The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-11-01
a NORTHERN vIEyy or uUgyDx.

= NNlC.!EisS flew OK GUyTDN.
Tho Atlanta Constitution has recently |
been urging the SOuLyr planters 10 |
shorten thoir cotton crops and 10 extend |
their corn, grain. garden and pasture |
acreage, i'll order to keep tho South's
money at homo tnd enable our people to
become independent and rich. This is
good advice, bu, it does not suit' Now
York and other Northern interests
Hence the Now York Evening Post writes
III editorial to brace up tho cotton plan
tors and help keep up large cotton
acreage, which means n'continuation OF
largo profits to the North AMI West out
Of Southern ioolishncss. Tho Post in tho
course of it's article elucln,cs It's position
on the matter thus:
What is curious about all this ~ u
piece Of advice coming from IL writer who
processes to understand business and al
dressed to business mon, Is that 1t con-
tains no calculation of what it costs tho
South to import its provisions, and no
comparison between tho Value of n crop
of corn and crap of cotton raised on tho
snmc acreage. Whether it pays II South
ern farmer bcttcr to grow cotton of
course depends partly on what lie has to
pay for his corn. and not, rs tho L1nsiitu-
tiUn seoms to think, wholly on what ho
gets for his cotton. Ii all acre OF cotton
brings SlO0 i'll Il ycnr Of moderate crops,
and the corn which would have grown
OH 1t can bo bought for $50, il would DO
folly to grow the corn, because i'll years
of large crops tho cotton only brings
$40 or $50. In other words, farmer has
to keep his accounts like other people IL
ho wishes IT, avoid bankruptcy or power
ty. He must grow what he gets most for,
untl hIy what hn ~ hliv fDr ltSS fhnl ho
could raise il for. And this calculation
OF the comparative merits OF cotton and
corn rs crop OF course cvory farmer can
and must make for himself, and probably
does make for himsolf, and acts Oh tho
result, even after making due allowance
for the influence Of habit in keeping men
i'll old rutS."
In this tho Post shows Il great luck OF
acquaintance with Southern agriculture,
There are vory few lands in the South
that will make two five hundred pound
bales OF cotton to tho ncre and 1t will
take this much or moro to realize the
800 per acre OF which tho Post speaks.
There arc not oven great many acres
which will produce ono 500 pound bale
to tho acre. The average yield of cotton
lands in this State and Georgia Is about
ono bnle to three acres, SO thnt cotton in
stead OF paying 800 per nero in n good
year, averages something like$l7 so that
II would take near six acres instead Of
ono to como up to tho Posts figures. If
man has land that will make over five
hundred pounds OF lint cotton to the
mere, it will certainly pny him to plant it
in cotton: The cost of cultivating nn
acre which will make two halos of cot
10. S{,>rv
tn mere winch makes one-third or bRie,
except for picking Tho trouble with tho
average cotton crop In tho South Is, that
1t costs very near all that it sells for to
make it and leaves worry little, In most
cases nothing, for tho profit OF the pro-
ducer. Tho gIcnter proportion OF tho
cost of production gocs out OF Tie state,
so that annually tho State Is drained of
millions of dollars which leavo iii never
to como back again. For instance, tho
nll cotton farmer has To huy his asrigul-
tural implements. They are principally
made out OF the State. He has to buy
his fertilizers. Much OF thom il alno
made outside Of tho State, and outsiders
own considerable proportion Of the stocks
of tho other companies, SO that the fertil-
iZsrs sold here nre source Of profit out
Of the State. He has to buy his meat,
flour, corn and other supplies, which
como from outside Of the State. Hence
the cotton planter, In large measure.
contributes TO the prosperity Of other
sections and retains but a small proper
tion OF tho income at home. On the
other hand, the man who plants corn,
oin pouafol>1aa nd SvGn
raises meats. stock and fruits, pays out
very little, and keeps tho most of that at
home. He buys his agricultural imple-
ments mostly from abrond. and uses
small amount. Of fertilizers, which out
siders get some benefits from. but the
balance Of expenses and profits are kept
at home. Experience teaches that the
Individual WHO raisus his own supplies
prospers most. Calculations may look
otherwise, but practice proves the fact.
The Post Is not correct in another particu-
lar. If the cotton crop from an acre Is
worth 500 and the corn crop from it only
$50, 1t does not prove that the cotton is
the most profitable crop TO tho grower,
for the expense Of production must bo
takon into account. The cotton farmer
would have to buy the corn and then pay
tho other expenses of producing tho cot
ton besides, until he reaches tho point Of
raising cotton only as surplus crop.
Thus, taking the proportion given by the
Post as approximate, the cotton farmer
would have to pay out his hundred dol
lars for corn, meat, -four, &c, to support
himself and his stock, and then he would
in addition have to pay for his fertilizers,
his labor and other expenses incident to
c,tton, so that by tho time he gets
through, his cotton money will be moro
than consumed. 1t may be said that the |
corn planter would be in the samo con-
dltion, but then no person urges an ex-
elusive corn culture. What tho South |
needs is for every man to make his bread
and meat at home; have plenty Of milk
and butter, raise vegetables. fruits and
poultry, and occasionally have colt AID
cattle to soil. Then after he has done
sy>,. <1o ,,,oeo coffou he rQu make tha