The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-07-19
VOLUME XIX. mo. il.
Diversified Farming.
Correspondence ef ne aaNen Piant.

Correqseaicnce ef tAe G't.en Eiant.
] do not know that I can better COM
ply with your request to write something
for your forthcoming agricultural paper
than by submitting few observations
upon the subject of diversified farming.
The road to fortune between the plough
handles, under the most favorable cir.
cumstances, is not easy. but when wisely
followed il is the most certain, most
satisfying aud enduring. There can be
no question, it is the most independent
and healthful Of all avocations, and one
presenting as wide field for progressive
improvement as any other. But to ac.
complish the most satisfactory and best
results require study, observation,
patience, trugality aud industry. Too
mary men become Impatient, discouraged
and quit the field if their most sanguine
anticipations arc not realized, aud
pocket full of cash is not enjoyed after
one or two or three years effort. A visit
to those sections of the country where
farming lands command the highest
prices and where consequently farmers
are the richest, will disclose the fact that
they have become rich not so much from
the money they have realized from their
falE,s in cash, as from the enhanced
man buys hundred acres of land at
ten years, improving and enriching it
every year, and at the end Of Ten yssrs
it is worth sou per acre or $4,000 instead
of $1,000. This is very large interest
on 81 900, and yet believe it can be
made on the average run of land in
South Carolina, and the man support his
family comfortably in the meantime. 1t
has been done and can be done again,
but not by planting corn and cotton only.
The farmer must make his food supply
at home-his bread, his meat, his ma
nure in large measure, his fruit, his
vegetables-in fact everything that
enters into the household economies,
except perhaps his groceries. But to do
this he must diversity his crops. He
must plant wheat and corn and oats and
peas and potatoes, and sorghum cane and
fruit and vegetables in sufficient quanti-
ties to sustain himself and family, and
only cotton enough for his market crop.
These diversified crops will of themselves
improve the fertility of his land, and
when he applies manure to each crop
and cultivates judicious by the ratioofim-
provement will be surprising. Twill not
say he can plant all of these crops
adyantageously for market, but be can
make enough for his own use SO TINT his
cotton crop will be clear surplus.
Many, however, contend that it is moro
profitable to confine farming operations
exclusively to provision crops and eschew
cotton altogether. am not prepared to
go that far. Certain localities conven-
tent to ready markets for perishable;
farm products might prosper by such
system, but for the average farmer 10 the
cotton belt, cotton is the best market
crop in the world. It is imperishahle
except by fire, it is always as saleable as
a United States bond, lis easily handled
and always in demand. And it is these
attributes that carry people away and
make them plant too much. If our
farmers would only diversity their crops:
live at home, economi2e, and make cotton
their surplus market crop, we would be
! ibs richega, tnest pEnapsFnus psbpis in
the world. ] know how much easier it
is to preach this doctrine than to prac-
tice 1t. violate it every year, but this
does not make 1t any the less true, and
am persuaded our farmers are every year
becoming more and more alive to the
advantages of diversified aud Intensified
farming. ~: ..s 2.s.
Very truly yours VI &C..
Edgefeld, s. g., june 6, ]. $50.