The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-17
The Cotton Planters Crisis.

Southern agriculture seems to have rcacned
a turning point. In the face OF the fact that
the average cost of growing pound OF cotton
is not less than eight cents, the farmer has
been compelled by his necessities to sell II Tor
eight cents or little more. OF course there IS
| no common sense, hut q great deal OF com
mon folly in such farming. To borrow COM
mercial slang, The low price Of cotton has
"knOcked the bottom out Of cotton planting
! as Il business.
We do not wish to be understood as init
mating that cotton cannot be prohtably pro.
duced at y to 10 cents per pound. Not anew ol
our best farmers have made money growing
do believe that the farmers of the south, as 4
class, are actually losing money at the buSl'
ness. The losses Of thc many, wh0purSue the
! plan Of buying articles of prime necessity
which they can and should produce ~ nome,
greatly 0ver-balance the gains Of the few who
! follow different and wiser methods.
<, The taX-digestS, 1t is true. show an annual
increase in the value Of taxable property: but
| 1t is by no means clear that the Increase Is
| due TO the profits nIadc-by the 1armer-ln
| igrOWinS cotton.
It has been common to magnify cotton as
| King It is claimed us point OF merit thai
| it always commands the cash any ana every
where: that the world needs all we can make
and must have it: that it furnishes the basis
| of our foreign credit, and other sovereign ~
tributes. Granting all these, what are It's
man or beast; very little OF it suliccs to clothe
he people who produce it; the producer can
not control the price, but is compelled TO take
what he is offered for it; nor can he trans
| form it into q different and more profitable
product Compared, in these respects. with
| most Of the crops grown on the farm, cotton
makes Il lame showing. Corn, small grain
hay. potatoes, fruits and Vegetables. cue.
serve as food for the farmer and his animals
| If tie can't always sell his supplies at q prohl
or cost, he and lis family and his stock call
consume it with a good appetite.
If corn is plentiful and cheap, he may fat,
! p,,I call Inc
| oats are a drug in the market he can fepd
them to his cattle, poultry, sheep, etc, and
sell In the form Of beef, butter, chickens ana
| eggs, mutton and wool. The same may BIZ
said Of all other provision crops; they are
easily convertible into other forms which
may command reader sale at more reInunera'
tive prices. Moreover. it is true that the
higher the form into which Il farmer converts
the raw material from his fields, the greater
will be the value of the product and the pro,
tits of his business. OF course we do not
mean that a farmer should engage in manu-
| fncturing the raw material. He should con-
fine himself TO converting one form OF value
| into another by skillful breeding and feeding
and to saving and applying all waste products
| in the form of manure.
| The field of discussion into which we are
drifting is too big for present exploration
What we might say at great length may be
summed up In one sentence: The FARMER
business should he TO make his firin0 on h1s
farm. The essential idea of farming Is thnt
stantials- that may be required ut home, and
also those things which minister to comfort
and luxury, 80 far as they may be PRODUCED
at reasonable expense OF labor and care. The
false idea, the great error of the Southern far'
mer is that the business of the farmer is tC
produce some leading money crop as the
main object, all other crops being only subsi'
diary to the one money crop necessary evils
or drawbacks. This error has taken such
deep hold on the minds of the majority OF
Southern farmers that it seems to have been
born in them; in fact. 1t is lnrSely an inheri
tance. Merchants, mechanics, and proies
sional men strive by their brains and by thell
arts to gain money with which to buy the
com forts and necessarieS, and. as they may DC
able the luXurieS of life. The farmer need
take no such roundabout methods to secure q
supply Of the ncceSsaricS and comforts and
many of the luXurieS He may go, and by all
means ought to 20, direct 10 the first source
mother earth.
For twenty years past we have been follow
ing our iynis fuf,tnS, the hone OF gcttlnS rfcil
by ottol-p!anting. Indeed. for the last ten
wears many farmers haye been & I'D to make
both ends meet, and have de<paircd OF attain
ing a competence. Something must be done
The present state OF things cannOt always
continue. AS q remedy or escape. from the
evils of the day we do not presume to offer Il
spccific Every farmer knows what We have
written is true. Glad we are that many nl
them have cast otf their slnvish allegiance TO
cutLon and have commenced farming IN lis
true and original sense making corn. oats
wheat, bacon and lard. fruits, vegetables,
milk md butter, etc. man who makes
plenty OF all these will be independent-nC
others will,