The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1886-03-10

enteen years-he was strictly an all
cotton man. Last year he made ff-
teen bales to the plow, but failed to
pay out by two or three thousand dol
lars, and now offers his farm for sale.
1t is to be hoped that some one will
purchase WHO has better farming
sense to begin with.
Another neighbor tried cotton for
two years and declared that he got
nothing but the seed. He did most
Of the work and pulled through until
three or four years ago he
CHANGED THE SCHEDULE,
and began making his own supplies.
lie is now able to declare small divi-
dends every year. All that saved
him during the cotton mania was, he
run on cash, and, as he described it,
''cut close and squinched his thirst"
Another farmer in an adjoining coun-
ty mortgaged his farm to merchant
to get supplies, at Sc per acre. He
was also cotton man. In two years
he ate up the farm, besides all the
cotton he could make, and was bad
ly in debt besides. ] speak of these
things to show how foolish it is for
the farmer to continue the all-cotton
plan of farming-which makes the
credit system q necessity and then
leaves him at the mercy Of the mer-
chant, forgetting that there ''is policy
in war, but no friendship in trading"
No legitimate business known to
civilized man can live TO pay the
credit price for meat aid bread and
almost everything used upon farm.
Better rub OUT and begin new, and,
in case of death, will What we have
to the merchant, and recommend our
families to mercy. l.: fact, no man is
exactly free who either begs or buys
his bread. and when bought at credit
prices, he is a slave indeed. It is
not surprising that our Southern
farmers are slow to catch on to
THE CHANGED CONDITION OF LABOR.
The change was very great, but still
the negro as wage working people
is the best labor we can get. What
race Of white people would work for
thirty or forty cents day, peck of
meal and three pounds of meat a
week, and retire to his cabin at night,
happy and contented the year round.
If the farmers of Georgia would leave
the old rut this spring and plant
plenty Of everything which, can be
raised on the farm consumed by man
or beast, and then plant enough cot
ton to keep all hands employed when
not engaged with the provision crop;
and then resolve that, all, both white
and black, who are able to work,
must 60 at it and stick to it until the
crop is made and gathered, it would
almost raise Georgia farmers from q
dead level to living perpendicular
l believe the old adage is: "a wise
man sometimes changes his opinion,
a fool never 1t would appear that,
after
TWENTY YEARS SAD EXPERIENCE
in cotton, we might learn to be wise.
1t is confidently believed that cotton
is now below the cost Of production,
even for those who can run the farm for
cash, soil and labor. &C.. considered,
| mean now the all cotton men; and
for those who are trying on time
farewell. world. I did want to say a
few things on the subject Of
INTENSIVE FARMING,
and although my letter is long, will
risk one or two thoughts, and, to be-
gin, let me say that farmers are not
agreed upon this subject; for instance,
one of my neighbors prepared the
land and set out his potato slips; he
manured highly and got in the grass
generally, and when he went to work
out the patch the grass had such a
firm hold he found it impossible. He
quietly prepared another paCcn, pulleo
up the slips and transferred them to
patch No. ,. This he called inten-
sive farming. 1t is said that much
is the mother Of money, may it rot
be said that labor is the foundation
stone2, AS labor is now, this is a
rolling stone. the bed rock is not
steady nor reliable, hence the farmer
can hardly risk setting all his eggs
in one nest, but had better climb the
ladder q round at a time-begin
the intensive system on asmall scale,
and that for cash, depend more upon
his own muscles, wrestle on, toll on,
! and may hn after 1onr dark nioht