Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-02-26
diversity or Crous.

In recent article headed "a Word 70
Planters" the New Orleans Democrat
gives its farming friends good deal of
sensible advice on the subject Of diver
sity of crops, and on the advisabillty of
raising all the corn, fodder and meat re-
Quired for home consumption, together
with their cotton, sugar and rice. It ad-
mits that it would, of course, be quite
impossible to advance any arguments on
the subject which have not ably been ad-
vanced a thousand times before, but it
is a subject of such vital importance to
the farmers throughout the South gener-
ally that it cannot be impressed upon
them too frequently.
This advice is called forth by letter
from a correspondent of that paper, who
draws a gloomy picture ''of sofas being
worn smooth by the wriggles of the
wretched planters, who depend entirely
on one crop, and coming out, as they
often do, in debt to the merchant. vainly
plead for more money with which to
make another venture" And the writer
thinks that it does seem marvellous that
in spite of years of sad experience, and
Of the wrecked hopes of many who fol
lowed blindly in the footsteps of their
fathers. the planters as a rule viii persist
in pursuing the same course.
Commenting on these suggestions of
its correspondent, our New Orleans con-
temporary seriously urges the planters
not only to raise all the corn and hay
they may require. but also their meat, vege
tables. etc, for in this way, and in this
way alone. viii they become independent
and amass certain fortunes. It con-
fesses that the temptation to raise one
crop is very great, and at times quite
irresistible; but it well says so is the
temptation to speculate in any other
way, and the only safety lies in the
putting aside firmly the sllurements of
high prices and of providing beyond per-
adventure against the need for food
for man and beast. 1t thinks
that there are far too many
articles of all kinds bought at the
neighboring and convenient store. Al
most everything in the shape of apparel.
except articles of fine texture, can and
should be made on the plantation, and
our planters who were before the war
accustomed to do things in a princely
and expensive style, and who have not,
as a rule, forgotten their old habits,
must learn to husband their resources,
to economic in small things, to be con.
siderate of what are called trifes, before
they can hope to be on even terms with
the farmers of other sections OF the
country, and before they can dictate
terms to their factors.
This advice of the Democrat is sound
and true, and worthy of serious consid-
Grafton. Building all hopes upon cotton
alone does very well when the crop
turns out well, and high prices rule, but
even then it would be far better for the
South at large, if, instead of having to
send to the West for the purchase of
supplies the money received for cotton,
it could be kept at home. But
such a policy. when the crop
turns out badly, or prices are depressed,
is simply ruinous and disastrous. So
long as it is persisted in, the accumula
ton of wealth and the acquisition of
political and commercial power by our
section will be delayed, and the North
will be the longer enabled to continue
its sneers at ''the poverty stricken
South"