The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1890-01-16
A SUCCESSFUL FARs


People Dom, rIphe Mon, i
Ing.
Yorkviue .. e., Enquirer.
Mr.. +. III. Barber is well,
one of York county's mos'
farmert' He lives at Ric
ownsr about .fou thousan =,
Eastern York, where he d. Of
his farming. A reporter l..
quirer met him the other .a, ,a.
slie's, station which he is buff IN
on the Three C's. The old gentleman
had just finished settling his accounts
with his croppers and having ma de a
large crop was i'll a zeal good humor
Tor telling how it was done.
He said to the reporter: "You can
put In the paper that 1 averaged more
cotton to the mule than any other man
in York county"
How many bales, Mr.. Barber?n
len bales to the mule with twenty.
six mules-26O bal, S. Now let me 81,
you hsat that if you can" -
WAS your crop as good this year as
usual, Mr.. Barber" ~
| mo, no. 1 can't say that it was, but
here is another point for you. I have
just paid one negro who runs two.
mule farm on my place $390.56 He
makes that much clear after paying
everything he owes me--living and
everything-and nearly every one of a
dozen others have cleared over $3.50
apiece.
| Now people say there is nothing
in farming, but say there is. There
IS more in it than anything else2
there's everything in it. That's my
experience and l know what Pm talk
ing about when 1 say it, my young
friend. L merchandised seventeen
years, and made money. l have q
one-t third interest in the Fishing Creek
factory, and it's making as much
money as any Of Them, let me tell YOU.
but get larger returns out of the
farm than anything else. You can
make the farm pay so and 100 per
cent, but you can't squeeze any such
profits out of the store or factory"
But how is it that so many people
fail to make living on the farm, Mr..
Barber?"
"They don't work, that's why. The
majority of farmers want three Sun
days week, and nobody can get along
by working only half Of the time.
Suppose you would take three SUNDAYS
a week in your business, how would
you come out? You'd bust, wouldn't
you? That's what you would do, and
that's what anybody else who tries it
will do. Now the farmer don't have
to work any harder or longer than
anybody else. He don't have to work
from daylight till dark. Not bit of
it. have piece of land over next to
the factory and have had standing
oifer for the past three Or four years of
SOU q year TO any Young mann who
would work it by the factory bell. I
just want him to put in ten hours q
day, and at the end of the wear I'll
give him $3.50. That's fair Ant itY R
That's as much as the factory hands
work; but if he'll work by the bell he'll
be worth every cent Of $3.50.
"Then, there is another thing. A
good many people try to farm, and they
don't know anything aboutit. Take the
common notion about guano. Most
people put $50 pound on an acre. They
Will lay oil their rows about three feet
apart, and if the wind is blowing thty
will take one Of these horns, SO as to
keep the guano from getting out Of
the 1urrow, and string it along the row
ina fine white line. They are so care
full about wastingit that if the string
happens to get broxen for foot or two
they won't even go back to patch it
up. Then they put in their cotton,
which comes up and starts to growing
very nicely, but ifa little dry weather
comes along the cotton turns sickly
and they say the guano burns it up.
But it ain't the guano. 1t ID the poor
land that burns it up. Now think
about it. They put in that little streak
OF guano. The plant comes up and
grows rapidly while it lasts, but so
soon as the fertilizer is exhausted, of
course 1T dies down, because there is
nothing left for it to feed on, so YOU
see 1T is the poor land that does it.
Now, to prove what 1 say. fla hum
dred and fifty pounds of guano scorch-
es the cotton SO it won't grow, two
thousand pounds ought to set it.afire,
oughtn't it? But itwon't. It's my ex,
experience, that the more fertilizers
you use the more cotton you make,
and, in order to demonstrate the mat
ter to the satisfaction of everybody, I
am going to make a special expert.
ment next spring, and put two thous-
ana pounds ofGuano on one acre. And
Pm not going to burn anything up
either. Sec ifI do"
'Doyou rent your lands, pay wages
or work on shares?"
"On shares altogether. 1t is the
most satisfactory way for all. furnish
! eVerythlng-the mules, tools and SUP
plies: The cropper furnishes nothing,
but the labor. If i make he makes.
and if lose he loses, so you see it is
his interest to work, and the harder
the better. I give them the half of
everything they make, and that en-
courages them to make all they can.
Some people don't give but two-fifths,
but let me tell you get as much out
| of the half as any of them.
Mr.. Barber is presidentand secretary
ana treasurer of the Fishing CrecS
Manuiacturing Company, bsa a large
store at Lesslle's and lives at Rich
purg' lie has recently connected these
three points by a private telephone
line and placed himself within easv
speaking distance of ali of:them at
once.