The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-01-13
Preponderance of Money Crops.

inatters.
Preponderance of Honey Crops.
Is 1t not true that under the prevailing farm
economy, we sell and buy too much? Are not
money crops pushed too fai /? We are thor
,anshly convinced that they are. We lay IL
that nothing. needed on the farm or by the
farmers family, should be purchased. when 1t
can be produced on the farm at anything ap.
proxima ting reasonable cost. Consider what
First, the az tual cost of production OF the ar
1icle: second, the profit OF the producer OF IT:
third, the profit of the commission merchant
who first handles it; fourth, the cost and pro-
tits Of draymen and railroads in transporting
it, and fifth, the profits of the commission
merchants who sells Ii. Surely, he must De
Mt all adapted to his soil and climate for less
than he can buy it, with such an accumulated
burden of profits laid upon It,: If he Is such a.
poor farmer, how can he possibly raise money
profits, as tO enable him to save or make mon
ey by buying these other articles after SO
many profits are taken out of them. Instead
of poor farmer, 1t Wonid Obviously take :. d thd
he done at ALL But the truth of the matter Is,
it cannot be done. Nine.tenths of Southern
farmers have tried to do it for the last twenty
years, and have signally failed. They have
sunk money in raising cotton to buy corn,
oats, hay, meat and mules. If twenty years
experience cannot open their eyes and satisfy
to do it? The force of habit was never more
forcibly illustrated; the rutS are so deep, II
looks rs If the wheels could not be turned
aside and pulled out Of them.
PanIes-Tigatness I'm Money Market.
Observe that the practice under discussion is
not one OF simple barter: cotton is not eX-
changed directly for meat or corn or hay; but
money interrenes cotton Is sold and SO are
the other articles, and then respectively
bought again. This opens wide the field to
speculation; panics and tightness in money
matters come I'm, sharpers perhaps flourish,
however, he raises his corn and other grain,
his forage. meat and mules, lie escapes the
lnalign influences of Wall street, with full
barns. what boots it to MIN If there Is "cor.
ner'' in grain or meat. he has none to buy. no
merchants bills for supplies to meet. Hels
freeman-what wealth he has, Is freedom from
cnre and anxiety, how sweetly he sleeps at
night and how sunshiny his face in the day
God pity the poor Israelite who has created a
famine on his farm, and has to go down to
Egypt to buy corn; bondage surely awaits
him.
Cost OF Proyislens-FaIse Reasoning
About
Says farmer, cannot raise bacon for six
or seven cents a pound the present market
price,; therefore it Is cheaper TO buy than to
on raising and fattening pigs. ON corn that
costs 50 much aud probably on the data as
suned, the cost of bacon may reach ten or
twelve cents per gound Gant that to to be ho So
the cotton money that he buys the Six cents
bacon with, costs him? Did you ever think
of that? If one buys horse for 500 and sells
him for fifty, the fifty dollars last in hands
costs him In reality one hundred dollars.
May not this be the case with his cotton mon
-ey? May not every dollar OF 1t cost him two
that in some cases It does; cases of bad man.
.agenent with poor crop years; in other in
stances the cost iS not so much, and 1t may
;grade up TO point where 1t Is less than the
money received from the crop, or where there
dis an actual profit Now If the six cents that
Sxill buy O pound Of bacon was procured real
~ at.a cost OF twelve cents, the apparently
cheap bacon may have been quite dear after
all. Where bacon is bought through mer
chant on time. all know 1t is very dear. The
same kind Of reasoning applies TO corn and
other provisions bought with cotton money.
Secret Of Cheap Food at the North.
But cannot pork and corn and other provs-
ions be raised on our farms very much cheap
cr than they usually are, or than we reckon
that they can I've, can we not raise them about
~ cheap as is done in the Northwest? We do
not include wheat, land rye perhaps), because
climate Is against us-but no good reason can
mules. horses. sheep and goats cannot be rails
ed just as cheaply on land of same quality
and age, at the South as they are at the North.
Northern farmers have TO contend with
AlTOASlG uUu StOll w. thCii
Are shorter than ours, and their corn Is liable
to be cut Off by frost: which ours Is not Their
land is no richer than ours-some of it is poor.
and Rofne Of 1t is rich; and that Is the case
with ours. No. the Northern farmer has no
natural advantages over the Southern for
raising cheap food. But from force Of climate
he has been driven to raising food crops-cot-
ton and sugar cane and rice will not grow
there-corn small grain and grasses are the
natural products OF his cold climate. He
raises his provisions at home, therefore, and
runs more economic schedule He is forced
to buy very little to carry Oh his farm. HIS
crops are such as require comparatively nttle
labor, and the absence of slaves and scarcity
<,f ta6orers compelled him to economiZe labor
fa every possible way. Horses and machines
were brought into requiSitiOn wherever it was
nraetisable. The character OF his crops Kept
Elis LANDS filled with humus, and less scourged
with the piow. These are the chief reasons OF
Ibis cheap corn and bacon, and II we will fore
40 our extra privilege OF raising cotton 10
some extent. and pursue his methods, we can
raise cheap corn aud meat as we'll as he.
HOW RsoyislOns May be Raised Cheap.
{y at the South.
The Ara4 stapfs to SOW large crops OF small
grain These call for Less outlay than any
crops grown on our farplS, and in proportion
to labor are the MOST remIperative: first In
in lifting land with .Aumus. and stopping
washes. Thousands of acres are now Guilt
waited In cotton which do not pay expenses
sown In grain they woulG pay alttie IN an
nual income. ard larger dividends In the re-
Gu oaration and improvement or the SOIL at-
te ,dant upon it. The next step is to confine
the cultivation of corn 10 bottom Lana, or IN