The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-11-27
THURSDAY MORNING, NOVEMBER 27, 1884,
much more permanent. They are not so
easily carried out and applied to the
fields and they ara more troublesome to

much more permanent. They are not SC
easily carried out and applied to the
fields, and they are more troublesome to
make and preserve. This is one reason
why the phospbates are preferred. lp
the early history Of agriculture in South
Carolina no one thought of manuring his
land. This was too much trouble. The
farmers thought it better to clear new
land, wear it out. and move off to fresh
country. This vicious custom has cost
South Carolina millions of wealth and
thousands of her citizens. How great
would our State be to-day if she could re-
claim all her emigrant citizeus and the
wealth they carried of.
The spirit of emigration weakens also
the patriotism of the emigrant, and he
no longer loves, as he ought to, the home
of his birth, or the home Of his adoption.
But since the overthrow of Radical rule
in South Carolina, this spirit Of emigra.
ton has ceased, and every one thinks of
improving his lands instead of,:wearing
them out. In former times the ignorant
farmer never thought of preserving his
manures, and very often built his stables
and cow lots on the side of hill, 80 that
the rains and floods might keep them
clean. / have heard farmers say that
they never manured foot of land in
their lives. Now there ia scarcely a
farmer, no matter how ignorant he may
be, who does not try to manure as much
of his cultivated fields as possible.
In the early history of South Carolina,
the largest portion of the lands were in
woodsY and cattle we're permitted to range
over it at pleasure. The Legislature
passed laws requiring every one to fence
his fields, and declared how high law
full fence should be. But few years
since, the legislation was most wisely.
changed, and an act was passed requiring
every one to fence his stock, and author.
:iziDig the farmer to cultivate his fields
without :anyttence at all. Iiregard this
"no fence law" as the wisest Act the
Legislature has passed for years past.
The expense of fences in South Carolina
was FIVE times more than the whole live
stock of the State was worth. The wis
dom of. this Law, ,.in requiring all cattle to
be kept up, is seensall over the country,
in theimproYed breeds of cattle, hogs and
sheep. 1t is seen too in the increased and
improved quantity of butter brought to
market Instead of being engaged in
the latter part of the Winter and early in
7the4Spring, insmaking and repairing his
fences, the farmernow. has; ;timesto haul
e,it his mannres and, make IA thorough
preparation for his crop.
The first consideration ofieyery farmer
should be- to drain his low-e grounds thor.
ougly, and keep his uplands from wash
ing by deep ,ploughiDg, aud sowing them
in small grain and clover occasionally,
and hillside ditching if necessary. Deep
subsoiling will almost render the farmer
Independent of ordinary droughts. In
order to enable the roots of plants to
extract the fertility of the soil, it
should be well pulyerized, and no
clods left unbroken. When the ground
is we'll broken and pulverized and deeply
subsoiled, very shallow plowing after
wards is best for the crop. 1t is a mistake
to suppose that breaking roots improves
their growth. Aswell might We expect
to increase the volume of water in creek
by cutting off the spring branches which
feed it.
It is a great mistake to plant SO much
cotton as we do, and depend on the great
West for our corn, -four, bacon, lard,
horses and cattle. Itis doubtful whether
there is any profit in growing cotton un.
der ter cents. When the planter sells
his cotton and purchases his supplies lie
will very often find himself in debt. He
should make corn, wheat and meat
enough to do him, and raise his own
horses, mules and cows. Then he may
plant as much cotton as he can cultivate.
But there are great many crops more
profitable at this time than cotton.
/ think tobacco is one of them. So are
the grasses when we'll cured and fed to
the stock. They improve the land too,
and keep it from washing. Lucerne is
one of the fuest grasses the farmer can
grow, and it may he cut three or four
times during the season. It is very nu.
tritious, and stock are fond of it. green
or cured. General Dayie, whilst our
minister to France, said he saw the peas.
antry of that country eating it as green's.
1t requires less labor to grow wheat,
rye, oats, barley and the grasses. than it
does to grow cotton and this should be
an important consideration with the
farmer who has 10 hire bis labor. These
crops, too, are more proftable in proper
tion to the labor in raising them than
cotton. They also improve the land,
instead of wearing it out as cotton does.
For many years it was supposed that
the grape culture would never succeed in
the United States. In 1886 I visited Mr..
Edward Everett, then President of the,
Cambridge University. He had been
minister to Great Britain, and travelled
all over Europe. He said to me that We
never could succeed in cultivating the
grape, that there was something in our
climate which made our grapes inferior
to those of Europe. He remarked that
the Chinese who lived in the same lati-
tude that we do, on the other side of the
earth, and were very ingenious people,
never. had been able to make wine, and
we could not in the United States. But
within few years after this conversation
wine was successfully made in Ohio and
California. And it is now we'll known
that the grape grows remarkably we'll in
South Carolina, and that excellent wine
is made in many parts of the State. DR..
Marshall, in his lifetime, planted large
vineyard on the side of Paris Mountain,
in Greenville, and made several thousand
gallons of wine. Mr.. Buist and several
other gentlemen living near Greenville
City, have fourishing vineyards. MIR.
Charpani, Frenchmau, has recently
commenced vineyard on large scale,
and so far has been successful. He says
that our climate is better adapted to the
culture of the grape than France. Mr..
Garreaux, a Swiss, has sold grapes this
year and made wine on one and third
acres, to the amount of six or nine hun
dred dollars, aud I have seen it stated
that Mr.. Wanner. of Walhalla, has made
on one acre, grapes and wine to the
amount Of seven or eight hundred dollars.
o.. Al