The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-07-24
CORN OR coTToN7

The brother who proposed corn as
the subject for our discussion said
'Corn is good thing to have" and
be might have added very necessa-
ry thing to have, and the choice is
between growing and buying it. 1t
may seem absurd to discuss this
choice, and I certainly would not dis
cuss it, if so many of our farmers did
not, by their fixed method of buying
corn, declare their preference for this
method.
Without any nice calculation to de-
termine which of the methods is the
more economic, I had determined a
long time ago in favor of the home
production method of supply, and
the fact that I have not been under
GEN. sTAcKHoUsE DOES NOT BUY CORN.
the necessity of buying any corn for
my home place in 40 years, may be
counted as so much in proof of the
fact that we can grow our own corn
but that fact is too old and too well
established to need new demonstra-
ton. The older farmers present will
remember, when it was the custom in
this country to grow all the corn that
was necessary. The idea that it was
good policy to make cotton to buy
corn is one of recent origin. Let ns
proceed at once to the discussion of
this policy. Since you appointed me
to open this discussion, I have talked
with some of the supply merchants, to
see how they viewed the question
and they all agree on one point. viz:
that farmers who make their own
corn pay for what they buy of other
goods. The largest supply merchant
in this county-just across the branch
says there has not been a year since
the war that he has not been obliged
to ssorder" some corn for his custom
ers, but that che has never lost money
on farmers that made their own corn. "
Then, too, it seems to be settled by
general observation, that farmers who
grow their own corn are the most
prosperous, but all this may not be
accepted as conclusive evidence that
it is che best policy. The corn farm
ers may happen to be more intelli-
gent and plucky, hence their greater
success. But I submit that farmer
who plants his whole place in crop
that requires II full months to grow
and gather should not be suspected
of a want of pluck. I believe the all
cotton system is the result of the iu-
debtedness of the farmers, and is
complimentary to their honesty.
They want to pay their debts and
because cotton is the great money
crop they plant it.
COST OF RAISING CORN COMPARED.
Let US first see how corn growing
in South Carolina compares in profits
with corn growing in the great North
West, the country we look to for our
supplies. Let US compare South
Carolina in 1880, when the average
acreage yield was lower than in any
other State in the Union, with Illinois
which produced nearly one fifth of
the corn grown in the United States.
By reference to the census of 1880
and the Agricultural department re-
ports for the same year, we find that
the average acreage yield was 9.3
bushels in South Carolina and 27.2
bushels in Illinois, or very nearly
three times as much as in South Car
'ee,iira- 'ee,,ira: T he average price q corr m
Illinois that year was 80 cents, In
South Carolina n cents per busnel.
27.2 bushels at 36 cents amounts to
S779-the money value of an acre of
corn in Illinois, 9.3 bashels at n
cents amounts to SIG, the money
value of an acre of corn III South Car
olina. This represents balance in
favor of Illinois of s2.63 per acre,
but there are other matters which
must in fairness be taken into the ac-
sotlnt. In 1880 farm laborers, by the
rear, without board, were paid Sl0.40
Der month in South Carolina; in Hi
nois $23.53. This makes q farm la
borer in Illinois cost $157.56 more
per year than in South Carolina.
Now assuming that a laborer in llli-
nois can cultivate and gather as
many acres as in South Carolina-aud
to be liberal we will say 80 acres
this would make a difference OF S5.25
per acre saved in the single item of
labor. This overcomes the balance
against South Carolina and places
1892 to her credit. This balance
to her credit of 1892 per acre, would
more than cover the fertilizer account
in South Carolina, and leave out of
the account another item which
should in fairness be set to the credit
of South Carolina, viz: The cost of
plant, 80 acres Of land in Illinois rep
resenting a much larger money valu-
alton than 80 acres in South Carolina
But it may be contended that not
withstanding the advantages we. have
in home market and better prices,
which makes corn growing in South
Carolina more profitable than in Hi
nois, yet because we can grow success
fully a great money crop, to which
our country is peculiarly fitted, that
therefore we had better grow this
great money crop and buy our corn.
To determine this question let US
compare our individual experiences.
COTTON AND cogN COMPARED.
For 13 years I have tried to keep
accurate statistics with my little wages