The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1878-01-18
THE FUTURE OF COTTON IN THE cARoLINAs,

WIFI hllic Proul. IusCanccS may De cited
where individuals have been successful, but
these Instances are rare. Generally the
cultivation has been carried on under a
high pressure system by use of expensive
fertilizers aud by perilling the landed and
personal property Of the farmer. Too little
attention has been paid to the permanent
improvement of the soil. The natural con-
sequence is that the soil is becoming ex.
hausted by this expensive and hazardous
tlllage. A disastrous crop year brings ruin
to thousands Of farmers. Credit has be-
that those FARMERS who have aecumulated
money, deposit it in banks where the use
of it is enjoyed almost exclusively by mer.
chants. The only way in which farmers
are benefited by the capital of the country
is in supplies advanced by their factors at
high rates Of interest. Homcstcads and
personally exemptions have rendered neces.
sary the enactment of laws for the protec-
tion of factors who make advances. The
credit of the farmer who mortgages his crop
is necessarily confined to his factor. Credit,
even with the protection of q crop lien, is
generally hazardous, and the rate of inter-
est charged is necessarily high. We ven.
turc the opinion that nine-tenths of the
farmers are opposed to paying more than s
per cent. for the loan of money. Itis among
this class that usury laws find their sturdiest
defenders, yet farmers unhcsitatingly con.
tract, debts for supplies at higher rates of
interest than are paid by any other class OF
people. The farmer, perhaps unwittingly,
pays from 20 to 20 per cent. for credit on
advances made on his crop, while he would
refuse to pay more than s per cent. for loan
of money.
by our expensive system of cultivating
cotton our farming communities are yearly
depleted of capital which is seeking a safe
investment elsewhere. Farmers are in
debt. Judgments, mortgages and crop liens
are hanging threateningly over them In.
stances where individuals have grown sud-
denly rich afford no evidence of general
prosperity. Under the present system cot
ton does not pay. While prices ruled high,
it's cultivation was great success. Moth.
ing short of desperation is it to persist in
any business where experience tells Of loss
Unless we Immediately adopt line of pol:
icy In this u,aotor, neooE=ieJ eJ-n;a -a.i,o chr
cultivation Of cotton to sections where it
more naturally belongs. If the farmers of
the Carolinas will realize and practice the
necessity of raising their own supplies, then
We believe cotton culture will be a blessing;
otherwise it will continue to be hazardous
business and fraught with ruin to thousands
of our. citizens. The cry so frequently
heard of paying too high for labor is per-
haps true, but the main trouble consists IN
paying too high for credit Labor is as
cheap to-day in the Carolinas as in any por-
tion of tbe South, while the rate Of interest
charged, and perhaps necessarily so, is
higher than that paid in any other part of the
world. Unless we cultivate our own bread
stuffs, and adopt better and less expensive
system of tillagc, the future of cotton in
the Caroliuas is not encouraging Carolina
Farmer.
PHOSPHATE Flour AND GERMAN KAI-
NIT.-Weck before last VIC suggested to
farmers the economy of using the Phosphate
Flour, German Kainit and Land Plaster, in
compost, instead Of buying the more costly
Super -Phosphatcs. The following, from
the Anderson Intclligcncer, furnishes fur
thcr information OH this subject:
Farmers, now is the time to prepare to
make up your compost heaps. A Georgia
farmer says: 'Do not waste your cotton seed
by putting it upon your land in a raw state,
when, by composing it with stable manure,
phosphate -four and small amount of Ger
man kaiuit, one pound will go as far as ten
pounds applied in green state The phos-
phate -four can be obtained from the man
ufactory in Charleston at about S1G50 per
ton, and is the basis of nearly all the super
phosphatcs now sold as fertilizers, and is
superior to the acid phosphate, and not near
so costly. A few farmers in this County
ordered car load last spring for compost
ing, and are well pleased with the expert
mcnt, and expect to try it again, when they
will have longer time for the compost
heap to mature itself One ton of phos.
phatc flour, one ton cotton seed and orc ton
stable manure, with two hundred pounds OF
German kainit: properly composted, will
make three tons Of fertilizer at cost OF
Sl2 per ton not inferior to that which costs
you $40 per ton at the factory"
TO DANISH RATs.-Rats can be ban
ishcd by covering the floor near the rat hole
with thin layer of moist caustic potash
When the rats walk on this it makes Their
feet sore. These they lick with thcil
tongues, which makes their mouths sore
and the result is that they not only shur
this locality, but appear to tell all the neigh
boring rats about it, and eventually the
house is entirely abandoned by them.
WOMAN's WIT.-'Scc here wife, yor
indulge that boy too much. He's a ncrlcc