The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-10-07
Opinions Of Hon. d. Wyatt Aiken.


MR.. EDITOR: I am again in receipt
of the South Carolina Agriculurist, for
which find enclosed an annual subscrip-
tion. Would that every farmer in the
State could be induced to send you an
equal amount and for the same purpose.
It is a shame that the farmers Of South
Carolina do not sustain an organ, through
which they could weekly communicate
with each other upon topics not Only per.
tanning to the farm, but relating to the
general welfare of the agricultural in
terests of the State, South and country.
They have never done it. Whether they
will ever do it, is question for the
future. 1t ia no less shameful, and to me
matter of profound surprise, that the
farmers of South Carolina will continue
to be such devotees to cotton and plant
so many acres of upland corn. The lat.
ter, under the most favorable circum.
stances, costs more than it is worth, and
there is not prospective fortune in the
former. If every acre of upland now in
corn had been sown las. fall in red oats,
and perhaps a few acres of the present
cotton area also, and at least one-taird
the cotton area planted in sorghum this
last spring, the State would have been
infinitely better off next January than it
can now possibly be. I have in the past
published so frequently my thoughts
upon these two crops, (oats and cane,)
that I hesitatingly send you the follow
ing report of a portion of my oat crop,
harvested in May and threshed out about
the 14th of July.
Early in September, 1879, + started
four plows, simple shovels, running
round" the cotton in field Of forty-two
acres. Behind these plows followed
man sowing broadcast over the cotton
red oats las nearly as could gauge it)
at the rate of two bushels to the acre.
Behind the sower followed two more
ploHs with sweeps, giving simple fur
row to the row, and covering the seed
almost as fast as they were sown. Before
sunset of the fourth day the field was
sown, with about ninety bushels of oats.
Last February / gave the contract to
some women on the plantation to knock
down the cotton stalks in the field for
$40.
The last week in February hired a
hand to broadcast two tons of super
phosphates over the forty.two acres, the
fertilizer, railroad freight, hauling and
broad. casting costing me $72.
During the latter part Of May, 1880,
during my absence, my son had the field
harvested in four days by four Graders,
four binders and one to shock. In June
three hands, in three days, with one four
mule team, hauled up the crop and
stacked it where l wanted to house the
straw.
Three weeks ago was tN 10 days and a
done it in one day and a half, but for an
accident to my thresher. I will, how
ever, estimate the cost of threshing at
eleventh of the crop, rs public
threshers would have taken the job at
that rate. / measured up at the :hresher
1900 bushels, ''good measure, running
over, pressed down." &C., and packed
away in the sheaf in the crib for fall
feeding what was estimated to be 250
bushels. To be sure not to go beyond
the net yield of the crop, will estimate
it at 1850 bushels, and I know it made
more than that. Now let's aggregate the
cost of the yield and learn whether there
is any money in red oat crop:
6 plows, days, s1l per days 80 90
man sowing days, at &c.,. 2 90
80 bushels seed oats, at 50c..".... IS 90
Knocking down cotton stalks. 10 90
Fertilizer and broad.casting."... 72 90
Graders, days, at S1.50....... "a 90
binders, 4 days, at 81 each...... Is 90
l man shocking days, at $1.50.. 6 90
8 days hauling up crop, at S6..." 1S 90
One. eleventh, 122 bushels, for
threshing, at 50c............... 81 90
Now if 1850 bushels cost 1924, what
does one busbel cost? Ny arithmetic
makes it fraction over twenty.one cents.
am selling oats rapidly at fifty cents per
bushel, purchasers furnishing sacks; and
every ten bushels, as I measured them
from the thresher, gains o bushel when
sold at the standard weight of 81 pounds
to the bushel, or the difference between
the thresher measurement and sale by
weight gains enough to pay the toll for
threshing.
Take another view of it. If my crop
cost me 1884, that is just 56S bushels Of
oats, at SOC. per bushel. Deduct this
amount from the crop of 1850 bushels,
and have 1872 bushels of oats, or 1891
as the net rent of AZ acres of land for q
single year. Besides this, l have housed
and penned straw that would not take
$50 for; and my land is now in stubble
ready for the fall turning, which I hope
to give it if we have rains in September
and October.
IF this crop were an unprecedented
one, or my first, or On exceptional one in
this section, l might feel disposed to
boast of it; but it is my fourteenth con.
secutive red oat crop, each of which paid
about as we'll rs this, some far better ;
and am satisfied it is not equal to the
crops made this year by some of the far
mers on the Saluda side of Abbeville
County. 1t will be observed, too, that I
have estimated the labor all through at
its highest market value, whereas nearly
all OF it was done by my own mules, and
by laborers on my own farm, some OF
whom were wages hands, some tenants,
: and portion hired as above estimated.
If could get the ear Of every farmer
; in South Carolina, / would say to him,
) "Go you, and do likewise"
Very respectfully,
D. WYATT AIKEN.
| - The business of this world is steer.