The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-17
BIG PROFITS IN FARMING.
So. 900 Net from 800 Acres OF Land Near
Norfolk The Prices OF Lands that Yield
Such Returns.

NORFOLK, VA. July 4.-Nothing
surprises Northern man more when
making his first Journey into the
southern States than the enormous
profits which some Southern farmers
reap very year. He has read from his ear
licst youth up about the rundown ap-
pearance Of Southern farms their BUSH
grown fence rows, the dilapidated
buildings, the lazy Niger farm hands,
and the slouchy owners smoking their
pipes on the great house porch while
the weeds grow up and all but bury
thcm-and he cannot conceive Of any
profit being made by such farmers.
Moreover, he has read about the crops
mortgaged in advance ofthe maturing
and the enormous interest paid on the
loans thus obtained, and so he looks
upon his own neat home, his we'll
rolled meadows; his sleek stock, and
his full grain bins and hay mows, and
thanks God that his lines have been
cast in pleasant places, and perhaps
that he is not as other men, even as
the poor devil Of Il typical Southern
farmer.
But let the dairyman from Orange
county, the hay grower Of the Mohawk
valley, the corn grower Of the Ohio
valley, and the wheat grower Of the
Dalotas, not to mention the boomers
of Nebraska and Kansas, and Okla
hama and Texas, come to Norfolk, and
then, after looking over the Chesapeake
Bay farms, take a run through North
Carolina, and get knowledge if not
wisdom.
There are farmers and farmers, and
some Of the Southern farmers can make
more money smoking Il pipe on the
porch on the shady side of the great
house than others cali grubbing roots,
loading hay, husking corn, or riding a
reaper in the heat Of the afternoon sun.
For instance, there is Farmer Ballen-
I tine Of this county. His farm is 400
acres in extent, but he has been farm
ing only 800 acres, because the other
hundred was only bought last year
and ii is not cleared up yet. 1t lies
about mile from the city limits. 1t
is level piece Of ground, although it
rolls enough for good drainage, and the
soil is mixed, being partly clay and
partly sandy loam. Farmer Ballen.
tine runs that farm rot from a seat on
the porch of the great house, but from
his office in the Ballentine block, one
Of the handsomest brick structures in
the city, built by the farmer out Of po-
tatoes and kale and spinach and straw
berries and cabbage. The story Of Far
mer BalIcntine will serve to illustrate
what other Southern men have done.
He was q Tarheel by birth, was a ma
tive Of Currituck County, n. c., but
has lived in this county so long that
people here count him a good-enough
Eirginian. AS young man, having
no rich inheritance, he went North and
learned the machinist trade, remain
ing there for eight years, the greater
part of that time being passed in Al
bany. Then he went back to North
Carolina, and a short time before the
war moved to this county. He brought
here, including farm implements,
household utensils, and cash, capital
Of about $500, if liberal value be
allowed to the outfit. He bought a
part of the land which he now owns
and set some colored hands to work.
They were slaves, Of course, and there
fore less profitable than free help, as
everybody down here now admits but
Mr.. Ballentine prospered so that when
President Lincoln freed the slaves he
took Sd, 900 worth Of human chattels
from Mr.. Ballentine. The war left Mr.
Ballentine with nothing but land still
he might have been much worse off.
He kept on cultivating the land, hiring
the darkies, where he had previously
owned them, and making money faster
than ever. 1t is commonly said by So
cialistic speakers tat no man can
make a million Of mt hey in the span of
a lifetime save by speculation that is
tainted with unrighteousness, but il
Mr.. Ballentine lives ten years longer
he will have the million, having made
it out of the soil and by investing the
! profits in such real estate rs was offered
to him at what seemed 4 reasonable
price, and in improvement on the land.
He is now worth S50O,0UO, and his in.
come this year from 800 acres of land
alone is about 81, 600 according to his
books, which he willingly showed tc
4 Sun reporter.
The process by which 81 800 has
swollen TO $500, 900 is as, simple as pull,
ing weeds. Mr.. Ballentine confines his
crops to round or Irish potatoes kale
spinach, cabbages, and Strawberries
These crops are chosen because found
well suited to the soil. They are rotated
thus: Beginning say with spinach, :
crop that natures late in the fall, nc
cuts and ShiDS it along through tho
wi ltcr as the market (Ncw York and
Boston) will take it until April. II
the spinach fields he plants potatoes in
rows four and onc-half feet apart, will
rows Of Strawberries between the rows
Of potatoes. The potatoes arc ready fol
the market the last of June and arc
dug and shipped, leaving the field tt
the Strawberries until the next year
when in May the strawberry crol
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