The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1889-05-09
SOUTHERN AGRICULTURAL.
The Farmers of Middle Georgia.


farmers, and the cause of the bad con-
dition, and the remedy for the benefit
of this class, who are the support OF |
the whole country, think it not only |
privilege, but duty all of us owe,
to give our views, and see if we can |
by any means be instrumental in ad- |
vancing 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 satifed they were making
cotton for 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 so cents, Gas
they say), and one man in Hancock
County told me his corn never for
ten years had cost him over 25 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 % 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, 1 say the farmers of no Sec
ton of the whole world are in a bet
ter fix to make money than our people
if they would only make 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.
To illustrate my argument, l 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 abun-
dance, as well as meat; sells butter,
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.
The negroes are also greatly the
sufferers from our present system o.
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 tt
raise their own provisions, ETC., bu
they were following the example o
the whites. The Farmers Alliance
the Grange, nor any thing else will
never bring prosperity to our poverty
stricken people until they change thei
present system of farming.
The labor system is also in a bai
state. Too many idlers and too few
workers. The rule of all hands stop
ping on Saturdays to go to towns AM
villages, leaving the crops in the grass
is ruinous in the extreme.
Another very sad error made b
many of our best men, is that the
read but little on the score of farming
They laugh at book farmer, and ca
him fool, yet they employ boo
doctors, lawyers, preachers and politi
clans.
Another evil arises from too litt1
: time being spent on the farm in wor
! which should be done in proper time
Many men in Middle Georgia hav
: adopted the plan of planting their cor
; on land which was the year before
: cotton, and planting without any breaE
: ing up. They run off the corn rows i
: cotton middles, put two burrows aroun
/. the corn, and even as late as last
June many of them have the middle
: of their corn unbroken. This is cel
o tainly poor farming, and Mr.. PRINT
: Jones, nor any other intensive mai
j, would ever expect to succeed by i
h They try to fool Colby pretending