Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1891-11-12
FARMER AND PLANTER.
SUCCESSFUL FARMING.


While gratefully approaching the high honor |
OF belhg invited to address 30 dlgnined ana |
important an assDmbage OF Georglans, III
attempting to obey your command must
first remind you that lay no claims to ora
tory or cloquence; and IL | speak at all,
must talk as Il farmer to his brother farm
ers, In Il plain, blunt, practical farmer
like manner. My mind has been more upon
how to farm-to prepare my land-to fer
tllZo--to plant and cultivate it-and save
what l have made, than In cultlyatng
the gr0ces OF composition OF public
speaking, Plain, practical talk, without
attempt to ornament or display, Is all
promise YOU, and not too much OF that In
talking, as in more serious matters OF wor'
ship, we may safely adopt the Ideas ex
pressed by d. Samuel Watts, that
"short duties keep devotion up,
And make religion sweet"
As tlllers of the soil, we are following Il
pursuit rs old as the history OF man. Its
successful accomplishment Is the basis OF
all prosperity. All other persons and avo'
cations depend upon ours. Our success
makes theirs possible; our failure involves
them In common disaster. This is not said
In spirit OF boosting vain glory, but to i'm
press us more senslbly with our re-
sponsibllity, not only for ourselves,
but for all the people OF all the
country. When ruin stares us In the face
the whole world breads impending disaster,
That we may nteligontly pursue the
methods for our own and the general good
Is my heartfelt desire; and In order to help
to tile accompli shment of this worthy OBJ.
ject, permit Inc to suggest some things we
can safely avoid and others we can con
fdcntly press with the certainty of commit.
ting no error.
First. We can not succeed as farmers with.
out giving our personal attention to our
farms The gentlemen farmers, who give
| little attention to and live away from their
| farms, all fail as farmers, The men who
| live on their farms, and are too respectful
| to the sun to rise before he does, and must
| quit work before he retlres-whose pointer
| and setter dogs, and hounds, and gus, and
| fishing tackle eng ige more OF their thoughts
| and study than the proper blowing, fertll-
| izing, cutivatmg and gathering and mar
| ketlng of crops. are miserable failures, as
| farmers; and they may wall rs Jeremahs-
sing moulnful songs dscouraghg to all
farmers and people; they may denouncc,
| and in many respects correctly too, the bad
| laws which impose unnecessary burdens
| upon all the people; they may suggest n
| thousand remedies; but it will do them no
| good, and render them of no value in the
| progress and prosperity of the country.
Intelligent, preserving personal attention
to the details of the farm by its
owner Is essential and Indispensable
| to its credit or profit. II n
| farmer could borrow twice the value of his
land at one or two per cent. per annum or
at no per cent for five years, and DO slovenly
in his methods, careless and lacking in per.
sonal attention to all the details of farm
| acnnOny hn wnuld waste the monav-pnt N
up-and have to give his land to the party
who had loaned him money on the same,
| All tho outside help that can be given us,
| whether from the money lenders factors OIL
| government, will not help us, but hurt them
unless we learn to help ourselves. Our own
brain and Drawn, our energies, our
hearts aud hands must solve for US
the problem of our success or failure
Unless we personally attend to oul
own business we had better abandon
all hopes of success. We will be unabl,
either to pay debts or support aud educate
our families. All the aid, individual or gov
crnmental, will be waste of sympathy ant
support on those unworthy of either.
Again, unless we grow in knowledge of oul
business, those who are progressing ant
keeping up with all the advances in agr
cultural knowledge and improvement will
get far ahead of us. Let progress be TIL,
watchword. We need to know the natur,
of our soils, and what they are naturally
best suited for growing, what fertilizer
suit them best what form Of rotation o
crops will keep them from waste and run
ming down, what utensils will cultivate then
best, how to drain and prepare the soil 70
the best results after careful, faithful cul
ture. We should study the markets, GU
nearness to them, the cost Of transportation
| viii nj, hnSt nj ~,
which the world needs most; and SHOULD
endeavor TO grow those things which will
best repay our labor. Successful farming /
d science as well as business 1t must b
studied, understood and pursued with tn
same thoroughncss, energy and close atten
ton as other pursuits, and as its prime i'm
portance and necessities demand
Again, n farm should be self sustaining
To be this there must be diversified nike
crops No man can prudenty risk all o.
one crop. No man can make cotton to bu
grain and hay, beef, mutton and pork, siru
and fruits, eggs and butter and wind up hi
years business without finding stringenc
In his finances, and too little available cur
rency for his wants and the wants of thos
like him. When you find farmer who's
farm Is self sustaining, who buys nothing t
eat but sells these things, you find HON
of peaco and plenty. The farmers of Geor
gia need buy only their salt and coffe,
their farming implements, their clothing
household articles, books and periodical.
They should raise their stock for farm pur
poses, and the grain and hay needed to fee
them. If the money which goes out of til
state for provisions of all kinds and 70
mules and horses, all of which could b
grown in the state, was kept here we would
| by intense farming, raise all the cotto
a.. I,,1Ir % 10 IL
thus ther1 would be little, II any none
strngency, and vastly less desire to borro'
: money at any rate of interest.
. Another thought: Farmers ought to &c
{ ont of debt, and keep out of debt whc
, they get out The debtor is servant, an
his task Is thankiess one. If lie pay
his honest debts he only does his dutl
If he fails he suffers reproach and abuse
Debt Is hard and cruel taskmaster. I'll
, remedy for this is to spend less than "
= make. 1t Is not what man makes, bI
what he saves that makes him comfortably
!. and increases his wealth. Money easily BOZ
1 rowed Is quickly spent, and hard to repa,
Let farmers not be over anxious to borro
, on any terms or at any rate of interest, how
ever low, for honest men must pay bac
{ what they borrow A fear Of debt is who'll
? some. A farm covered with mortgages
|
for its owner to have nightmare. Self -d
: NAL, economy and intelligent industry ca
5 soon clear this land of so many debto
Q among the farmers.
Another suggestion; Let us plant crol
which will grow without expensive cultur
j and will be harvested for us without e.
: pense. 1t has been said that it costs thi
!. teen months of labor to make, gather an
I market a cotton crop, and one fifth of |
;, present value 10 pick, pack and sci! II. Plal
: small grain, peas, peanuts, fruit trees. plum
1 peaches, apples and mulberries. The
h products will be gathered by our stock, wi
r charge us nothing for their labor, but repi
q us by the milk. butter, beef, mutton al
pork which I'LL our diaries and smok
houses.
d might go on with these suggestions, b
h do not wish to weary you. These sngge
n lions are the result of personal experen
? and observation. have tried careless, l.
attentive farming and sank money. ha
r followed the better plan with some succe
]. and great satisfaction On the line of the
thoughts we can help ourselves. Let &