The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1880-06-17
agricultural.
raw SOUTHERN LAND SYSTEM

TRE SOUTHERN LAND SYSTEM
Mr.. L. +. Mcrebesd, President OF
the Mississippi Valley Cotton Asso-
citation, makes an interesting con
tribalion on the above subject;
A planter in the oldeu time need
ell no co operation of his neighbors'
his estate being a community within
itself with its b Acksmith shop, car
penter shop, hoepital. etc our iOsil-
tutions and customs fostering no'h
ing but agriculture Then we rals"
cd our corn and meat, add importa
tioos we're confned nearly to manu'
featured articles. Now we raise
nothing comparatively but cotton,
and import everything Then it
was a pleasure to behold the hne
cultivation of a gentleman's estate,
TIE deep plowi5g, fine drainage
good bridges, well made and kept
Fences or two bales Of cotton, and
sixty to eighty huohels Of corn pro-
dpcsd on every acre of ground, re-
spectively planted, full cribs Of corn
ard stacks Of fodder laid by, fat
molas. hogs and stock, systematic
work at the gin house and shops,
evervtbing in place, and general
air Il thrif,iness pervading the at
mo.phere. Property was worth then
ony price a party chose to ask,
Now on the same land, with double
The quantity Of labor to the acre bait
the quantity of cotton aud corn is
ro;sed the mules are badly fed, and
half attended, the bitches, ferces,
BRIDGES. etc are in very ordinary IL
NOT bad repair, and property has no
salable value. claim that the sysN
tenn of making tenants and share
mariners Of pauper laborers IS the
cause Of this difference between our
former prosperity and our present
danrosscd condition. Take first the
case Of the tenant, who is sold
team ON time, and agrees to pay
rental Of eight to ten dollars per acre
Cor this he receives a house to 1--we
IN water, wood. garden and pasture
Cor anv amount f stock he may
have and is ther advanced by the
nlanter or some stone food and cloths
ING for himself and family Ia other
words. the planter sets an ignorant
pauper up for ao independent land
lord to work his cop "a he chooses.
The consequence Of which Is that
the PLANTER ends by taking hIs mule
at the end of one or two years with
a heavy ditchiog and fencing bill to
induce another thrftless pauper to
take the land the first one bad near
ly ruined.
The share system or IA 'ershlp
is quickly told The planter gives
the ground, implements, team ana
feed for team, house, garden, water,
wood and pasture for any cows
hoes or stock; ard the laborer for
this agrees to give his entire labor
for tic year Il would state, BY way
Of parcnthesis, that leborcrs only get
one thlrd Of the crop against the
landlord S capital 10 the Northweat'
ana / challenge the best meoaged
place in the South TO show where It's
labor has put in one hundred and
eighty days Of work N tho year.
working on this half tenant Sy'"
ten.
We must come to system OF far
waqes. and let intelligence direct our
farming diversity our crops aud
ma c us a self,suslaining people
We must take the initiative IN the
change. ard a very short time will
elapse before the iaborer is IN hearty
sympatby with it, lie can under
stand cash pay men's, bus cannot
comprehend accounts, interest and
credits