The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1890-06-05
DOES FARMING PAY?
a Common Sense Farmer of Western York
Thinks It Does.
York.rillc Enq,tircr.


4. Mr.. WIS. Wilkerson is a progressive
farmer. Energetic, independent aud
self. reliant he is fine example of that
class in this County which has accom-.
plshed so much since the war.
Mr.. Wilkerson lives On the Howcll's
| Ferry road, about three and a half miles
southwest of Hickory Grove, and some.
thing moro than mile east of Broad
river. One of the Enquirer men was at
his home one day last week, and not only
had very pleasant time generally, but
was proftably entertained with great
deal of practical sense, some of which we
will give our readers, our purpose being
to show what farmer who .tarnis can do.
When Mr.. Wilkcrson came out Of the
war he was not yet twenty years old, and
without dollar Of capital. He went TO
work in small taunery, and learned
how to make leather, shoes and harness,
ec. In few years he had accumulated
enough money to make a modest start on
| his own responsibility, and continuing to
work with persistent determination,
early and late, built up a business that
yielded from 81, 900 10 81 800 clear profit
per annum. But he worked too hard,
frequently until l or 2 o'clock at night,
and bis health broke down. Then he
determined to buy a farm, and in 1879
or 80 purchased the plantation on which
he is now living.
~ com uenced to farm in 1881" said
Mr.. Wilkerson. ri cleared my lands,
built n,y barns, feuces and everything,
and after planting big crop, was pretty
we'll out of money, with a balance still
due on the place Well, you know it
didn't rain that year from the 9th OF
April until the 18th of August, and all
kinds of crops were almost a total failure.
I didn't make but about seventeen bales
of cotton on the whole place, though l
got nearly a thousand bushels Of corn
and that helped me considerably.
Things looked squally, and couldn't see
my way out of the difficulty worth cent.
.'But the next year I tried it again,
made good crop, got out of debt, and
have been getting along first rate ever
since"
"What do you think of the profits in
farming? Does the money invested
weld a: large returns as it would in any
other business
Decidedly it does. Larger. With
the same intelligent attention that is
given To some ten per cent. manutactur-
iug businesses, the farm will pay fifty,
and even one hundred per cent. But
understand me when l say intelligent
attention! 1t takes close personal super.
vision with rigid economy, making every
edge cut to the best advantage"
"What is your most profitable ctop?"
"D1y supplies. raise my own meat,
all the molasses that is used on the plan.
tation, and l have never bought pound
of -four or bushel of corn since | have
been farming. And I will say that I
don't believe anybody can buy these
things and make success at farming.
Your supplies aecured, your cotton is
practically clear and though not all
profit, is your working capital"
"Wbat about the labor question z"
"You'v got to treat them right and
do what you promise. That's all. l
work with both hired hands and crop
pers, and don't have bit of trouble. I
believe every man on the place is just as
much interested in the success of the
crop as [ am. And there is Mr.. Cobb
and Mr.. Brakefeld, both working my
lands and both have just as nice farms as
anybody in this section. | never inter.
fere witb either of them, except maybe
to get some of their ideas"
"Can you make bale of cotton to the
acre, NJ. Wilkerson ?"
~ do it. made it year before last
and last year, and ifthe present outlook
holds up expect TO beat that this year.
Come out and look at the crop"
Out i'll the cotton field saw as pretty
q prospect as one would wish to find.
The field of about twenty acres into
which he showed me, presented, star as
cultivation goes, the appearance of a vast
garden, with tho soil pulverized SO thor.
0ugLly as to leave scarcely q clod bigger
than walnut.
81 am cultivating my cotton q little
different this year from the usual way,
said Mr.. Wllkerson. "I first plowed up
the stalks with two.horse plow, and
then narrowed the land twice with Cor.
bin Disz, the second time going diago.
nally across tho first and cutting the cot
ton stalks into small pieces. After this
/ I bcdded up in the usual way, put in the
manure and planted with a planter.
Just before the cotton came up, /
narrowed it diagonally across with q
Thomas barrow, and as soon as it got out
of the ground, went across again in the
opposite direction with the same irplc.
ment. Now you see I am narrowing it
straight down the rows instead Of "run.
ming around. This double harrow is my
own invention"
The harrow, OF harro US referred to,
then at work, is quite novel arrange
meut. It takes two, however, to COM
plete the outfit. They are made after
The regular triangular pattern with eight
knife. blade teeth-inclinins backward,
space enough being left in the center to
allow the frame to pass on both sides
without injuring the cotton. Two of
these harrows are worked by two men
and one mule, and Mr.. Wilkerson esti.
mates that in The work of running
around" this arrangement does four
times the work of one man and one mule
with q plow.
'Now the hoe hands follow these har.
rows and chop out the cotton is then
dirted' and from there on cultivated in
the usual way.
"You notice my land has been very
rocky. This put me to great deal of
trouble before could use my harrows.
But during the winter had all the rock
hauled Off and made walls across the
depressioos in the fields aud also in the
woods. In the woods these walls serve
to collect the leaves and muck ..washed
down by The freshets, and this accumu.
lation makes excellent manure. The
other walls in the field serve 10 build the
depressions up on a level. and 10 keep
the soil from washing away. My idea
about keeping upland from washing is to
pillow deep and pulverizs thoroughly.
This plan is more effective than any sys.
ten of terracing that l have yet seen
tried"
"Let's have your idea about manures 2"
II use s considerable quantity of COM
mercial fertilizer; but that is not what
the farmer ought to spend his money on.
Fifty dollars judiciously invested in
home made manurcs, will pay better
4 IL