The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1881-06-25


10 lis lUxEriOns tastes mnSt come. (Ub
tntti0) from the 'soil--metl,er Cnrtll---
and while certain limited portions. OF
the earth's surface, rs in towns, ,,are
|:uscd.to1>,nGre house orjliying,purposcs,
and havcHno productive values, Vet the
! value. of?these lots are dependent on
ON hcAproductivcncss Of the stils used
for agricultural purposes on whicl,
they are dependent. Hence, the meas
ure Of wealth ofcany country may be
! estimated by the pr0du tive values of
the fields used for agricultural pur-
poses on which it is dependent for
supplies, or with which it,tratles or ex-
changes s,manutacturcd products.
The natural productive powers of
any country may tc very great, aud
yet the moneyed values Of its soil vcry
little. This may be, If well cultivated,
from the want Of an exchange market
for its surplus pyetinctions; from
poor cultivation, or want of sufficient
labor to cultivate the same; tiom II
bad, tXranical or unstable govern
meht. or from excessive and burden
some taxation.
On the contrary, the soil of cam
paratiyely poor country may attain q
great nloncycd value. First, by high
cultivation and Improvement; second /,
easy to .markcts of exchange; third,
an Intelligent, active and industrious
population and al abundant supply OF
reliable labor.
The moneyed value Of all virgin soils
on the Rrst settlement Of any country
was very small. Sac!l values were
mainly from natural causcs--ns game
supply, range or natural pasturage.
Clcurings and improvements added
some values, but these were Tcrv
small, so Aong :as the amount Of ara
Die land was, onl V sufficient to produce
home supplies-the mere living wants
of the hnSbandman. In course Of
time, when more lands were opened
Tor the pl0w, room was obtained for
the cultivation Of surplus crops over
living wants, which crops afforded the
means of exchange in adjacent mar
kcts. Such surplus products increased
the mOneycd values Of such soils. u
large percentage Of profits Of the
farmers who preceded us in this coun-
try was expended in clearing away the
heavy iorests,nnd many acres Of ouA,
best lnnus cost mora t6 prepare them
for the plow than they would now
sell for.
Our first crops for sale or exchange
were indi 20, rice and cotton. The
first has been Abandoned; the two
latte, are still our staples. These CO, 8
were introduced and cultivated by our
ancestors ct the old regime by slave
labor. and a!l surplus amounts realized
lhcrctrOm were generally invested "in
more nigYcrs to make more cotton 20
buy more niggcrs.' Under this svs-
tenn our soils never acquired great
values. and such us they did reach
were measured 10y the fertility and
durability Of tho virgin soil, or OF,
locality rs to markets &iMl other sur
rouEdings.
We have since the war succeeded
the system OF the past ami have, rs it
were, inherited Il country much w&s'cd
and worn 10y the skinning cultivation
OF our predecessors. And as this in
heritance Of ours is our all it bchDOvrs
ns.to ,cousiIlGr we'll the value of our
possessions. and to knew how to i'm
prove the talrn, intrustcd to our care
II is easier to take the cX! aus ted
lands and to rcnOvatc and restore them
to more than their primitive richness
than IL was for our predecessors to re-
move the vast forests that once covered
them. a" We have before rr;,:.! sd,
their moneycd value must be mes iuycd
by their pronuctivcucss. Hence. we
must increase their fertility to Increase
their general value. 1t may be doubt
lul If amy lands cultivated solely in
corn, cotton, and small amounts of
oats and wheat. can ever attain very
high values. Bul combine such crops
with grass, and one part Of Il farm,
once sci in the same, SO mnch labor
can be dispensed with, md 50 much
produced from the part SO set that the
other moiety allotted to active crops
of corn, etc, will become far more
valuable.
Immediately after the war all values
were nominal. and in some cases a
years rental was equal to the pur-
chase money. In England, the best
governed country on earth, for two
hundred wears past, fourteen years
rental has been the measure of the fec
simple or purchase money. In our
collapsed State, just after the war, one
or two years rent, and even now six
or eight years rent, is equal to the
purchase money. aud this too at time
mat money Is SOnbundunt that govern
ment securities have reached the low
rate of three per cent. Such comcStrom
the unreliable and worthless character
of our labor md the unsettled cuntl:-
ton Of our country.
The value of rents varies much in
different localities, but we may place
the average at 500 per mule Uhirtv
acres Of arabic land, and SO much
land in past years could have been
purchased at S400 to $500 or less. and
even now can be had at 500 to $500
of the best quality the country affords.
So that rents nominallv pay from
twelve to twenty-five per cent, and
yet capital does not rush in TO buy ND
the lands, and the rise in values or
realty has not been rapid, while the
fall in the interest rates OF all public
monicd securities lns been vrly sfcal
All of this shows an abnormal and
unhealthy state of affairs, and can bc
clearly traced to q variety Of causes :
l. TO the poverty as TO surplus or
mercantile. capital Of our land.own-
ers, compelling them in most cases to
| operate on credit and to produce all
crnnS nnIpr ri hpr q n,,>ri,.,,, 80, so,