The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-08-26

on the old land, it would have beer
taken as sign of incompetency on nj:
part as to opening up new ground. Al
first it may seem as if it was foolish te
put five or ten dollars in fertilizers on ar
acre when fresh acre could be bought
for the same money; but what has beer
the fruit of this policy? A planter IN
my neighborhood preached this doctrine
to me when I commenced to farm. When
our labor institution was swept away as
by the stroke of the pen was not this
our part of this our Sunny South, almost
a broomsedge and piney old field? Was
it not necessary to own three acres IN or.
der to have one to cultivate? The casual
reader of Ramsey's History of South
Carolina will find that when the upper
belt of this State was settled, butfaloes
were so plentiful that three or four men
with their dogs could kill from ten to
twenty a day. Deer were more hume
rous than rabbits at this day. Turkeys
abounded on all sides; the waters
abounded in beaver, otter and fish. There
was great facility for raising stock from
the great profusion of native grass and
cane. Now do not pretend to demand
that our predecessors should have saved
the game for us, but / do venture to de.
mand that their system-as it destroyed
so many virgin acres-should have occa-
sionally restored one to its original fer.
itility. You have looked on the picture
of a country in its virginity, now look on
this. Was not the prospect gloomy, in
deed, when at Appomattox Gen. Grant
gave Johnny Reb broken down horse
and told him to go home, build up his
waste places, do something for himself
and his country? With sad and heavy
heart he set out on that journey. Let US
Join him as he nears that home. We
know it can't be far off by the broom
sedge and piney old field. Here on our
right is the fresh fields; the trees and
stumps are still standing in it, yet it has
bald spots and gullies. 1t has been sown
in wheat, we know, by the stripes OF
deeper green running up and down the
hills far away, where the grain had fallen
more thickly between the cotton rows.
Yes s6wn in wheat to restit; rest by
making an exhaustive crop, and then be
pastured by all the stock in the neigh
borhood during all summer and winter.
And here is the house. a rail fence has
taken the place of the once neat palings.
Three.foot boards with. about six inches
turning up towards the beams, makes q
roof instead of the once close shiDgle.
Several old quilts have taken the place. of
the shining lights. You gain the portico
by stepping on various logs piled pro-
raiscuously, having cut the pigeon wing
several times before you reach the floor.
There is every indication that the rude
hand of war has been abroad in the land.
That is the lot, and that must be what is
left of the stables, for we see the head of
a disconsolate horse now and then stick
ing out between sundry fence rails, which
are jammed into the door. A wagon
body.is trying to get on the fence, whilst
the running gear stands taking it coolly
with its tongue lolling out upon the
ground. Attic gate stands squalling- q
fraternity of azor-backs, but they can't
get in atthat gate, for it is off its hinges
and propped hard and fast with half a
dozen rails. From the direction few
cow-frames are taking it can't be far to
the cup-pen on some bleak knoll, so as
to be high and dry; no signs Of manure
heaps; or rllittering-what few tools there
are are lying around promiscuously-it
takes half day to ind them. Is this
some fancy sketch, or can some places like
it still be found in this South land even
in this late day? But our Johnny, brave
in peace as in war, could not be discou-
ragged, went earnestly to work, and soon
had old Ball so that he could do full
days ploughing, when, one day, along
came some Federal soldiers from The gar
rison at town, who, after due examina'
ton, found the inevitable U. S. brand
on Balls foreshoulder, and informed
Johnny that that was q government
horse, and that if he did not 60 to town
and pay for him he would have to give
him up. They replied with smiles when
he told them that Gen. Grant had given
him that horse at the surrender, aud so
Sary Ann had to give up that little lot
of gold she had hid away SO safely for
the next war, that Johnny had drawn at
tho breaking up. But, nothing daunted,
he returned to his plough. His expe-
rience in reverses had been pretty thor
ough. Our Johnny's first year was quite
trying. When the June and July suns
came he just thought he could not stand
it, and Slightly paraphrasing on the great
Wellington, who, in his suspense at
Waterloo, exclaimed: "Would that
night or Blucher we're come," did our
Johnny, sitting beneath some cooling
shade, at the end of his row, exclaim, as
he famed himself: "lNould that night
or nigger were come" But our Johnny
has solved the problem, has exploded the
idea that he could not stand our summer
suns, that he could not take the place Of
our past farmer, that lie could not con-
troll free labor. He has astonished the
man that could not nor would not accept
the situation, who could only talk about
how many negroes be had lost and sigh
and cry out: ave are ruined! We are
ruined! Oh, you can't make cotton with
free negroes or white labor the country
Is gone to the devil, we are all ruined .
I say he has astonished those croaker:
with crop of over five and a half mil
lions bales of cotton. He has demon.
strated the fact that within him lies the
power to build up and recuperate oul
waste places, that by guard drains, te
prevent our land from washing, subsoi
Iploughiug, to resist drought, alienation
of crops and manuring, by turning under
green vegetable matter, our old land!
NAV be made to bloom and blossom equa
to any of the beautiful hills of Ohio Of
Pennsylvania. Our Johnny has showr
the croaker who said he was only fit t
ride and drive fancy horses, wear kid
gloves and fancy clothes, keep an um
brella over his craninm as he went rount
to make love to the fair Floras of tht
land, that he is about as near all horse
and half alligator as was ever old Dsvy
Crockett, aud that he can do az mucl
hard work in the hot sun as anybody
else, regardless of any previous condition
of seryitude, race or color; that as fo
him and his horse, they are going K
L L L l..