The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-06-03
Labor-Snvins Appliances.
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A northern FARMER. travelling through INC onntD, IS
struck with the lahur-saring appliances used In the
Southern agriculture. In many localities the most
primitive implements are used. This must be changed
before Southern agriculture cnn BE- truly rrosI crous
but in the way Ut tho change there ure several Obsla-
clrS:
First the character of the Southern lahorcr.
Farm lal,nrrrs are mostly negroes. A ',lon't care
spirit - characteristic 81 the negro. lie of nil men
c~"rlsilrIs that sufficient unto the day Is the evil there.
o. md IL Is rare that he can he accused OF borrowing
financial trouble. II his imrrwtIate needs Ate salts
fled his futnr. has no concern for him. This Is nm
duubtrdly partly or wholly the result OF slavery. The
Tho slave was blissfulIy tree from responsibility. lilo
had no care fr tho morrow. lie worked, rs a ma
chine works, for his muster and his master took care
OF him. ] am inclined to think that, willis this dcvel.
oprI the don't care spirit in the da. key, 1t only dcvel.
ourl II. and that II Is inherent In his nature. Amy.
how, 1t has stuck to him., and to-day. he Is so careless
and reckless, that u trls. the operation OF lie intri-
cate machines used upon Northern farms into 1it
hind, would he to court disaster, AMI the immediate
lite of the machine could be certainly fOrstold. The
darkry is also ignorant rs well NJ c'rr'rsS, and while
gifted with q 'arsc amount of that lower natural In
~trligrncr rst above %inst'nct, his mind falls to yr"sp
unv conceptions OF Tho principles Of mechanics; II nc
were careful enough to uInratc q machine, nc WOMB
have tn b. taught every point; he could not reason
ont for hilrsclf the use Of that part or Tits, or thu
principles upon which II worked, and should anything
80 wrong he would be altogether helpless. ta ICY
half nf the Southern nCgr0s opera In. q sell binder
with five horses attached, or even getting u chcck.ro"
corn planter to working perfectly!
Herein the North has always had the advantage o
the South. Its common labor has been careful and IN
trlfiscnt. We have no better eInss Of young mef
than our farm hands. A maturity Of them are the
sons If we'll .tn.do or wealthy iariIIers, gifted Will
good natural faclltirs, given ut least a tfor"nsh com
mon school cducation, aud often nm academic or col
lr.i,tr training, earliest with al object in HE, and o
good moral character. Such men can Set up and oper
ate TIE u,nst intricate aud delicrte piece of nsricul
tlral machinery We have They drive three and fo',
horses to n riding snlky plpw, ,pnly"rlze the grnunt
--.i- -.-... k,l, -. 80 rtnt ltSn huK rntp Nll tvnfl
the corn with riding cuItivItors, cut tho small grair
| with the sell. binder, and turn engineer and %lnacbines
to thresh the grain with u steam threshrr.
The common labor Of the Sunth Is unequal TO TINS
and | am afraid that labOr-snving appliances Will make
but little progress upon Southern farms until That ~
! Dor Is changed In character or else replaced with TIM
| of n better quality. This will require years. Al
ready labnr.saring machinery Is being used to- con
siderable extent IN some !o:ahtics, Dat 1t nus u con
tenl with this obstacle.
Another reason why there Is not more such ma
chlnrry used is, that 1t has not existed, md even nov
machines adapted to Southern crops arc not 50 lsr az
vanccd Is those adapted to Northern crops: Inn
arises frnin the fact that there was no demand ir !
during the days of slavery. The planter had an album
dance of cheap labor and did not feel The need OF Ia
bor.saylng machinery: and, though he might nav
felt its Instability, he was confronted by the nnsmita
Bile character of he labUrers Mt his cnmnniil. Ihu
there was no demand in the South, and, thcretnre, N
supply. Inventors may he %geniuscs, but they mr.
mortal and louk at the m 'ncy side Of the qu<st'on; o.
4 II IHGS SuDuIuH Ul, tutH CHt WIZ hNSN - P
ment, for capitalists do nut cnGI Se IN enterprises tha
promise M return.
The person who has made q study of a%gricultur
tn, best, undeI stands what influence labor-saving np
nlianccs have u,on Il; le will understand why III,
lack Of machinery in Southern fields was ami Is n scri
Gus drawback to prosperity, and why the intrNiu:ti"1
of machinery is u hopeful sign. AS long on the negr
blows with an cight.iuch plvw and one mule, he can
turns four acres per day with a suIky plow. Az lon'
Is q heavy hoe IN the South compete with n two hoIs
cultivat"r In the North, the grcater PROSPERITY VIII D
In the lnttrr section.
more attention to this than what they da, and sh"uI
devote more space to showing The advantages u 10
bor-saving machinery. First there Is the time gaine'
and the labor saved. If q man can pillow four acre
prr d ~ with q suiky plUw, while q man with an elSh:
Inch plow can plOw only one acre. II Is plain that J
! the blowing OF four acres the labor OF three men !
saved. The labor sayed by Improved machines 10
seeding, cultivating and harvesting crops Is YET great
or. II Is this saving Of labor that makes Nil the prom
OF Northern farming; take It AWAY, and the farme
would be reduced to bankruptcy :,
But there is q far greater benefit derived from tb
rise OF improved implements and macllines-lhe Del
Ter quality of the work done. The walking llnw
used IN The Norll, do much batter work than thns
used in the south yet the Hi"st progressive OF u
, Northern farmers are discarding walking plows 70
sulky plows, because the luttcr do better Work. IN
rollers. seclrrs and planters, Cultivatprs md harvest
ers-tlry all admit of better work being done tina
can be done witl,uut them, and for this reason wOul
be used. although their use would not save labor.
Thus lah0r-.aving machinery insurrs u better agri
cnlturc-the srcl.brd better prepared, the Seed bette
planted. the plant better cultivated, and the crap bel
ter harvested. l have frequently heard Norlher
men say they did not wonder that our land was I'M
pnrerished when they saw the way IT. was cultivate,
with implements " It'll which 1t was impossible to d
Grst-class work.
Let the southern planter be so fully convinced
his need Of better implements that he viii deinGn
.t-.z al t.t..a nrtn nv rp.rh 90 1napt q Med I
Southern crops will be forthcoming. Our America
inventive genius will be equal to the emergency, OIL
the supply will DO given WHEN the demand Is inad'
The south Is DUNG some good inrentinx now, and CT
already beast uf spiIe crcditahlc machines. But n
the manufacturers Of improved machinery about hi
trade, aud he will tell you that he finds trnde slow III
suIes hard to make IN the south. Onr Sohtller
farmers do not appreciate the gain they mignt max
and then there Is the negro In the way.
believe that the negro can BE- made a better lahore
tbnn what he Is. He has already got 0vor his mtgrnl
DRY disposition exhibited Immediately after the Wa
and Is now n much more rclin!'lc farm labhrrr. lie
vet ignorant and careless: but he cnn he educated
II. Is not such q rnol that he cannot learn; and | Al
Inclined to think that not only the Industrial prosper
IS, but the social and political safety Of the south ds
Ia.nd upon M increased intelligence ntnon. the black
IF the South secures education Tor her ignnrant pee
pie, she will have bnilGcl better than she knew
Make the negro 4 little more intelligent, 81 that he ca
manage some simple machine, and by putting him !
charge Of It you will SO tickle his vanity that he wi
be careful 0f IT. a negro on n snlHy pow leeis VT
Important and takes better care OF 1t than he does
his mule and risht.inch walking pillow.
Again. Southern planters can rest assured TINT tn
Introduction Of labor saving machinery will DO follow
ed BY q better clnss Of lalnrers. 1t will Sd elcvaI
the standard Of agriculture that intelligent farm lab"l
es ran be bad. The worse class con be dispense
with, for the less lal b"rcrs will be required
recognize the difiiulties IN the way Of the nn'vcl
sal Use ur labur.snviny machinery In the South but
also know how important this matter Is and how nnc
depends upon 1t, and l nm snre no effort should b
spared to put the sulky pillow aud improved clltivs
tin. and harvesting implements and machines In eY
cry Southern field.