The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1889-03-20
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
The Farmers of Middle Georgia.

OF JhlS class, VINO are tne support vi
the whole country. think it not only
a privilege, but a duty all of us owe,
to give our views, and see if we can
by any means be instrumental in ad-
yanciDg the interest of our entire
country.
Nearly all correspondents touch the
same line as the cause of financial en-
barrassment, which has been too much
of desire to make large cotton crops,
to the exclusion of all other crops. |
saw a great many of the farmers in
Middle Georgia, who said that they
were fully satified they were making
cotton for 8 cents, which cost them 10
or II cents to make. In addition, they
were buying corn at 81 per bushel,
when they can make it for 80 cents, Gas
they say), and one man in Hancock
County told me his corn never for
ten years had cost him over 20 cents
per bushel, made at home. Where corn
can be made at so low rate. it is very
clear that hogs, horses and cattle can
be raised at corresponding low prices,
and especially is this true of Middle
Georgia, where they have thousands of
acres of Bermuda grass, which yields
hay in such quantities, that they are
willing to sell for Is cents per cut, in
the field. Now, in addition to all these
advantages. they are surrounded with
the greatest amount of labor which is
now employed at Sc to So per month,
the year round. The lands are cheap
in price, as much of it is not able to be
sold for S. per acre. Besides the grass,
the lands are well adapted to oats, rye,
wheat, barley and peas, the last of
which is a great benefit to the land, as
the lower part is made from the air
Potatoes are grown in all the perfec-
ton that is possible, and the apple and
peach hangs in prOfusion to feed both
people and stock, if the owner will only
give them One-tenth the care he does
his cotton fields.
Now, I say the farmers of no Sec
ton of the whole world are in bet
ter fix to make money than our people
if they would only make a proper use
of the advantages by which they are
surrounded.
Let every man set his determination
to make on his farm-meat, corn,
wheat, raise his own stock Of horses
and cattle, and stop this eternal buy
ing of what he can raise at home. and
soon we will find ourselves released
from the thraldom OF debts and mort
cages. This state of things, had it
been begun twenty-three years ago,
would have had the effect of keeping
out the foreign capital which now has
laid hold on the lands of our Georgia
farms, and which has ruined so many
of our people.
10 illustrate my argument, | will
mention one farmer in Wilkes County
who cut from 400 to 500 tons of Ber-
muda hay, and who raises corn. wheat,
rye, oats, peas, etc, in great album
dance, as well as meat; sells butter,
has horses and cattle for sale, and al
ways has cash on hand to lend his
brother cotton makers. / saw several
others like him, but they are men who
are exceptions; the reverse is the rule.
1he negroes are also greatly the
sufferers from our present system of
farming, for it forces them to pay
high prices for such things as they
might be induced to raise themselves.
They are initiative, and have heard
various ones say they would prefer to
raise their own provisions, ETC., but
they were following the example of
the whites. The Farmers Alliance,
the Grange, nor any thing else will
never bring prosperity to our poverty
stricken people until they change their
present system of farming.
The labor system is also in bad
state. Too many idlers and too few
workers. The rule of all hands stop
ping on Saturdays to go to towns and
villages, leaving the crops in the grass,
is ruinous in the extreme.
Another very sad error made by
many of our best men, is that they
read but little on the score of farming.
They laugh at book farmer, and call
him a fool, yet they employ book
doctors, lawyers, preachers and politi-
clans.
Another evil arises from too little
time being spent on the farm in work
which should be done in proper time.
Many men in Middle Georgia have
adopted the plan of planting their corn
on land which was the year before in
cotton, and planting without any break
ing up. They run off the corn rows in
cotton middles, put two burrows around
the corn, and even as late as last of
June many of them have the middles
OF their corn unbroken. This is GER
tainly poor farming, and Mr.. Primus
Jones, nor any other intensive man,
would ever expect to succeed by it.
They try to fool God-by pretending to
have done, when in reality they have
not done a single lick properly.
The young men of the country have
with one accord almost abandoned the
country, and run off to town, to clerk,
read law or medicine. Many girls de-
clare they will not marry farmer,
and this has run large number of the
young men of, in order to get married.
| am seriously in doubt if the time
that ;c cYaof by tho l.horors ~ %h;c