The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-02-07
VOL. X.-NEw SERIES.
MORE GRASS AND STOCK AND LESS cuLr1.
WALTON


MORE GRASS AND vaEiSk s1SSK AND LESS CULT.
The crops are about housed, and notwith-
standing we have peace and plenty, we are
not satisfied. Nobody has any money and
everybody is in debt The laborcr says he
cannot work for less that his labor is worth
as much now rs it ever was, yet bo can buy
more with one days wages than he ever
could with two, aud the query is, What Is
the land owner to do2 Farmers must en-.
ploy labor in the same ratio they get for
their products; for instance, half bushel of
corn or three pounds of bacon always paid
for. a days work; and if !. will ne. do it
now, things MIST come to stand STILL
some farmers say they cannot pay the pri-
( cesx and prep6S6 t0Srcnt. All + hayeSs 40
say about this ID. I nesArssaW plantation
before they that was improved by rent
4. ing to white mon, and I am confident I
n6vefwill see one rented to the "helter
shelter negro" that will benefit the land or
its owner. Therefore, I would say, audit
your accounts before the beginning of anoth-
er year, and if the products obtained have
cost more than their market value, change
your system at once. l have arrived at the
conclusion that the best tenants can have
are four-legged ones, that will work day
and night, and charge nothing, only to be
we'll fed and cared for. | belong to that
class Of farmers who make farming their
occupation aud study, and the remedy for
our evils is in change of plan rather than
change of occupation, therefore have no
idea of abandoning the ship; for if she goes
down, Sall other occupations sink with it.
Many precious lives have been fretted out
in the vain attempt to farm with demoral-
lied free labor, on credit or borrowed capi-
tai, to find each year plantations going to
ruin, and debts still more annoying. Now,
instead of looking to the hoe and the plow
for all money crops let us try grass culture
and stock raising, which requires very lit
tic labor, saves old fields from washing, i'm
proves land, gives sure crops and large prof:
its. Why not learn lesson from old father
Abraham? He would not have thought of
employing men, at fifty cents per day and
rations, to chop an hundred acre field of
cotton he would have tured his cattle on
it to cat the grass, and employed his time
and talents to a less perplexing and more
remunerating branch of agriculture. Think
of it, brother farmers. Will not money
from plants that will grow tweny years
without the use of the hoe or ptoD, be as
acceptable as that derived from wearing
out our already impoverished lands The
farmer who raises grass, stock and provi-
sions, needs but few work animals his ex-
come and independence is about as sure as
the certainty that rain will fall and grass
grow. But they say we cannot grow grass
here; when the truth is, trying to keep it
from growing, has nearly broken the last
'oEc of us, and the cry is, everybody in debt
and no money.
Now, brother farmers, I am raising grass
and clover here in Johnston county, North
Carolina and I am pleased with my success
so far. The past season, seeded twenty
five acres on the road in grass and clover,
and also planted row of clms, two hun
dred yards, from my dwelling to the store
and lot. The season was exceedingly hot
and dry, and strange to say, MANY persons
passing Dy found out that some of the grass
died (and they knew it would-this is net
grass country, and nobody found out that
twothirds Of the elms di ID, and that this
was not tree country. Somebody said, in
a s,cedring way, that | would have to sue
q he'S"ooi III WIGS esP'oSiho oh NY SlaSs heiu,
for he saw him pull up a bunch of broom,
strow in one of them. Now does that por-
son know that half of the cotton fields in
North Carolina, South Carolina and Geor-
gia, would have paid better in broom, scdyc
than ia cultivation. Now let us assume
that one-half of the land in cotton would
make half a bale or 600 pounds of seed
cot,on, at 2! cents, $500
Now 200 pounds guano, at y
cents per pound. $500
Picking out GOO pounds ut so
cents per cwt..................... 800
Quarter Of 600 pounds for rent,
$50 pounds at q per cwt...... 3.7j
Ginning and bagging, ,............. 200 Sl3.75
S13.75 SIPS
We have now one dollar and twenty-five
cents to prepare the land, plant it, and cul-
tivate it, and taking into consideration the
more cotton made the less the price, would
it not be more profitable to have had haU'
ofH IN broom sccigc? sent eff four hun