The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1881-11-11
FARMING IN THE SOUTH.

! Whether or not the Atlanta exposition
proves to be a financial success 1t is
certain that it will exert a permanent
and powerful influence for good in the
South. We have already pointed out
the fact that 1t will give an immense
impetus to tho building of factories,
particularly those for the manufacture
Of cotton goods. The influence we
have In mind now, however, Is that
which 1t Will have ON our agricultural
interests. The things seen and the
thing heard Mt the exposition will go
long way to convince them that their
system of farming Is shiftless, and at
| least quarter of a century behind tho
age. Southern planters and farmers, as
rule, complain that farming is not
profitable. 1t is true that they do not
make it profitable, but 1t Is not true
that farming cannot be made profitable
in the South. There are three reasons
why farming Is not profitable to the
Southern farmer. The first is that our
planters undertake to farm more land
than they can cultivate properly. Tho
second is that they do not make use of
improved and labor-saving machinery.
The third is the credit system eats up
all their profits.
Our planters like the idea of manag-
ing big plantation. The fact that
small farms can be worked to better
advantage seems to have no weight
with them. They will continue year
after year gathering half n bale of cot
ton from the acre while n small farmer
in the same neighborhood, who under
stands his business thoroughly, will get
from n bale to a bale and half per
acre. There are small farmers in
tnp r.vio h, .,f nf
81 cents per pound, while most of the
large planters of that and other States
claim that they cannot raise it for less
than q cents u pound. The truth Is
that only few Southern farmers
know anything about the uso of ferti-
lizers or Disadvantages Of deep plough
ing. They talzo very little trouble to
prepare the ground for planting, .and
they arc exceedingly careless about
cultivating their growing crops. The
consequence is they get only about II
or 15 bushels of corn to the acre where
they ought to get ut least fifty bushels.
The soil of the Northern States Is not
richer than that of tho Southern States,
and vet the Northern farmer gets from
80 to 80 bushels of corn from an acre.
Improved machinery for agricultural
purposes is being slowly introduced In
| the South, but so slowly AS to excite
tho surprise of tho thrifty and ener-
gctic Northerncr. With labor-saving
machinery the Northern farmer Sc
cures n much larger crop on the same
number of acres than the Southern
farmer, and that too, Mt about one-half
the cost. Surely the time has come for
our Southern farmers to correct the
mistakes which have contributed so
much to keep them poor.
We have, time and time again, ad-
vlscu against the credit system. Our
planters and farmers however, cling to
it with wonderful tenacity. Year after
year they mortgage their cropsand pay,
in ono way and another, at least fifty
per cent for money to make their crops.
How do they expect to become pros
porous while they submit to such IL
drain as this? When they settle with
their merchants at the end OF tho year
they arc generally in debt. At most,
they have only u few dollars to show
for their years work. They had much
better cultivate one half or ono quarter
as many acres and conduct their farm
ing on Il cash basis. Our planters and
farmers will get Il good many ideas ut
tho Atlanta Exposition which will be
Of benefit to thcm.-N. q. Times.