The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1874-01-09
Thoughts for the Month.
fso,,hsrn ~e,ltyator, Jan. 1s74.1

6TQ farmer SGIuuS III tuC very lIOut Adnh
of agriculturists. In no parto OF theW world
have certain of the Applications or
science to agriculture been more intelll-
gently pracficed and with betterlesults,
than in these Southern States. Nowhere
has specific manuring, which is to he the
leading idea of perfected agriculture,
been more studied or adopted. But
whilst this is true, it must be candidly
admitted that there are grave defects m
our system defects in the details of the
farm, and in what as a sub-branch OF
Political Economy, may be termed our
Rural Economy.
The primary defects are, a want of
adjustment between the three great
classes of crops-fo0d, TenOUating and
MONEY crops. It is beyond question that
too much preponderance has been given
to money crops-cotton, as the represen-
tative Of these, well-nigh absorbing the
whole energy of our farmers. 1t is not
difficult to understand the reason oftllis,
and it is easy to make excuses for the
fact, but few can be found ut present to
justify the course pursued. The recent
monetary difficulties have shown that
the, price of cotton may go down, whilst
food may remain high, and that it is not
safe to raise cotton to buy provisions.
DICiAI duu HGuI GdhC pICCCNClltt Va
clOthes-it is much easier to economist
in the latter than the former. Recently,
whilst European gold came over freely
for wheat, at almost unchanged prices,
cotton could hardly find a purchaser at
30 per cent off from a~nte-panic prices.
But we do not propose to arguethe point
of raising provisions athOme, having re-
Gently discussed the matter in another
connection. One-tOuTM Of the crop in
cotton is enough, when everything is
counted, corn, potatoes, small grain,
peas, clover and grass.
.aa RENOvATING CROPS. ID
Whilst these play a very important
agriculture, they have been Almost who'll
ly ignored by us. There, q crop of clo-
yer or beans or other leguminous plant,
is put. on the land with as much regulari-
ty. as manure is applied to it, and with
the best results for as the experiment
of Mr.. LaweS have shown, as much
wheat may be raised on q given piece of
land by sowing eight crops alternately
with beans, as from sixteen crops of
wheat planted continuously; the bean
crop being u clear gain. One Of the
~renovating crops, COW peas or clover,
ought to furnish nitrogen to every field
ON d farm at least once in three or four
years. .~:,..Ie
ROTATION OF CROPS.
A regular rotation of crops is to be
found in every country where improved
husbandry prevails. At the South, be-
fore the war, there was al imperfect II
of cotton, followed by corn, followed by
small grain but even this is often aban-
doned now, and cotton after cotton al
most without end, is the order of the
day. We need not fatter ourselves that
our soil or climate Or crops are so pecu-
liar and exceptional, that we neglect
conditions of success which long x
p~erience and sound reasoning combine
to show are highlyimportant or essential.
LII truth, it is just the reverse; the hui
mus-exhausting character of q cotton
crop, our hot sun and long summers
make a judicious rotation of crops more
important at the. South than in cooler
and more humid climates.
NEGLECT OF SIDE CROPS.
Another great mistake I'M our farming,
is the neglect of many little side crops,
which, by proper foresight and manage
ment, might be doyetailed into the gen
eral crops with very little trouble or la
Dor. How many more sweet and Irish
potatoes might be raised without q far
mer's missing the time, labor or land
devoted to them-hoW many more tur-
nips and cabbages, how much more fruit,
how much more millet and corn forage.
Instead Of buying Northern hay with
cotton money at 5000 ton, how easy
to keep mules all the summer, by having
a few acres of bottom land set in Ber-
muda grass and giving it a good top
6YsaSoInU nj manure nysnrV unrlnp nj.
mails turned upon such a lot at night,
would require no long forage whatever
from May until October. How much
hay might be made from land thus treat
ed! Ii, is said that DR.. Ravenel, Of
Charleston, by manuringt o Bermuda
grass plot with a solution of Nitrate of
Soda, we believe, obtained hay at the
rate of sixteen tons per acrei To be
sure, Bermuda is difficult to cut with an
ordinary grass blade, but q moving ma
chine would shave it down beautifully.
How many waste spots abOuttile branch
es might be utilized by cultiyating the
0sier willow, requiring little other Ia
Dor than the planting of the cuttings.
RURAL ECONOMY,
In addition to these faulty details in
farm work and management, our far
mers have not been skillful in buying
and selling. Through a vicious credit
system, they sell their produce in the
fall upon a glutted market when prices
are l0aU, and buy supplies in the spring
and summer when prices are high. In
carly winter, corn and bacon can gener-
ally be bought low fer the same reason
that cotton then sells low, to wit, an x
cess of supply over demand. But the
farmer has raised q little curn and per-
haps q hog or two. These will last un-
Gil spring, and SO he puts off the evil day
until prices have advanced.
Political economists tell MS that Just
In proportion as u nations exports ex-
coed It's imports, its trade is sound and
healthy gold must come in to restore
the equilibrium. TT is d good deal so
with fhe farmer. The moTehe sellsand
the less he buys, the better his condition
he is thencnCunaNIdtsng. Buff he sells a
great deal of cotton and has to buy d
great deal of corn and bacon, and lard
and forage, and -four and a~xe-handles,
and cradles and snaths and wooden
rakes, and a thousand and one things he
could easily have made on his farm, the
balance of trade may often be against
him ; gold has to go ont instead of come
in in other words, his capital must pay
the difference-and it is obvious that a
good deal of capital has gone just that
way during the last eight years.
WORKING CAPITAL.
Another great defect ii our system Of
farming, ID q deficiency of lU0rking cap
itaI. BY the time or before his land and
mules and afew common implements are
paid for, the farmers money is all ex-
pended, and IN most cases, the ordinary
work of making d crop, is done upon
credih There ID nnthinr 1aft for the