The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-02-17

Some sleep on, while others keep
The yigils of the true and brave;
Theyiwin notrest till roses creep
Around their name, above grave.
Brains and Method In Farming.
The editor of the Southern Cultiuator
has an incisive style which makes the
sparks fly as steel against flint, when his
logic strikes the persistent follies of
Southern agriculture. Hear him "let
out" on shiftless, routine farmers:
Gould talking or writing have availed
anything, enough has been said and
written long ago to have depopufated the
towns and established an impossible
blockade for bread and meat around the
Cotton States. We do not propose now
to waste ink arguing the point. Our
purpose is, if possible, to aid those who
are content to stay in the country and
work. We believe that farming proper
ly conducted, does pay-that its profits
are reasonable and sure, when brain and
Drawn cooperate cheerfully, intelligent
ly and energetically; but We believe just
as fully, that speculative, careless, rou-
tine, uncalculating, unscientifc farming
will not pay, but will, with fearful speed,
make bankrupts of those who practice it.
Illustrations of the latter proposition
abound on every side-those of the for
mer, whilst far from being 80 numerous,
may be seen in almost every communi-
iva few farmers standing head and
shoulders above the unthinking crowd. &
Ever since the war, the land has re-
sounded with complaints of lG6or with
more Justice it.: should be of lack of
brair,s-brains to plan, brains to calcu-
late, brains to execute-brains to decide
what crops will pay, how much labor
viii pay, how much and what manures
viii pay-what rest should be given to
the soil, what restitution made for its de-
pletion by crops, what rotations will pay
best and longest maintain fertility of the
soil--what:s will pay, best and most
economical modes of feeding-theae and
hundreds of other like questions call
most loudly for strong, educated, thor
onghly-trained brains. Away with the
practice of making tenants or partners of
negroes, and delegating to them the di-.
rection and management of our Southern
agriculture, What would be thought of
a merchant or contractor who would
put negroes in charge of his business Z
Does farming require less judgment, less
perception, less tact than buying and
selling goods? .----
Whilst brains are called for on the
farm everyday of the year. they are es-
pecially needed this month to plan the
years campaign. IF the past has been
q failure, what must be done to make the
future success? A decision on this
point is not always easily reached. The
weather, the kind of'crops, the time and
manner of plowing-Ashe manure used
and its mode of application, the lack of
manure, using too much labor and pay
ing TOO dearly for it-starting crops a
little too late or lying by little too ear
ly, deep plowing when it should have
been shallow, rows too wide-too many
or too few stalks to the acre, good or bad
seed-how great the factors that enter
the problem Think you that any but
O. careful observer, close calculator, a
patient and profound thinker can solve
it?
With tlriigEf the Hight of past experience be-
fore us, what crops shall we plant :? A
part Of the answer is as plain as the
MONDAY sun: provision crops of some
kind, sufficient at least to run the farm.
Everybody sees and admits that. In
this connection, we would urge again the
manuring of all corn lands, not likely to
suffer from drought to very high degree.
Very much is to be gained by pushing
such lands to yield of rs to 100 BUSH
els per acre. On dry uplands the bene-
fits of high manuring may be lost
through drought. Not so with valley
lands. Seyenty-five to one hundred BUSH
els of cotton seed and three to four hun
dred pounds of acid phosphate per acre,
may be very safely and proftably applied.
The cost will be from Is to 20 dollars per
acre-the gain with same hoeing and
plowing) from 80 to rs bushels corn.
will not those who doubt, try the exper-
iment on one acre this year-or if their
faith is svery weak, on half or quarter
acre? We want, friends, to get you out
of the old ruts-the draft Is too heavy
and you are about to stall. There is no
wisdom, no common sense, in pursuing
the same course year after year, when the
end is nothing but failure-utter failure.
Another proposition, palpable to every
rejecting man, is that every ones opera
tions should be brought sharply within
the limit of his means. Credit at. all
times is Misunderstanding periods of
great financial disturbance it is almost
invariably disastrous. Creditors then
become unusually clamorous, and prop
erty brings little when forced to sale.
But what should be done if one is al
ready in debt, it may be asked. Sell if
need be everything over and above what
is needed to run one-horse farm, and
start from the bottom. Show yourself
honest and you will not need homestead
or other laws to protect you. Creditors
are exacting, because they fear dishonesty.
When one firmly and cheerfully resolves
to pursue course like this, it is surpris-
ing how little is required to run farm
and support family till crop is made.
A COW and garden will keep starvation
a long way of. Just think of the guam.
tity Of Irish potatoes that can be raised
on little patch of ground-how early
IN Cne SeGSOu Luey aIo dFaliaoio~
how nearly this tuber can supply the
place of bread. Whilst urging this he
roic treatment, we hope few will need it.
We are sure, however, that very nearly
all our farmers would be bettered by
more or less contraction of business, SELL
ing enough to pay off old debts and then
adhering firmly and infexibly to the
roovSno Vnau u0T on ~
Gen. Washington now and then,
says the Springfield (Massachusetts) Re
publican took notice of singular facts in
natural history Two wears before his