The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1891-01-14
FARMER ANDPLANTER.
A CHANGE NECESSARY.


The cotton crop this year has been
perhaps the largest ever made in the
South, but much has been lost for the
want of hands to pick it out in time.
Hands are scarce, hence much was
lost, as the picking was behind, and the
storms destroyed much of it, and the
loss in quality was large. The hands
| that made it were not able to save it.,
and hired help could not be had. We
have the force to save it, were it
employed on the farms as former
ly. But every year new industries
are springing up and being extended
and enlarged, hence, there is more
demand for labor and the labor re-
CURED is being drawn from the farms,
consequently farm hands are be
make more cotton than can be saved,
SO why plant so. largely of cotton?
Would it not be best to curtail the cot
ton crop and adopt more diversified
system of farming, and raise all our
farm Supplies, instead of buying them?
may and plant what you may, unless
the farm is made self-supporting and
self-sustaiping, there will be no money
in farming. The South makes annually
between six and seven million bales of
cotton, worth at least $500, 900, 900, and
still her farmers are depressed, and why
so? Because the most of that large
amount of money is spent in buying food
supplies, horses and mules that could
be raised by her farmers. But if our
labor becomes diversified and finds
employment in the many new indus
tries springing up all over the South,
the cotton crop must necessarily be cur
tailed, which will be better for the
Southern farmers than the system they
have pursued for the last twenty years.
The South is undergoing great change.
Formerly it was strictly an agricultural
country, now it is becoming a mining and
manufacturing, as well as agricultural,
and her commerce is being largely in
creased. This must necessarily cause
great changes in her former business
modes and systems. Who are to feed
this large population employed in min
ing, manufacturing, railroading, COM
merce and other pursuits? Is the North
ern farmers to do it, as they have here
tofore done, or the Southern farm
ers? Surely it is to the interest of the
Southern farmers to do so, and keep the
money among us that is sent North for
the supplies. Let the Southern farmers
have at least part of the money being
made in our country, instead of most of
it being sent to add to Northern wealth.
We speak of the poverty Of our people.
How can it be otherwise when we neg
lect our opportunities and let the money
made South go to Northern farmers and
Northern merchants and railroads? We
see, and complain of the unjust discrim-
nation made against the South by
National legislation, and how are
we to protect ourselves against
such, except by making the
South self-sustaining, and independ-
ent of the North? We can only do so
by keeping the wealth of the South,
that our agricultural and manu-
featuring resources give us. Let our
profits remain South, where they natur-
ally belong.
Whilst we are strictly an agricultural
people, necessarily we are dependent
on the North for all manufactured arti-
cles? But now, as we are becoming
manufacturing, as well as agricultural
people, we should keep our wealth
among us. We have paid tribute long
enough to the North, let us now act in
self defense and build up our Southland.
We owe it to our country and to our
selves to do so, as we have a country
that enables us to do so. The great
mistake our farmers make, they labor
under the impression that on cotton
alone they. must reley to make farm
ing profitable. Has not twenty years
experience. convinced them that it has
been delusion? They have worked at
it faithfully and unremittingly, and
still they are poor. Then cotton has con-
sumed the profits by the expense of
making it, and has made others rich,
but keeping us poor. 1t is time they
would change their system, nd.try di-
versified farming, and feed ourselves
and feed our people engaged in other
pursuits. Out of this seven million
bales portion of it they will put in
their pockets as a clear profit, but
small fraction of it, the ex-
pense account consumes the profits.
If such be true, we need radi-
cal change in our system of farming
More grain, more grass, more stock and
less cotton. But little blowing and
sowing of small grain has been done SO
far this fall, as contemplating occupies
all the labor we have. Hands to plow
can not be had, the mines and the cot
ton fields employ all the laborers in this
section of country, we must soon be
compelled to encourage foreign immi-
grafton. / am now but little engaged
at farming. have but two tenants on
my farm, as my age and health pre-
cludes my attempting to attend to farm
duties now. 1t is for younger men to
carry out the work and remedy the
evils that have depressed our farming
operations.-John H. Dent, in Southern
Cultivator.