The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-03-12
themselves and in relation to each
other, Holmes,
The CurNe Of credit.
Southern Planters Pursuing n Suicidal
POucv-MOre Bread and Meat, and Less
Cotton Their Only Salvation.

Southern Planters Pursuing n suIcIda
POuicv-MOre Bread and Meat, and Les
Cotton Their Only Salvation.
From the Memphis Appeal, Feb. %.
, When the spring birds begin to twit
ter in the groves, and the frogs to croal
in the swamps, the southern Journals
commence the same old song, "PIant
less cotton" This advice has been
given for the last thirty years, and il
has recently made its appearance with
the accustomed regularity. In all the
southern states the newspapers are
united in urging upon the farmers TO
plant less cotton, and more corn and
oats, the coming spring. They show
from the statistics that at present
prices it does not pay to raise cot
ton, and it is folly to sacrifice every
thing for cotton, as has been the Gus.
tom for years. There can be no ques-
tion that the best interests of the south
would be materially improved if the
farming community would give more at
| tention to the raising of the necessary
articles of food required for home con-
sumption and less to the specially of
cotton. Cotton is now quoted about as
| low in Liverpool as at any time since
tainly induce farmers to plant more
corn and raise all their other supplies
Indeed, with cotton below the cost OF
production, farmers will be compelled
to raise their own supplies. But this
never would be done if cotton remained
at eighteen and twenty cents, and corn
and bacon even at the present prices.
Heretofore it has been useless to urge
this system of farming among planters,
but now the price of cotton will he an
argument to the farmers that will be
irresistible, and it comes Just at the
right time, when preparations for the
coming crops are a0out commenced.
The planting of less co ton will do
away with the suicidal policy of getting
supplies on a credit, which has been an
injury to the merchant and planter.
We have seen this fact recently illus
trated in an agricultural paper from an
actual bill. as follows:
5000 lbs. of bacon at Is cts. $3.50 90
Int. and for advancing for . months. ll2 80
Total. ..................s5 $685. 90
Now, we would ask, in all candor,
any farmer of common sense, how he
could expect any fate but the POOR
house by such an arrangement as the
above? It is no wonder farmers are in
deEt, and keep in debt, when they DO
business upon such a credit system. It
is no excuse to say they cannot make
their bacon, and cannot make their
crops without it. If they cannot make
corn and bacon enough TO work two
hundred acres of land, then reduce
your surface and work one hundred !
acres, and do not, we beseech you, go
in debt for your supplies. No bust
ness in this country will stand up un-
der such a rate for interest and advanc-
ing, by which you will become poorer
and poorer each year. The advance |
and interest account on the above bill |
would astonish any farmer outside of |
the cotton states. yet it is an actual,
true bill, and only specimen of hun
dreds of every day occurrence. How |
longl o Lord, how long will the |
farmers of Mississippi continue to
make OF themselves mere "hewers of |
wood and drawers of water.