Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1874-03-21
A WORK FOR THE ORANGES.


Now that the farmers are thorough "
organized throughout the State, it
would be well for them calmly to look
at the situation and provide a remedy
therefor. afk
We see but one way of overcoming
the many obstacles that impede the
prosperity of the farmers in the South,
and that is to recognize facts as they
are. That we have rich soil and ge-
NAL climate is admitted by all. That
we have facilities for the transporta-
ton OF produce no one can deny. That
we can diversity our production to an
almost unlimited extent is conceded
fact. Then why are not the farmers of
Tennessee, and the South, as prosper
Gus as they are any where? How does
it happen that while the farmers of the
North are extinguishing mortgages on
their lands, those in the South are
loading their plantations with addi-
tional burthens? The evils that afiict
our people are, to great extent, be-
yond the reach of legislative bodies.
In so far as the unequal distribution
of the currency. and the enormous pat
ronage of the Government are con-
cerned, the North is the gamer, and re-
lief to limited extent might be given
in these particulars but the great err
ror and mistake with our people is, the
impression that they can live in the
same costly style they did before the
war Into this fatal error they fell al
most unconsciously twill beremem-
bered that at the close of the war cot
ton, tobacco, sugar and rice, the great
staples of the South, commanded enor-
nous prices. At the then ruling prices
ii was an easy matter to pay fifteen or
twenty dollars per month for field
hands, and realize fifty; and so it came
to be thought by many men of intelli-
gence, that the South was entering up
ON a new career of prosperity; and
that with her great staples, she would
soon assert her commercial supremacy
over the world. Planters did not, as
general rule, pay off their old debts,
but used their incomes to increase their
business. Nor were their profuse ex-
penditures confined to their income
Many of them plunged deeper into
debt, arguing themselves into the be-
lief that with the ineficiency and scar
city of labor the supply of cotton
would never exceed the demand. I'm
fortunately, however, the high prices
had stimulated production in India and
Egypt and other inter-tropical coun-
tries, and the natives for time aba1.
dOned the cultivation of hemp, indigo.
jute, and devoted almost their entire
agricultural strength to the production
of cotton. And so with the stimulated
production in all the cotton-growing
countries, the prices fell lower and
lower, the planters hoping each year
almost against hope that another year
would be better. And thus, to the
neglect of almost all the necessaries
of life, they have continued growing
cotton until poverty stricken, in debt,
without credit, they stand before the
world victims to an inoTdinate aud
senseless passion for the once great,
but now fallen, king Cotton"
The same, to a certain extent, may
be said of tobacco, with this difference,
however: Tobacco planters always
made their own supplies and relied only
upon tobacco for money to pay hands.
We see, then, this apparently anoma-
lous condition of things The greatest
scarcity of money and the severest ag7
ricultural distress are to be found
among those farmeys who grew most
largely of cotton and tobacco; while
ease, thrift and prosperity are to be
found in those portions of the South
where neither of these articles were
raised to any great extent. The solu-
ton is easy. Farmers who raised
neither of those staples hired but few
hands and worked themselves. living
strictly within their income. If they
made but one hundred dollars it was
theirs Neither old debts nor oblga-
tons for labor, nor artificial wants, nor
the means to keep up deceptive ap-
pearances were TO be provided for No
false notions of decency or respecta-
bility deferred them from the perform
ance of their plain duty. Acknowledge
ing poverty and accepting the "situa-
ton, they have gone bravely to work,
the old men and the young men, the
mothers and daughters, and are obey
ing the divine injunction: In the
sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread. =
Like Jacob of old, they are now re-
ceiving their blessing after long night
of wrestling Apleasing contentment
reigns in their homes. Their lands are
increasing in value; immigration is
pouring in, their houses are being rel
paired and beautified: churches and
schOol-houSes, the highest evidences of
civilization; are springing up, and as
their wealth increases, they develOu
Il L L
and nObler manhood. Cotton and to-
bacco are the curses of our State and
Ofthe South, and their culture, to a
great extent, must be abandoned. Only
such a quantity of each should be
raised as can be conveniently manu-
featured and not interfere with the
production of the prime necessaries.-|
Then only five things will be requisite
to gain our former prosperity, greatness
and independence
|. Intelligentiabor with small farms.
2. Diversification of crops.
B. Economy and living strictly with
in our income.
4. And to give effectiveness to the
first two, gradual improvement of
our farms by enriching the soil-not
so much by using costly commercial
manures as by a proper and judicious
application of the means at hand-such
as subSoiling, collecting and saving of
manure, sowing of green crops to be
plowed under, and a regular rotation
of crops. II
). The sowing of larger breadth in
grass, and in place of sending away
cotton, let the surplus labor be EN-
ployed in working it up into manufac-
tured articles, and thus supply home
market for the meat and bread raised.
This will make labor relatively more
abundant, effective and reliable.
Let our farmers wake up to their in
terest; get out of the old grooves aud
ruts that threaten to engulf them in
financial ruin. They will thus become
prosperous, happy and contented.-Rw-
r0i San. !