The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1877-05-12

LESS COTTON AND MORE CORN. -
The Arkansas papers keeps reiterating
the advice to their farmers to plant less
cotton ami more corn, but planters still
prefer to mortgage their prospective
yield of the former an'( take the risk of
obtaining any deficiency in the latter
from the North-western States. II Cotton
Record.
1t is a pity this question can not be
satisfactorily solved. Newspaper men--
who of course know all about farnIing----
never weary of the subject: but it is oh
served they seldom undertake to offer
anything better than mere dicta where
as practical farmers, who are supposed TO
study and understand how best to rem
der their lands profitable, cling to the
cultivation of the crops lUst adapte4 to
our climate and soil. There are certain
propositions about which there is no
room for difference Of opinion. Cotton,
sugar anil rice are all hut Indigenous to
the South. They are our great sta lies
and must necessarily IMPLY better rcmu.
ncration than anything else we can grow.
The cereals, and corn in particular. arc
the staples Of thu West, and must take
the same precedence there that cotton,
sn;;ar AID rice do hs}e These n N y,
sable only in so far as 1T can be done
without interfering With the production
of our Indigenous staples. Germ may
be grown at the South, bat there are few
persons who will Ct i'm that it grows aS
we'll here as at the West, "r that it will
pay the planters a remuneration equal
to cotton or sugar Our advice is, grow
all the cotton, sugar and rice you can,
and if after that yon can raise any corn,
do SON.. 0. Times.
If the New Orleans Times will examine
the records of the different parishes, the
numerous mortgages on the plantations
of the persons who planted "aIi the cot
ton they could,' aud no corn, but de
pended on the West for it, it will he at
oacc convinced that although the Cot
ton Merchant and the Commission House
may, and do thrive, the farmer is beg
CARED, and the country at large is al
ways in poverty.
The Times is mistaken in tho idea, en-.
deavored to be iEculcatcd by thinking
men, into the ways aud walks of the
farming community. 1t is not to plant
corn to sell, but to grow it in order not
to buy it from the "West and North
west"
We are endeavoring to get the farmer
to make his cotton crop the pratt of his
farm-not the basis of all bis agricultu-
raj operations. To do that, be must
plant grains and grasses to feed, fatten
and rear stock for work on the farm, and
for food for himself and laborers, by
which he leaves lis cotton, cane and rice,
as clear profit in bulk.
Follow out the Times idea and the
country at large would be ruined beyond
doubt. We don't know how much corn
the West produces per acre, not more
however, than 40 bushels as an average,
but Red River can average fifty with
perfect ease. and we know of one fay,mer
that averaged "a bushels per acre.
The fact is, no Que knows of, or cares
abont the cultivation of corn in the rich
land sections Of the South, simply be
cause they have the idea in their heads
that cotton is yet King to the farmer, and
it is for that matter, but despotic and
unless the subject raises his own
grain and meat, 6,st-his cotton after
wards. The Times writes in the interest
Of the cotton merchant, we in the inter-
est of all, the farmer particularly.