Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1891-11-26
WHAT INDUSTRY, ECONOMY
AND GOOD MANAGEMENT
ACCOMPLISHED.

| Tho following letter from a farm.
or rear Gasden. Ala. to the Are.
Herald, furnishes some ;usefsI hints
and excellent food for reflection.
Read il.
Every one yous may meet (with:a
few exceptions) has something 10
say about hard times,' tight money,
etc., and it yoa were to 'catch on to
tho complaint you swould be about
as gloomy as the most of the people
appear to be. / have short truth.
full story to tell in your"paper and
hope 1t may aid the wise men in our
State to arrive at the cause and the
remedy for hard tines among tho
farmers.
/; In 1867 ! found myself on a fair
average farms just where am now
writing to you, with one good mule,
a broken down army horse, talr
set of farming implements. mostly
secondhand, but without dollar of
credit and just s6.75 IN cash. 1t was
the last week in January and the
time had come for us to pitch our
crops for the year. had . small
quantity of corn, about enough with
economy to feed my stock and give
my family meal for four or five
months. Times were then hard
with me sure enough. My near
neighbor was little better of, but
not as much as l thought him to be
at the time. We were talking over
the mater when he informed me
that be wss going to. Gadsdsn the
next dsy to make some arrangement
for credit to enable him to make his
crop, aud asked me to 90 with him
and see what could do. We went
to town. 1t wasn't long before my
neighbor had secured hi. credit with
a note aud mortgage, which he was
to trade out during the year.
tried to do tho "a me, but It was
no 90. The merchants did not know
me and couldn't make the security
they demanded. Well we went back
home together, my ncighbor with =
smart load Of bacon. -four. coffee
and drv goods and shoes 10. the
children. with dress for his wife,
and Sunday coat for himself. Nv
wagon WAS empty and disconsolate
with nothing to take to my freside
nut > heavy bcart and a will to
work. ItoId my vito all about my
'Wo ~ -u.s.ssr sr-uvcr until midnight.
Well said abe, Tom, we have got
Two good cows, some hens and few
pigs, good garden and the best Of
nealth. So we will stay at home
and get our living from our work.
Bless her soul, she was tho wisest
woman, think that ever lived on
earth, and among tho best that ever
went to Heaven. 1took her advice,
and at tho end OF the year, | bad
sevon good bales of cotton. 240
bushels of corn, bad saved 1900
pounds of bacon, banked up snugly
100 bushels ofsweet potatoes; while
my good wife had sl4.60 made from
ner eggs, chickens, butter, honey,
and had bought herself summer
dress and bonnet and cloth enough
to make the under garments for rll
tho children. And best Of all, l did
not owe q man on earth y cent.
Ny neighbor who had the credit
could not get made eleven bales
of cotton, = small corn crop. no meat
aud hap his credit undtil he war
several hundred dollars in debt. /
mot him Gadsden during tho month
Of January, 1868, after he han set
tied witch the merchants and had
sold bis cotton. All he had to show
Tor his years work was now bug
~, that no really did not neod and
about $50 IN each. In 1872 my
y neighbor sold out to pay his debts
and keep the sheriff away and NOV.
ed to texas, where he came to want
The same year had s2,S50 loaned
out and drawing good interest
we'll secured, and | have never bor'
| ~ rod u cant Or 4 thiny Or Avar haC