Claiborne guardian. [volume] (Homer, La.) 1877-188?, 1882-03-15
Editor CLAIBORNE GUARDIAN:

i
desf'fus'oa IN or midst, = Il not wise to
pause and soqairs tie esoss, q se,sre IL no
enect without csnsei There has been %
much written and puhlished IA references
to the right mode Of farming, sod 20 little
need taken BY our people, It seems useless
70 ssy more; but in thinking Of the coudi-
ton ofour whole southern country, 70 land
where want ought not to be known, and
would not If our agriculturists would pat
common sense into practice, for Il 10 . fact
admitted BY Gil that il ia not best TO neglect
grain and forage crops in order TO produce
the nom .cottob; bat, admitted ~ this IL.
II is also fact that great majority Of our
farmers do it,) l An constrained 70 rive
my views - TO the proper mode To farm.
Having tried my plan for the last twenty.
eight yesrs aud have not wanted for snx
Of the necesssries Of life, and having seen
~ many farmers In that time who have
gone to the wall that followed a different
plan, am established In the opinion that
onr country cannot be prosperous IL the
farmers neglect TO raise provisions suai-
cient at least to run their own farms.
1t Is common, too common, for farmers
to expect every year TO b favorable in all
respects for growing . crop. They make
but few calculations for failure, but the
reverse. They oil expect to make big
crop Of cotton, get . big price for It. and
~ long ~ they have credit make big e.
count to be paid when the crop Is gathered
and sold. These arc not safe calculations.
An long back n We have any history 70 in
form us, there have been droath, canker-
worm, mildew, locust, caterpillar, rain
and hail storms to blight and destroy the
labor ofthe busbsndmsn, and our own OBJ
servation teaches US (if We would bot heed
it) that there are many canses in these lat
ter days 10 lessen the price Of the fruits Of
his toll.
Ny plan, Mr.. Editor, is,his: plant grain
sufficient each year, 10 that IL l only
make half crop I have plenty; then
plant - much cotton % l can cuitivsts
and gather, not neglecting my grain 10 do
it. The cleaning Of my grain fields and
peas raised on my corn land with bot lit
tie work. insurcs my smoke house to he
full of homemade bacon, aud at the end
Of each year there 10 snfsscient on the place
to make another crop, which has cost nc
lees than the freight my neighbor pays on
the supplies he bays 20 run his farm 10 cot
ton, aud the cotton ! make does not be-
long to merchant the minute 1t Ia ginned
and balcd as his does. And another thing
! don't do As he (my cotton neighl'or) does.
that is HINT ont the poor spots on my farm
and SOW them in oats or cultivate In corn.
There 10 no crop grown in this parish that
pays better for the labor expended than
does wheat and oats, consequently put
them OH rs good land as have, aud have
never made q failure Of either And
there il anot her thing ! could never 6nd
time to do m making a crop or gathering
", Inot " 10 80 WI th'pr HuutiHS anu Hhu-
iBg expeditions ~ common in our parish.
One to succeed In farming must start right,
then Ire must either hold the pillow or drive.
The time has b-en, Mr.. Editor. when n
man tat Was able could hire his driving
but thsts played ont. and the new order
Of things requires that the one meet inter
este,l must do the driving to succeed.
know there 10 great deal said IN reference
to a certain ciaas ~ iaborers Of our coun-
try. think it would 10 more beneficial
to the country at large to say more 10
reference to the Guidance Of that labor. !
know that we have the hest labor In the
world-the fact 10, II Is the only suitable
labor the South will ever have, othen
opinion to the contrary. All it needs 10 Ia
be rightly managed; and this can he done
only by example. Let the land owners Of
the country who employ labor take the
supervision Of their farms in their own
hands and guide them - . pilot docs bis
craft, always At his post, plant and cult
vate more grain and lees cotton; in fact
make each farm self-sapporsing. Then, and
not till then, will our country b~ prosper
ous and happy. A. T. NELSON.