Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-11
aorirultural department..
Tur FIELD, FARM AND GARDEN.

THE FIELD, FARM AND "A ''D'
.o,;oit articles for this department
,-.,...oroa of the writer should accompany
49, 1ottaror article, not necessarily lor
~ -'hl;cstion. but as evidence OF good 'altn'
Cotton Profits and Diversified crops
c...or this year in Georgia, South Caro-
,;,o and Florida is good-that Is IL Is
.'aod article-but the price is low Farm,
So a.o osking themselves whether IL VIII
ehi,,hor and they are afraid TO hoio on
- because they are afraid that II u does
snanoa the increased price Will not De
aneicient to meet the expense OF hano'tus
a. And then there is the DANGER 'u"'
.;oos will fall instead of rising.
.nresent prices farmers can make no
anov ont Of cotton un.ess they pursue
holly different plan OF farming. Inc
a.ort crop has cost more than the ave-
rrioa 10 make it-that is the seasons
lTo beon such as to require more WORK.
Many will doubtless find themselves ho
riobor at the end of the year imam 'ney
,roro NJ the beginning, and VIII nave no
nord for the long year of hard labor,
anotber wear Of hard living and no plea
oo MANY are doubtless asking them
selves what profit is there IN growing
oot,or This question is quite ably an
waved nv louisiana farmer. He says
that the profit upon our labor Is growing
lass every year; hard times are weaving
ira chains more securely about US ana
-vo rnst be up and doing If we would
hroot them ere it be too late. Can we
brask them? Undoubtedly we can, seieiy
ord surelv: but to do this we must change
o,r system of farming. We must become
selfsupporting; at least, our farms must
he made to support US. 1t Is strange
anomaly. farmers purchasing food at the
stores-even butter. We are supposed TO
toed the world and it is strange how any
mart Of our agricultural people should be
consumers Of and not producers OF 1oou.
We ran produce in greatest abundance
orr meat and bread, and can live upon
he fat OF the land. Cotton is paying
crop at less than present price when IL Is
made only a surplus. Produce everything
we can use on the farm, and what surplus
land we NAV have put it into cotton tor
money crop. We are certain to succeed
then. we are certain of one thing at all
events-as good living as any people in
the country. Cotton as now managed
costs more to produce than it will sell for
and 1t is folly to continue system 80
ruinous. Itmakes us the most depend
ent people on earth, and as for debt
well, we will never get clear so long as
we adhere to it. ! do know that every
farm in the South can produce almost
everything that we need to live upon, and
it does seem folly to buy from the grocery
4 such things when we can produce raise
q on our farms. Suppose the cotton crop
n this year is larger than for any previous
"a year IN our history, what will the farmer
do? He cannot afford to sell his product
81 at loss. He has produced nothing ex-
cent cotton and depends upon fair prices
for it in order to live next year. Dissp-
pointed is this, lett without means of SUBJ
sIstence, with credit impaired, l cannot
think what will be the result. Many OF
US Will be found in this situation.
We must resolve at once TO abandon
/ this suicidal system and hereafter diver
sify our crops. With cribs filed with
i grain, our pastures with cattle, our yards
Fl with poultry, we have full guarantee of
4 plenty for the future regardless of mer-
chants, and If we have no ready cash we
can manage to get along very we'll with
out it until another cotton crop is bar
vested. 1t is so easy to do this it does
seem strange that people will not do it.
We exist on scanty allowance-that of
the toughest kind-aud what is worse
still, are living without hope.
This won't do; it must be stopped, and
while no club or organization of any kind
can be made effective, perhaps little in
diyldual resolution may accomplish some
thing.