The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-01-02
Southern Farming.
From the Southwestern.

\ PA1 4lAAO AtIS "SSA1
by slOvCnly and imperfect cultivation
till not one in ten of our plantations
princely in extent though they may be
yield q revenue to the owners or lessee
A large proportion of them are SO in
numbered with debt that redemption
present or future, has ceased to he con,
sidered q possibility.
imperfect cultivation is one of the
chief causes of this condition of affairs
1t costs less to raise two bales of cotton
or three hOgsheads of sugar upon one
acre than upon two. Seed may be sOwn
upon large areas, but unless the soil has
been properly prepared before seeding
and the plant thoroughly and intelli,
gently cultivated to maturity, the har,
vest will be meagre. "A little farm
well titled always produces satisfactory
returns, while q rambling and diluted
system, OF lack of system entails upon
the planter only disappointment, dis.
couragement and often ruin.
We have been too much aCcustOm.
cd to regard u soil inexhaustable in
fertility and have depleted it year after
year without returning to it any Of it,
constituent parts. That we can raist
larger crops without the use of fertilizers
than Massachusetts or PENNSYLVANIA
O"A -" CAACAhJ 0ASNGS 1OIulIIGs LiU
we bestOW upon our lands the care and
attention which educated industry de-
mands, the result of such labor would
be on the paying side ofthe account. On
every farm, large or small, the ma
te11als for composing fertilizers can be
found III abundance, and if they are
carefully collected and Understandings
prepared, instead of being wasted. as is
almost always the case, q largely inCreas-
ed production IL sure to reward the la.
Dor.
The desire to ape the ante bellum
style OF cultivation whereby an amount
OF labor is expended upon n hundred
acres which %wouldpay a handsome profit
II concentrated upon ten, results in
nothing but disaster. The planter who
guageS bis OWE and neighbours respec-
liability by the number of acres planted
regardless OF the style of cultivation,
Will find no balance in his factors hands
to support the dignity he assumes and
sooner or later his lack of wisdom will
become apparent to every one.
No farmer should attempt to cult
Vate more than he a personally su-
per1ntend. The management of a plan
tatlon should not be entrusted to q paid
oVerseeT, often al ignorant and unskill-
tIl one. SATISFIED with their own scanty
knowledge, they consider it impossible
insulting to attempt it. Agricultural
chemistry and treatises on agricultural
science are literally "sealed booksn to
THIS class. They sheer at such things as
" book farming" which cannot be played
on them. They are, in their own opin-
IONS, too smart for any such thing, and
the q that they could enlarge their
knowledge by a study of such works
seems to them to be preposterous. In
der such management the soil deterior-
ates and the planters pockets become
empty, yet such has been the rule all
over the South for generations, and the
result is painfully apparent in the pov-
erty and bankruptcy of the larger por-
ton OF our agriculturistS. The old
adage that
He that by the plough would thrive,
Himself must either hold or drive
Is as true to-day as ever, and any man
who expects to successfully cultivate
his domain, without giving his personal
and undivided attention thereto, will be
sorely disappointed. We wish to i'm
press upon the mind Of every farmer the
truth Of the above adage. Ia e
place, and at all hours, the masters eve
should see and his will direct the min
utest details Of his plantation work. If
you have so much land that you can not
do this, you may be sure that you have
too much, and the sooner you sell or
give away the surplus portion the SOON
eryou will rid yourself of a useless and
expensive burden. Plant only as many
acres as you can thoroughly cultivate
and the results will be satisfactory.
Another, and perhaps, the great cause
OF lll-sucCeSs in farming operations in
the South is the persistent and unwise
planting of q single CrOp-One that will
feed neither man nor beast. Seed time
and harvest are promised US, but some
times single crops fail. All cotton, all
cane or all rice, is the rule, and if, from
any cause, these crops are failures, star
walton is only avoided by contracting an
evil scarcely less fearful-debt. Corn,
pork and hay are the prime necessities
OF every farmer and they can be cheap
~ produced upon any plantation, large
orsmall. Yetnearly everybody depends
upon, the West and North tofurnish the
supply. to pay for which often absorbs
the entire yearly receipts, leaving the
planter nothing for himself but disap-
pointment and debt.
Now, all this can be avoided and a
curtailment of expenses made at the
same time. The farmer can and should
make himself independent of his mer-
chant instead of being his slave as is Of
ten the case. Debt a be avoided with
all 1us annoying. accomplishments, and
peace, plenty and happiness secured.
How can this be done will be asked
by every one. We answer, by simply
producing upon your OVID land and with
your own labor what you now purchase
from the commission merchant. Raise
your cOrn-plenty of it. Your own
pork-cut your own hay-raise your own
potatoes and garden truck instead of
depending upon the markets for them.
A small portion of land will suffice for
this. 1t is astonishing how much q sin
gle acre will produce when we'll cult
waited. When you have provided food
for the mouths you must feed, then, and
then only, you may plant for profit. Be
1T cane, cotton, rice, or any other crOp,
plant only what you a thoroughly cul-
tivate without asking credit. You will
quickly find that you are on the sure
road to prosperity. You will not re-
greet the total absence of thOse vexatiOns
and humiliations which debt entails.
You will be astOnished at the easy sue
cess which rewards your lab0rs. True.
you may not be able to boast that YOU
have made 10 many hundred bales of
cotton OF so many thousand pounds of
sugar, but you can boast that you have
in your pocket the entire proceeds Of
what you did raise and you will also
have the satisfaction of knowing that
no unsettled balance to your debit is re- |
corded on your factors ledger.
Farming, intelligent and enterprising
FARMING wall nov and han1-o~of,. 49,