Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-06-04
Agrifnltnral department,
[Origillal.]
OUR WANTS.

In an agricultural point of view, the south
ern section of the United States will compare
favorably with any portion of similar area in
the world. The climate is healthy and the
soil productive. A great variety of crops can
be produced, and fruits of the richest flavor
can be grown in immense quantities. There
is no dispute about the natural capabilities of
the southern soil and climate Notwithstand-
ing the natural facilities with which the coun-
try isblessed, the people, generally, are behind
the rest of the world in an agricultural point
of view. The soil is generally cultivated, and
agriculturists are not increasing in wealth.
For this many reasons might be assigned.
The crops that are produced by the southern
agriculturist are the most expensive that he
could plant. Corn and cotton are mainly
cultivated. No crops that could be planted
are so expensive us these. The labor required
to produce them, and the drain upon the soil,
is enormous, when compared with many other
crops that might be produced. Another rea
son why southern agriculturists are not in-
creasing in wealth, is they have too much
capital invested in land that they are not
able to make productive. Of the cleared
lands of the South, not more than one third
is planted in crops, and the forest are not
made productive in any way whatever. What
has been said will suggest some of our
wants.
We need, in the first place, greater diver
sity of crops. Oats sufficient to feed all the
work stock in the South, could be made at a
trihing cost. Wheat sufficient to bread the
whole inhabitants can be made for one half
that it costs to buy it. With little care in
preparing and manuring the soil, twenty
bushels of wheat can be raised to the acre
and if good land is selected and we'll prepared,
and sown in oats, it will produce from scv-
enty-6ve to one hundred bushels per acre.
The southern country is we'll adapted to the
growth of potatoes. Potatoes grow as we'll in
South Carolina as they do in Ireland; yet
thousands of bushels are annually brought to
South Carolina from the North. Clover and
many of the grasses that are adapted, both
for pasturage and hay, flourish in the South
and yet vast quantities of hay is yearly
brought South, ard young stock are sent to
Virginia to be pastured during the summer.
Notwithstanding the fact that we have some
as fine streams as are in the world, we have
no manufactures. All our raw material is
worked up by others and sent back to us.
These things suggest the absolute need of a
radical change in the agricultural operations
of the South. Men who own large farms
must sell them off in parcels to those who
can cultivate them, and our monied men must
club together and build manufactures. A
people who do nothing but till the soil and
sell the manufactured goods of others, never
can become great people.
Last, but by no means least, we need in the
South more industry and economy, and less
idleness and prodigality. In the South there
are more idlers than in any section Of the
world except it be Africa and more prodi-
gality, in proportion to the wealth Of the
people, than any place on earth without ex-
ception.