The Louisiana Democrat., 1889-04-10
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
OVERPRODUCTION.

ovERPRoDUcTIoN.
Views OF a Kentucky Farmer on the Qucs-
tion of Planting Half Crop.
Ioelieve l can truthfully say that l
have never yet written line for pub
lication that did not think would
never write another. But the adage that
says mo man knoweth himself is
maxim that is not less wise than true,
apd here I 60 for quarrel with my
brother tobacco growers. However,
instead of quarreling, as advise costs
nothing, and nobody is obliged to take
it, l will advise them all to stay at
home and look after their stock, the
preparation of .heir tobacco beds, and
other farming interests, instead of go
ing to Lexington or any where else,
spending their time and money talking
talk that is just calculated to start
every man, who can hunt up a square
foot of tobacco land on his place, to
planting, though never having set
plant before. That farmers are
fools," has become an adage, / am not
surprised. But am surprised to think
that any number of them place so low
an estimate on the intelligence of the
others as to suppose that if they,
the wise ones, resolve to raise half
crop, the less wise won't "pitch
in" To me, this is one of the cases
where a "wayfaring man, though a
fool" would see an opening for him
self; and believe me, brother planters,
when | tell you they have seen it, and
l unhesitatingly say that l believe
there will be more tobacco planted the
coming spring than has ever before
been planted in any one season. Why,
sir, l have more applications for to-
bacco seed than ever before, and that
from men. exclusively, who have not
heretofore put out plant. No, brother,
the resolving to plant but fifty per
cent. won't do, not even if mems memo
ries were not so frail; but men will for
get, you know; and besides many are
not good at calculating per cent, or
measuring land. My idea is that we
who already have the necessary i'm
plements, the barns already built, the
experience in growing it, had better
go along and put in what we know
we can cultivate in tirst-rate order
and not more than our present barns
will hold without crowding. 1 wish
to be believed when. l tell you,
brothers, that I will build no new
barns. am sorry to say that l can
see no way to change the status of to-
bacco or to govern the price but the in
evitable supply and demand" But l
verify believe that l have an idea,
theory or plan, or whatever you may
call it, that if carried into practical
operation would bring to the owners
and toilers of the earth all of the
millennium that they would ever de-
sire to see, and do no wrong to single
human being on the entire earth, and
/ believe it to be practical, although
somewhat stupendous. believe it to
be practical, and il original, I guess l
had better reserve the right to claim a
patent on it. II anybody will be kind
enough to show me why it isn't prac-
tical, then / will say no more about it.
This is my idea (if so it may be calledD:
that if the owners of the entire pro-
ducing soil of the earth would, by
delegates from among themselves,
meet in one great and grand
convention (something like these
Prohibitionists and Woman's ..Suf-
fragists will have before long),
and then and there pledge
and bind themselves and their nations
honor that no implement of cultivation
should ever be used or allowed to dis
turb, strike, or in any way molest the
soil in the way of cultivation for more
than ten hours, at most, of every twen-
ty-four. What other class of men on
the face of the earth but have their
combinations and their strikes2 Now
let the owners and the tillers of the
earth (by which all mankind exist)
make one grand and universal strike,
and stand to it till Gabriel blows his
trumpet. Let the earth and its tillcrs
have more of rest and better pay, and
then the good time will come when the
world will see less millionaires and less
paupers Besides, while resting from
the heavy burden of toll which we have
borne for hundreds of years, we will
have time to watch the non-producers,
the lawmakers and the tax gatherers.
w. w. Goddard, in Farmers Home
Journal.
Producing Potatoes.