Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-11-22
Leaving the Farm .


According to the statement of relis-
BILE gentleman in our hearing the other
day, one Of the hitherto thriitiest farming
counties in Georgia is in a high state of
agricultural decentralization. He named
some Of the best farmers in the county as
having abandoned the farm industry !;
moved to town and engaged in whatever
trade or livelihood seemed TO promise
living. The town fever became so cpl
demic in one neighborhood that its Thrift
ty church has been left without support.
Some OF the farmers named are known TO
the writer in person, and as we knew
them as progressive. intelligent workers,
the statement surprises us. Such men
would not abandon the farm except un >
der pressure that could not be lifted by
their eXertions. OF course they say sit
did not pay" and this must have been
true in their cases; but why did it fail to
pay? That farming pays somebody there
can be no question, since the entire wealth
and prosperity of the country grows out
of and depends upon 1t. 1t is folly TO say
that an industry does not pay from which
we see such prodigious results. The
fault must be either In those engaged in
the industry or in the status and man
agement Of trade. II a close-working,
economical farmer cannot make a profit,
then his trade surroundings must be very
defective and the financial affairs Of the
country sadly out Of joint.
Our boards Of trade should make strict
inquiry into this tendency TO desert the
fields and consider whether there are not
industrial crises whom it is as necessary
to reduce the profits OF mlddlemen as to
take security upon investments. TO ig-
more or neglect evils working at the base
and slowly undermining our general pros
perlty ia 10 have our individual house sud-
denly tumble down. Expected crises sell
dom come, perhaps, because everybody is
looking for aud guarding against them. It
is the unexpected that comes as a thief
in the night, from a slow combination of
evils we probably thought too insignih-
cant 10 materially affect ourinterests.
If agriculture Is at 30 low an ebb in the
wealthy county we have alluded to, what
reason have we to think IL better in other
countiesg How Is II In our own vicini
ty? What Is the promise for the future?
Newspapers are sangulne and generally
report the bright side, hoping the dark is
not as bad as some persons represent 10 TO
be, but there is = dark side all the same,
and we are obliged 10 face IL In some
form, and the sooner we lay hold upon the
evils the sooner we shall be able 10 dis
pose Of them. The people have been vast
ly encouraged 20 SOW, reap and manufac-
ture until they have filed the country
with produce. For awhile II paid good
prohtin money, but now 1t has dwlndled
down 10 the prices OF overst0cked mar
kets, and as our farmers look for profits in
cash rather than farm and stock linz
proyements, many Of them are out Ut en-
ployment. Much Of IL comes Of their too
great desire TO grow rich, and the small
interest they take in establishing perma-
nent homes, which should engross the ir
attention when crops do not pay In the
market; but they cannot be persuaded 10
act differently while the country IL IN
transition from overgrown speculation 70
settled habit, population and industry,
and so, we must endeayor TO provide tenn
porary relief by skillful management OF
the finances and by such encourage
ment as may be improvlsed through a
liberal trade policy. All trades and pro-
iessions are infested IA the prosperity Of
the farmers. and there should be general
concessions for IA cir relief in times Of UNI
usual stringenoy.