Orangeburg times. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1872-1875, 1875-03-11


soft. When shoot will break ON The
upper part on being bent, il win not
be far from the proper stage OF growth
Tho cuttings may be from two to three
inches in length and the leaves must be-
removed Quitting them close to the
stem) from the past to be inserted In
ing them, and il set in pots place thon
near the sides.
Ii insects of any kind trouble you in
the garden, orchard, or elsewhere, send
specimens to our entomologist, Mr.
Chas. R. Dodge, Washington, ID. c.
With notes of inquiry or information.
Awooden match box is one OF the best
thlrgs to send them In. Do not send
them to Us in Charleston, as some have
heretofore done, but directly to Mr..
Dodge, as that will save trouble and
expense.
ONE CAUSE OF SOUTHERN POVERTY.
First, then, assign as one of the
reasons of our continued poverty and
want of progress the fact, that we do
not produce enough Of what we eat or
drink, and buy too much on credit. To
present an elaborate argument in de-
tense of this position would require O
volume. One or two practical facts
will suffice to prove my assertion true,
and the answer that every farmer will
give when applying the idea to his own
case will corroborate these facts.
III 1859 .he south produced over 81
900, 600 bales of cotton of 400 pounds
! each, which sold ut an average Of eleven
cents per pound, realizing less than
$3.50, 600, 900.
In 1869 the cotton crop. of she south
was less than three and q half millions
of bales, four hundred pounds each,
and sold for an average of twenty Two
cents per pound, realizing over $500,
600, 900. Z. aI''.-l,,, {!
The cotton crop of 1873 reached con.
siderably beyond four millions of bales.
and sold for less than 1915, 900, ,Oo0.,
And this has been the history of our
crop annually in the past have we any
reason to anticipate that similar effects
will not follow the same course in the
future2 Then if the all cotton policy,
or q large cotton crop has actually
tended to impoverish Ms as a ,,eopIe.
who will assert that the same poiicy
will not have similar effects upon in
dividuals?
0npaper it can be easily proven that
cotton, as crop, will pay better than
...AJ VI tsh oohSA ptOauCtS. bub CueSo
figures are far moro unreliable than the
oft-abused labor of the country. There
is no qustiop but that Individual
farmers, having lands peculiarly
adapted to the growth of cotton, can
net moro money growing cotton and
buying their breadstuffs and provender
than by cultivating diversity of crops.
But 1t is an egregious error to think,
that "A, Is, or O, can do so, therefore
every southern farmer can pursue the
same conrse, anticipating thesamer result.
Ihrongh series Of years, regardless
of the price of cotton e reiterate here
what have often asserted before in
these pageB), oE ninety-nino out of
every hundred southern farms, it is
cheaper to grow oRts for plow animals
than to haul corn from tba neereo..
depot, becnnse oats will follow corn
with no cost but the seed aud harvest.
ing, both Of which can be paid for
every winter in the mutton that can be
fatted on the growing crops; it is
cheaper to raise NIL tho pork the farm.
er's family can consume annually than to
buy bacon Mt ten cents per pound it is
cheaper to grow pound of wool, up to
certain number Of pounds, than the
same number of pounds of cotton aud
it is cheaper to grow anything that can
possibly he grown upon tho farm than
to buy it on n credit.
Fow farmers understand properly
what is meant by "buying on credit"
They know thoy get tho article and paw
moro for it than if they paid the cash ;
but they never onco calculate the pro-
MUM and percentage they are paying
ior this privilege of getting time or
credit. Lot mo illustrate. The aver
nge farmer may raise meat enough to
DO him till the 1st of April. By TINT
time he has to buy; but having no
cash, though good credit, he goes to
the store and buys bacon at Is cents
per pound, payable 1st of November
following. He learns the cash price is
IL! cents per pound, but necessity COM
pels him to buy on credit. He thus
pays y cents per pound ssfor the priv
iege OF buying on credit, n..one.sixth
the price to be paid, which is simply
| l6s per cent. per annum for the use OF
money, But he buys in April, and has
to pay. first November, only eight
months credit, and thus pays twenty
i've per cent. per annum for the uss of
money. What farmer can afford to do
this and live -? What is applicable to
bacon is equally so to corn, hay, -four.
implements, mules, and every article
the farmer buys on credit.
1t is estimated that the average in.
crease of the agricultural wealth of the
United States is about fonr per cent,
per. annum The average increase of
agricultural wealth in any southern
state annually since the war has moi
IN nd ~