The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-05-14
SOUTHERN FARMING.
Of Southern Planters sinco the
Wnr-tseorxia Farming Past and Present.

From ne HdrtfOyd Courduf
AMERlCUs. Ga, April 81 have met a
largo number Of planters. cotton factors.
bankers, merchants. and others engaged in
business through middle and southwest
Georgia. and learn from Thorn the past history
OF Southern farming. it's present improved con-
dition. and what is expected in the immediate
future. My own inspection of number OF
farms affords convincing proof that the South
ern farmer Is learning that with hirnd labor
small quantity OF land well cultivated, will pro-
dGcG moro profitable crop than tho large
acreage worked with slave lab II was over cnpa-
bic OF doing
At the close of the war the South WINS strippod
Of everything hut It's land. and owed a large
individual Indebtedness incurred upon credit
given to the property value Of the ncgro-this
$50 OO6 900 moro than the whole amount OF
her T,rn present ,ii taxable S, prop9rts ,, III 49,.
planters 70 cultivate as much of this, crop as
,hny could; ana as tho new status Of the negro
he Et lS paWsT G%y Of hs aG1r 9ps %
rented out thcir plantations to the freedmen. 10
Get. y possible as large q revenue as in the
labor. Many planters went TO tho cities to i've.
leaving the entire management of thoir planta-
Which they Mere arned The negroes SsN workSa
soil with the smallest Kind Of plough, using liz,
tie or no fertilizer nor resting the land follow
ing in the easiest why such methods of farming
rs they had learned in the days before tho war,
and in this way soon exhausted tho surfaces OF
the land and were unable to raise enough crop
either to pay rent get n living for thcm-
selves The owners Of tho plantations soon
found their revenues cut off and their lands 10
worn out as TO be unproductlyr. and the coun-
try so full of similar plantations as to make
their sale at any price impossible. They then
the plantations themselves, and II. possible to
get them back to something Of their former
1t IS generally admitted that when the own
crs OF me plantations realized that they must
W w"1f or Lose fer lands brgSht ter
commencement Of her prosperity dates from
that timc. Many Of the plantations, fell into the
purchase or moro often by renting and they
were far better able to manage the freedmen in
of labor than tho old slave owners.
Nevertheless the country was without money,
and cotton WIS the only crrop on which it could
anything but cotton or mules. with promise
10 get an advance Of provisions. mules. or farm
pag toY Sn Sf to b ns A at tbe Ma4s s
amount, must be PAL d in full within the current
ySenr 50 that new advances might be obtained
caro- lfor. and as, little corn an! small grain as
little or no meat, trusting to his next springs
advances to enable him to buy enough then to
bccamG yhausted, instead Of pioughing deeper
or icrtilizins. moro land was cleared. and this
ToNercnI OF now land put INTO cotton tho
second year. For the past four or five years
the more Intelligent class of farmers have socn
that by this kind Of farming they were impoy-
Crushing their lands, and the factors and bank
crs. with their high rates of interest and the
merchants, with the enormous profits attending
u long credit system; were reaping ali the benz
rhtS OF their labor. The planter was kept poor
by the want of enough capital to run his farm
on u cash basis, and his farm was worked
X great and increasing disadvantages.
This has led TO buying smaller fnrms working
f"w"r acres on the large plantations. rotating
CROPS, ami resting ilp land. battpr and
deeper system of pouEhing. and to the use OF
home made manurcs and the best commercial
fertilizers for improving the soil, so ms to get
in many Instances, y bale Of cotton TO the acre.
when four years ago 1t took five or six acres 20
produce II hal e. and that Of poorer quality.
More corn and oats are being planted, forage Of
different kinds received and meat raised to
feed laborcrs and stock through the entire
year instead Of buying provisions. grain. and
nav in the spring. Corn sugar cane and cot
ton IRE we'll started in this section. and from
the large increased average OF cane il is evident
that King Cotton is not to rule so many sub
lrcts nor over so large extent of territory ms in
the past. though il is confidently expected that
his weight will not BIZ diminished.