Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-12-28
Reasons for Leaving the Farm

AoA Leaving the IS arm.
EG1tor Morning NeaCs: l noticed
an article in the NEW sof Nov. Is, head
Ell Leaving the Farm l am over so
years old, and have followed farming most
Oh my life: consequently l have had a
large experience on the farm. There are
many reasons why farmers are anxious
IIoI, leave the farm and try other pursuits.
Ane mosL urgent reason is that at the
present returns on old land it does not
paw Inc land in old farming districts is
worn out. And, under the present
system and management of farming, the
lahd gets poorer each year, instead OF bet.
Ter. w ben the land was new and fresh
the farmer could put in his seed almost
any way and secure fair crop. The land
COST put little, and often the first crop paid
lor land ana clearing. And in a few
years the farmer found his land had risen
IN value so that with his improvement he
was considered independent, although
not one IN nifty owned a bank account.
ms wants were few and easily satisfied.
nut the next generation finds a different
state of affairs. Although son NAV IN
merit good farm and plenty OF capital to
work bisland, he finds it will not produce
as IL mad done. 1t requires more outlay
TO carry on his farming, and still the re-
Iall Oitener, and some unlocked for event
turns up, and at his yearly settlement he
nnds ne has run behind his accou nts, and
ne must borrow money to pay up his over
due bills. The economy of farming he
mas never learned, and, consequently, he
does not know how to remedy the trouble.
ana ne keeps on in his old way of farming
ana trying, by entertainments and pinch
ing, to make ends meet. After few years
OF lnetlectual attempts to get along he is
compelled to give it up and leave the
farm and try some other occupation. In
other instances health may be the cause.
bis constitution may not be strong
enough to stand the labor. To be a sue
cesstul farmer Itrequires more hours of
| close application to business than does
most any other occupation. A farmer
rises earlier and works later than any
other Iaborer, and his success depends
/ upon his close and steady application to
! business. A farmer gets less paw for
work actually performed than any other
labOrer. Take the clerk in the
different departments, and he works from
a. m. to p. m. The farmer works from
sun to sun and does from four to six hours
more work 10 the twenty-four than the
clerk, and gets but half the pay a clerk
gets in most departments, and the clerk is
able to dress better and has more of what
be calls the pleasures of life than
the hard worked farmer boy. AL
most all farmers raise their
sons and daughters to know
how to work. This is right and proper.
But here, as a general thing, the Obliga-
ton of most farmers to their children
cease. With common school education,
ard at maturity few acres OF land or a
few hundred dollars in money, and oftener
nothing. the children start out in life tor
| themselves, prepared and fitted for moth
| ing. They become common Iaborers,
nothing more. They have been worked
hard from infancy, and are worn out at
the commencement of life for themselves.
They have lived life that has had but
| few attractions and comforts, and are de-
/ sirous OF finding some other occupation
than the farm. That is why many youn &
men that were raised on the farm are so
| ready to leave it for other occupa-
tions. With different management
and better surroundings the young
farmer would learn to love
the life of farmer. With better farming
and less land, and with time for study and
recreation, farmers sons and daughters
would be more contented. But the farmer
says he cannot afford the time and ex-
pense, for it takes all his time and savings
TO pay his debts and taxes, and in many
| instances it is so. And in other cases the
! farmer commences life poor and has
learned or got into the habit OF saving and
| boarding up until he feels it waste 10
afford the family any comforts and luxu-
ries. He has no carriage to 90 to church
/ in, no carpets for the floor, no pleasant
/ and comfortable furniture, no books, pic
! lures or papers. and nothing with which
/ to make home pleasant and comfortable
1 and attractive. The coarsest food is
| placed upon his table. Amy de-
! parture from this rule would
| be considered a waste. Who can
| blame the young folks for wanting TO get
away from such place, and again, there
| is not one farmers son in five hundred
who gets a college education. The farmer
cannot afford it, or at least he thinks he
can't and probably in most instances he
cannot. How is this evil to be remedied
1 Let the State authorities take the matter in
/ hand and make reform in our agriculture
| al laws and establish an agricultural bu-
reau, erect suitable buildings tor schools
| and enact laws to raise funds to establish
/ schools and COMPEL the attendance OF a
/ certain number of scholars ia each coun-
/ ty and start farming on paying basis,
1 for IL knowledge is needed anywhere 1t is
on the farm.
Farming as at present managed by a
majority of the farmers pays but poorly.
| We must raise more grass and
keep more stock. The old sys-
| TEN of starving our land, must
cease, or sooner or later there viii be a
| famine in the land. The Northern States
I have made grain leading crop, and this
has been raised year after year on the
same ground and sold off from the farm,
and the soil robbed of all its virtue. In
the Southern States cotton is the princi-
ME crop, and like the farmer Ofthe North
ern States, has impoverished ais soil by
constant cropping system. Before the
war large plantations were owned by in
dividuals, and cropped to cotton until the
soil was nearly exhausted, and In some
sections thrown out to the commons.
Now this land In the best portions Is till
ed bv free negroes, and in some instances
quite successfully, but in most instances II
hardly paws expenses. These lands may
be redeemed, and II small areas are taken
and fortified and sOwn 20 grass and
then stocked with cattle and sheep and
All the produce fed out on the ground TO
produce manure for fertilizing, and beer,
! pork and mutton for profit, in atew years
we would see a prosperous ana n0urlsh-
ing country where scarcely anything -
nroduced az present. But to do this We
| must first have capital and that capital
must be furnished by the different coun-
ties. the State making such regulations
and laws. as are needed and such
appropriations as are necessary. The
| counties and state would be the gamers
| In the end. FLORIDA FARMER