The Osceola times., 1878-07-13
HARD TIMES.
Cotton j, king--NOg and
1sOsniny il Queen.
Crittcndcn Co., Ky., vs..
Mississippi Co., Ark.

bio opportunity, ! pen you a line
on tho great cry of" Hard Times. .
To begin with, suggest the query,
What 10 Hard Times Is il y scare.
ity OF cash and la surplus OF meat and
bread or is it no money, no bread,
no meat, no cotton, no suplus of
anything for sale. The former
constitutes iho Hard Times here in
Cuttcndcn comfy, Kyo the latter
the Hard Times ! have experienced
IN Mississippi County, Ark What
makes this difference The soil
and climate is nearly the same !;
what can be produced here is cqua-
ly as productive there. can only
answer, THuE EcoNoMY. No coun.
try ever presented superior advan.
tages to the laboIing man than the
soil of Mississippi county. Her
pasturagc, unlike that OF tho Older
states, is wld hoandioss and mex.
haus,ibic, both, IN winter and sum
mer. Cattle increases without the
knowledge OF either tame grass Or
corn, and with but little care from
the owners. The soil properly cul
,ivatcd will bring forth AS fine corn,
grass, po.atoes, wheat. oats, tobacco
and cotton as any country in the
universe. Then why is it that
about the lst. OF March, Mississippi
county begina 10 ory, "who wall we
get to furnish us, and continue the
howl (gning on half rati0ns) until
cotton is perhaps in fall bloom be-
fore we fnd that man kind enough
to take Il bill of sale OF all cur stock,
farming utensils, crop, and all 9th
or earthly possessions, and furnish
VS. from the lst. July until ne be
gins to get his money IN October,
at thD low cate of 33 3 per cent.
profit, per cent. for advancing,
and 10 per cent interest with the
understanding he Is TO sell your
cotton, thereby reaping another OF
those small per contnms. This ]
lay to the fault OF the producer. and
not Of tho merchant. KING CoTT0N
is your ruin, and ever will be so
long as you look to HIM for your
support. Why not hvo indcpen'
dent OF the merchant, and let him
cry "hard times" Change your
tune, and in the place Of dancing
all yourselves, permit him to dance
somc tao, and my word for IT, your
patronage will be more eagerly
sought for, and your interests more
fully protected than in days gone
by. This County Lasa not claim
any superiority in soil OF climate
to that OF your own; yet we do
claim II superior knowledge of the
wants OF tho inner man, and govern
ourselves accordingly. First of all
we do not depend on any one crop.
We raise al sort of green crops,
except grcenbacks. Our nam crop
however, being corn and potatoes.
BY preparing our ground well in
lhl Spring, BY rolling and harreY-
ing, and afterwards plowing our
corn over fous times, we manage
TO raise on our bottom lands from
80 TO % luslels Of corn. Potatoes
give US yield OF from 100 to 200
bushels to the acre. We make corn
from the time we commence break
ing up until We lay by, in the short
space of three months - Cat this
writing, all the bottom corn is iaid
by. With this does not end the
history OF our success nor do we
stop ut raising corn and potatoes.
While some are prndu oing these.
others are raising wheat oats, hay,
tobacco, hogs, cattle, sheep, mules
&c. Nothing strikes me more fore
lilly than the difference IN merchan-
dizing here and there. As | said
before. when the time comes that
your crop is fully secured from lail-
urc by grass or other misiortunc,
aud il begins TO send forth blooms
wight handsomely, you find some
kind symyathlzing merchan. will
ing To take bold of you and help
you through, 'ris pity for you
dear producers tha, his sympathy
awakens Mt tins time I; 'twould bave
been better had ii slept IN his DO.
som until your first bale was gath
cred aud ready for market ior you
naw rcvcl IN cxhorbitant priced
dry -gpeds and high priced bacon,