribute itself in &C,
cumulated wealth and other branches
Of industry in our section, and foster
and build up every other interest of
the country. ..
Cotton, rice. sugar and tobacco are
destined to be the great wealth-pro-.
ducing agricultural staples of the
South for years to come in the future,
as they have been, IN the past. The
country is adapted to their growth,
and the people will and should plant
them; but that is no reason. why
they should be planted to the exclu-
laL. nf niha. A.aI,aIa