The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1874-03-11
mo-. 27.
Thc Folly OF Planting all Cotton and no
Corn illustrated.

C0fl illustrated.
Elsewhere will be found an article
from the correspondent Of tho Auguss
ta Chronicle and Sentine, giving u de.
tcrrtion of the sacrifice OF one of the
finest landed est ,tcs in the South.
Ihe failure Of Hnghcs & Vckers is
The same old story, repeated, how
evor, this time, OH a somewhat larger
scale than usual. Their failure was
the result Of wild, reckless system
Of planting conducted on tho crodit
system, which system, combined with
the total cultivation Of cotton to the
exclusion Of other crops is yearly
bringing thousands Of plantations . to
the sheritf's block. 1t isa strange
and unaocountaole condition of af-
fairs that will make our farmers freely
mortgage their last acre and their
asst mulo for tho loan of sum Of
money, not equal to ono.half Of the
value OF tho mortgaged property, aud
at the same timo pay rate of inter.
est on The amount greater than the
average rate Of profit derived, from
Tho cultivation Of tho soil. It is
this cause moro ttau all others COM
hined thut hes kept tho Southern
people poor In order to live in tho
usual style Of luxury INDUCED in be-
fore the war, they arc willing to puy
cXorbltant rates Of interest for money,
valnly hoping with ono crop not only
to pay the interest on the capital, q
percentage greater than the average
return from farming when conducted
on cash system, but even tho bor-
rowed principal itself. 1t is time for
our farmers to SEQ the. inevitable
ruin that must overtnkc them from
such system Of farming. 1t is time
they accept the inevitable and re-
nouncc all hopes of clearing one, two
aud three hundred per cent. from
farming. For while a judicious and
econ 1mlcal system of agriculture al.
ways yields II safe but certain profit,
reckless, cxtravagnnt one brings
ncthing but ruin and bankruptcy to
both farmers und morchants And
it is not only the farmors who arc
cu'pablo for our present system Of ag-
riculturc, but also the merchants. If
anything, thoy urc moro blamablo
than the farmers, for they aro sup
posed to be, and should be, better
acquainted with tho present and
probable supply and demand Of agri-
cultural product, and should refuse
to be par'ics to system which mu.t
always result i'll ruin to both parties.
1t is as much true charity in mcr-
chant or capitalize to refuse loans to
Enterprises which he knows must fail,
ns it is to refuse aims to bcggar
when he knows that it enc ouragcs
Iaziness. Merchant ns we'll as plan
ter should remember that while un-
encumbercd lands may be worth
forty dollars an acre, the cucumber;
cd 10 not worth twenty, often not ten;
for the same causes which in one sea.
son broke tho reckless planter has re.
duccd the profits Of tho economical
one, and all arc embarrassed for the
want Of funds, and consequently
there arc no purchasers, for tho proper.
ty when offered, and Of course goes to
the creditor for a song. lle loses
money, even holding an estate valued
at forty thousand dollars, for claimi
of maybe o"ly Hftcen cr~.twenty.
The credit eystom is a two-cdge,:
sword cutting both ways. The ex-
travagant debtor as we'll as the rcck-
less creditor. uro slaughtered while
the small farme: and prudent mcr-
chant escape unharmcd md year
ly grow in prosperity. We trmly'bc-
licve that the past winter, wish all it's
record Of failures, has boen godsend
TO us Of the South. 1t came not q
moment too soon. Another year la
ter and VIC would have been ongulf-
cd In one wide spread sea Of ruin.
But our eyes arc opened, and We 500
a yawnipg gulf bcfuro us, and in
it are hopelcssly struggling tho cot
ton king and merchant prinoo. Too
late The one secs the folly Of plant-
ing all cotton and 10 corn on borrow-
ed money too late tho othor sees
that all is not gold that glittcrs, aud
that there is mnro profit in tho
frugal dollar of tho small farmer
judiciously and carefully laid out in
little sugar and coffee than there is
in the reckless | . u Of tho largo
planter cxtravagantly and oarelessly
invested in corn and bacon. 'Tis
wel tho curtain has been lifted and
the facts in all their nakcdness OK.
posed While Hughes, & Vickers,
cottonists, and PringIe a,d Ravonol,
capitalists, are slaughtered, tho frugal
corn planter and the cautious cash
dealer feast Upon their blood. The
warning Of the past year if not now
hooded will most assuredly never be-
herercaftcr needed. - Rock Hill
Grange.
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lligginSOH.