The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1885-12-24
QUESTIONS FOR FARMERS.
Some Inquiries Suggested by the Close of
3D.. the Year.
(IS07Lthsr,l GuLttn1for

.. the Year.
.. (iS0Utherp CuktiUator.)
Up to the present month the farmer
has been looking forward. The con-
summation Of his plans, the final out
come Of his labor and toll, in tho shape
of cotton bales and other crops, have
been the objective points before him.
Now, these cease to be matters of ex-
pection and become matters of fact.
We hope his expectations have not
been too large and his crops too small;
we trust that having sown wisely, he
has reaped bountiiully. But, however,
well he has done, he might have done
better; Turning has not reached per-
tection and a retrospect may be very
useful. Let us go back together and
review the years work. Looking at
it now In the light of results, was Your
years work well planned? In the
ilrst place was the work undertaken
proportionate to your means; did You
attempt TO do more than you could
well manage; did you attempt to do
more than you could well manage
did you have enough horsepower to
work to best advantage; did you make
all the substitution possible ofmachnes
and horsepower in place of more
costly human power; did you spread
out the manure You had over too
many acres; did You buy fertilizers
judiciously and economically did You
cultivate your land so as to save il
from washing, and is it in better coudi
tlon how than it was year ago; how
is the balance-shcct between cxpcnsc
and receipts?
Endcavor TO answer these questions
IN calm, candid spirit, LAYING aside
all concei' and pride of opinion. Do
not attribute to seasons what might
have been prevented by foresight and
energy ON your part. 1t is an old
tllck .; farmers to explain all failures
by laying them at the door Of bad
seasons. Difficulties occur in every
occupation; the successful man is he
who anticipates, provides for and over
comes them.
But to our questions. Was your
work we'll planned: did you have
fixed plans or did you just work along
as weather and circumstances suggest
ed! 10 illustrates: There are certain
Kinds OF work which can be done ON
wet days and when the ground is too
wet to. plow going TO mill, hauling
manure, gathering litter, hauling wood
making composts, etc. Did YOU
always look ahead and arrange, so
that any of these, which Of necessity
must be done, were done and out of
the way when the time for plowinp
came? When the period for planting
a crop drew nigh and preparation for
1t could not be deferred, did il fluid
you with composts in sacks or barrels
already hauled out and disdibutS1
conveniently about the fields 10 wnich
they were applied. or We're your teams
Slapped then TO do haEiling when every
animal should hTVe been hitchcd tn n
ploW! Had YOU studied out carefully
The best appliances and most cxpc-
dloS method of putting out composts.
and was everything ready to do the
work rapidly and well? If your land
was rolling and the rows had to be run
ON level, as they always should be,
had you established your lines of levels
or guides, or had the plownen some
times TO wait tor you to run one, and
II the hurry was very great, were the
rows run by guess and therefore i'm
perlectly: was the quantity of compost
[" be applied to an acre decided on.
ana were there ony arrangements TO
guage il? a most excellent plan is TO
make n memorandum in advance of
all work to be done, adding thereto
anything that may be suggested by
daily observation and cXpcricuce
Consider this list carefully and cstab-
lish the order in which the yarious
items arc to he executed, and rccasi
the memorandum accordingly. This
rccasting should be done several times
IN the course of u Year, as circum-
stances may unavoidablv Interfere and
ncccssitatc changes.
Was the work undertaken Dronor.
Tomato to your means; did YOU have
luhdS IN hand (wOrkimg capitaD sufli-
cicnt to pay for all the labor needed,
all the supplies, all the fertilizers, and
all the implements which could be
proiltably used, or did YOU have 10
place yourself at the mercy of mcr-
chants and dealers and obligatc YOUR
self to pay fifty to one hundred Der
cent. more for such things than thev
could be had for cash? DO You think
you can make such large percentages
ON money used in farming? 1t isl
doubtful If there has been an aycrauc
OF cl9ht per cent. made by farmers
dOrlng the last ten years. Scarcely
any legitimate business pays more than
that. If you did not have the nccc,sn.
ry working capital to cultivate az much
as You did, it would have been safer.
it would have been better to have
undertaken less. What profit and
pleasure is there in cultivating thirty
or forty or fifty more additional acres,
the whole yield Of which, and more
too, must go to Mr.. Merchant? As|
has been tcrsely and aplly said, YOU
simply make yourself the merchants
oVersccr over free Negroes, with
guarantee that they shall make him so
many bales of cotton. Had you not
better save Yourself the worry and
veXation of spirit; had you not better
let your land rest and recuperate? ri
money can be borrowed at seven per
cent, with reasonable prospect ofI
making ten per cent. on its use, one
might be justified in borrowing: but
how is it when money is borrowed at
fifty per cent, with very certain
prospect of not making more than
eight or ten per cent with it? Ia il
not passing strange that year after
year men will mako such va,,trroo .