Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-14

have generously rendered to us their advice,
I splced at times with rebuke, and, in all this
multitude OF counsel, l repeat, we-are in
measure at sea.
| Coming, as the gentlemen of this conven-
/ ton do, from all parts of the state,
/ representing the farmers of ali
/ classes and the varied products Of this sec
/ ton, why not settle this question, as far as
may be, by an interchange of views upon the
! main elements of proper farm economy, that
/ we may 90 out from this deliberatiOn with
{ an agreed policy that shall revOlutionize our
systems and make prosperous our enterprise?
1 NIth the view, then. to induce by an inter
I change of opinion, a settled policy as to the
/ main demands of our business, shall address
/ you IN plain waV upon general farm man
! agement.
Probably the most serious financial result
| OF the war was the freeing OF the slaves, not
so much in the loss of the money value OF the
| property destroyed as the damage to the gen
eral farming interests of the south. dare
| say no civilized people ever before had their
I industries so thoroughly paralyzed. The Ia
I Dor upon our farms was not only set at llDer-
I tv. but actually made hostile to our interests
Our whole system was uptHrned and thor
| Oughly dlsordered. We presented to the
[ world strange spectacle-attempting
/ to make crops and manage our farms
! with labor actually and avOwedly
/ inimical to all our efforts at success. These
J burdens, in a measure, are still upon US, and
Z our policy, since the war, has not been so
Z much such As was suggested by an intelligent
! understanding Of the situation and the results
1 TO be desired, as by the demands of those
! whom we had entrusted to do our farm SER
vice. Capital has been largely controlled by
\ ignorant labor, and it has been no easy matter
I TO operate policy that would insure success
4 under such remarkable circumstances.
know that distinguished gentlemen of this
! convention do not indOrse the views l hold
/ upon the special point upon which l now ad-
/ dSess you; but my convictions are strong.
! They are entertained, trust without preju-
4 dice, and after close observation. Coming as
do, fresh from the fields and the constant
| study Of the question, do not hesitate to say
! that we VIII ran IN she future, as we have
! failed IN the past, if we continue our present
} labor under our present system.
! Is it not true that we have yielded largely
! to the demands Of our labor to the terms
and methods OF the service to be
| rendered. Our plans OF cropping and
I tenants have been determined, and their
( privileges and eXtent-nOt by the masters, but
Z by the servants themselves. If freedmen
/ were intelligent, manlfestng any good degree
I Of thrift, this policy might succeed. But how
J entirely to the cOntrary-utterly without
{ Judgment, hOpelessly ignorant because of
\ their duh stupidity, perfectly unreliable and
untrustworthy, feeling no concern whatever
/ rs to whether they accumulate for themselves,
ana less interest, II possible in the success of
/ the laudlOrd-perfectly willing to sit down
and see the world go to decay. Tell me how
/ can such people left to themselves, ever bene-
tit the public veal or add to the respecta-
bility, the influence and the power of the COM
/ monwealth. Policy of all kinds-political,
/ social and agTIcultUral-has demanded indul-
/ Sence until the government is threatened
society Is shocked and agriculture paralvZed !
/ In all these matters 10 is time we had called a
/ halt but now we desire to determine only
I such questions As bear upon the interests of
our farms and the growth of our bust !
/ ness. Without stopping to characterize
further what is patent upon almost
I every farm. let us counsel rather
rs TO the remedy. However much we might
desire the exchange of our labor for foreign
er5. the change in general way cannot be /
economically effected in a generation, and the /
discussion of this question AT this time would |
I not help our present necessities. We are just |
now concerned with no question Of greater .
Importance than the improvement Of our pre- |
sent labor.
Our troubles Will be greatly relieved by a |
degree of self-asSertiOn on the part of farm
ers. We must learn TO be the masters of our |
own matters. Landlords must be Just in their /
demands, liberal in their prices, honest in |
their transactions. prompt in their payments I
ana then lnieXlbie IN their eXactOns as to 1
the character ana amount OF service they re- I
celve. We must give good pay, demand /
good work and receive nothing less, To do /
Z this there must be cooperation among farm |
ers. Labor must NOS be demOraliZed bv /
/ promised indulgence inconsistent with whole /
/ some farm discipline, contracts must be en- /
! forced, penal statutes enacted for viola /
7 lions OF agreements, and positive obedi- /
! cnce demanded for the authority of /
the arm. Public sentiment on all these dues-
lions must be made so positive that no citizen |
viii dare q violation without the severest
punishment, at least, in his classification. If \
we succeed we must control our business No
merchant ever hires his clerks to sell goods
except under ms directions. No iudiciOus
President OF bank ever gives out his capital
to his subOrdinates to be distributed as they
may see proper No thoughtful President Of
railroad ever turns over his trains to con-
ductor5 to be run upon the road of his COM
pany at viii. It IS equally fact that no sue
cessfui farmer ever gives up his farm and his
opinions TO be controlled by ignorant freed
men. Successful farming requires close
study, prudent foresight, close application, I
excellent judgment and discretion. These
elements the landlord must furnish, as neither
one OF them can tie supplied by our present
labor
cording to its worth, and charged with all its !
DEFICIENCIES. In other words, our farm /
contracts must be brought down |
to strict business principles, and |
our labor must be held uniformly upon the
bit as long as the interests of the farm de-
mand 1t. As the labOrer becomes worthless
he must be so branded and held by the COM
munlty OF farmers, and he must pay, himself,
the penalty of his laziness. The most expen-
sive of all labor. at whatever price, are the
slothful and idle. If left to suffer without
their applications for service, the country VIII
soon be relieved of much Of the burden of its
poverty. The man who Is paid to do the
work and neglects it, should refund not only
the amount he has received. bat he should
make good the damage he has OccasiOned.
The betrayal oil trusts, the pcrversIOn of the
truth, the unnecessary loss of time, slothful
methods, careless inattentiOn and Wasteful
abuse, all bring to the farmer loss of temper
loss of time and loss of money. These dam
ages should be borne by the servant who in
nicts them. Farm discipline must be kind and
COnslQefAle, Out POSITIVE ana lnuGNlDIG.
Probably the next great hindrance to
our success has been the indis-
criminate use of commercial fertilizers.
BY indiscriminate use l mean first tine an
plicatIon Of fertilizers to crops and soils with
out any knowledge, either actual or init
mated, as to their adaptation. Farmers have
spent their money for ammonia, and thrown
away upon their farms more than they
brought. We have m0rtgaged our crops be-
fore they were planted for phosphOric acid
and potash 70 be put upon our lands when
we could at less expense control suficiencV
for all our necessities. After all this outlay
we have wasted enough Of both these ele-
ments-in fowl house manure, stable manure,
cotton seed and wood ashes-to pay twice
over the amount we purchased.
/ am not prepared to advise the rejection Of
all commercial fertilizers, although many !
gentlemen of this convention are making fine
successes without them. Properly combined
with the heavier manures on the farm, have
found acid phosphate profitable and ecOnOmi-
cal AmmOniatod manures our farmers never
have need to buy. Again, aside from the
damage we have received in this way, COM
mercial manUres have induced the neglect
of the more bulky manures of the farm.
GuanOs are so much more easily handled, es-
pecially over our large farms. that we have
doubtless made a mistake IN suppOsng that
we could throw away the bulk and afford TO
buy the concentration. As to the value Of
barn yard manure, am aware tn re is diver
sity of opinion. 1t would be well if actual
experiment, carefully and frequently re-
peated, should put to rest so important mat
ter. our prominent farmers IN the state of
New York prOnOunces barn yard manure
worthless waste, and refuses to draw it upon
his fields. Another, equally distinguished,
comparing the manure made by his cows to
standard fertilizers, holds it to be worth $24
per ton, and he could not be induced to deny
it to his lands at that price. My own eXpe-
riencc indOrses rather the latter valuation.
Properly cared for and carefully saved.it will
keep at home thousands of dollars uselessly
expended and make permanently rich the
soils 20 which il is regularly applied.
With us, however, the question of fer
tiliZatiOn is to be largely met in the
use of cotton seed. not rotted and cOmpOsted.
as we have heretofore practiced but decOsti-
Gated upon the farms or supplied in meal by
the mills. Chemical analysis, supported by
actual experiment has declared them to be
the cheapest and best manure apply
20 our crops. Being suddenly thrust INTO
prominence for purposes other than manure,
capitalists are laying hasty hands upon cotton
seed for profit In them the farmers of the
South have a profitable crop, and it remains
TO be seen whether they will be utilized TO
advantage or allowed to be manipulated by
others without proper remuneration. Farm
ers are too much inclined to dispose Of their
products at prices stipulated by purchasers,
regardless of the cost Of production or intrinsic
value. Parties who buy our seed should be
made TO pay not only what she seed are worth
to the farm. but additionally what they are
worth to the manufacturer, otherwise the
farmer has urOfif has simnlV