The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-04-11
How to Make Farming Pay.

like 1t
How to Make Farming Pay.
SrARrANBURa, S. c., March 3l.-
Capt. A. Copeland is:a farmer who has
worked his way up from the plough han
dies to the management of several hun.
dred acres of land. He was one of the
aForty miners" of California and brought
back valuable experience as we'll as some
gold. He then settled down to farming
again, and has occasionally added mer.
chandiziDg to his farm work. He is q
close observer and has read agricultural
papers and magazines and added the
teachings of others to his own expert
ence. In an answer to the question as to
bis system, he said:
IT rent my lands. The reason for this
is that families can utilize the labor of
their children, which would be impracti.
cable in the wage system"
"How can farming..be made to pay ?"
.sBy working si,; days in the week,
drinking no whiskey, chewing no tobacco
and making all the domestic manures
possible. But you must not spend loo
much time in making these home made
msnures, Use commercial fertilizers to
finish out. All lands should have some
help. The reason that farming does not
pay is that farmers do not work six days
in the week, ard much they do is lost
for want of judgment. There is.no class
of men that loses so much time and yet
manage to live some how from the pro.
ceeds of the farm"
BESIDES the less of time what other
Losses do farmers have 7"
ssI would first mention the waste in
almost every product, especially manure.
I think any farmer should raise all the
grain and forage consumed on the place
and one-third of all meats. The
remainder of meat used could be paid for
in cotton and then leave surplus. 1
have one.horse tenant, young man,
with seven children, the Oldest only IL
years of age, who has neat sum of
money at interest, all made by farming.
He pays his rent promptly and cheerfully
and lays up clean money every year, and
he will soon own the land he cultivates.
IcIaim that What one can do, others may
with the same application to business.
This young man has been living with me
FIVE years. aad I have never caught him
idle but once and then he was hunting
rabbits"
"How can labor be made efficient ?"
"I hold that the way to.::make.labor
efficient is for every land owner to see
each tenant and every foot Of arabic land
once week. I always offer my tenants
premium for the best crop. Following
the above plans and principles, I can
realize 10 per cent. on my farming
investment"
ANOTHER OF THE SAME SORT.
Mr.. r. B. Monk is another one of our
farmers who took a s'ground start" when
he was q young man and on bis farm he
has worked out a fair property. He has
never been engaged in any other business
whatever. His knowledge has been
gained BY hard experience. Success has
been the work of years. When asked
about his: system he said:
81 try TO make all the corn, wheat and
oats needed. I raise bacon for my
family, but not enough for my farm,
make all the manure possible and sup
:plement this with soluble guano. / run
four horses and plant one-qnsrter corn,
one.quarter small grain and one half
cotton. I work cotton rapidly and
always give it deep ploughing in June.
I think wide rows and q thick stand in
the drill is best. Last year on 20 acres I
made 20 bales of cotton, using about
three tons of guano and thousand
bushels of cotton seed. If it had been a
favorable year this lot would have made
80 bales. When manure gives out I quit
planting. I have some tenants that fur
nish stock aud furnish to others. We
work through and through until after
planting time. I have used hired hands
and I think they pay better than tenants,
but both are profitable on place. My
farm has paid me. 1t will not pay unless
you make your land good and work we'll.
Then the closest attention and constant
industry are necessary
SLOW about the values of different
crops3"
"Cotton is most valuable and will make
the most money to the acre. Wheat
comes next and corn last."
aWhat do you know about fertilizers ~
81 think the home made article better
and cheaper than the commercial, but
the ordinary farmer cannot make enough
Of the first, and I think 5,t!l w"rs well
together. I think the COW pea one of the
best fertilizers we have; in fact it is the
poor mans manure. The more manure
man makes and saves, the more he can
afford to buy"
"What about labor 2"
"One should always have an abund-
ance of labor. / like to have four hands
to horse. I believe 10 keeping them
employed all the time, and treating them
right in everything. If you ever make 8
promise to QUE, be sure to keep it. Ex
travagance on the part Of tenants is the
greatest trouble We have. When fur
nish stock I give the hands half of every
thing, but I really think the farmer
should keep all the cotton seed to be
returned to the soil. Bad houses make
bad tenants, and farmers should make