The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-11-26


would be one of the corners of the Court
House building" In few minutes the
question was settled, and to-day the Court
House stands on that spot of ground.
Mr.. Moorhead is an interesting talker,
and during his stay in the city interested
many Of his old friends and new acquaint.
ances with stories and incidents connected
with this section in the days long since
passed.
Sensible Talk From Farmer.
Mr.. EDITOR: The long looked for crisis
In Southern farming has at last come.
With short crops and low prices most far
u1ers will be hard pressed to meet their
obligations. Many will be quite unable
to do 30. The question Is, what Is to be
done? What is the remedy for the pres
questions must be answered. in some
way. Some may say go to the railroad,
to the factory, to this, that or some other
business, and give up the farm. But this
does not answer the question in the inter-
est of the masses. Labor may seek refuge
elsewhere, but the plow can't stop. 1t it
does all other business must stop, too, as
farming is the back bone of everything
else. There are three or four plans to be
pursued taken together that will, in the
opinion of the writer, prove remedy for
the present condition of farmers.
Reader, are you farmer? If 80 give
attention to these plans and govern your
self accordingly. The first thing to do is
to begin at once to cut down expenses.
Extravaganza has been one of the evils of
the Southern farmer. It is one that
reaches out in many directions. There is
extravaganza in dress, in eating and
drinking. and iri many ways too tedious
to mention. Fashion must be followed,
80 many think, at all hazards. There is
saying like this: "Wise men make feasts
and fools eat at them." This might apply
get the farmers last nickel. There have
been men who " ould 60 to shows, expo
sitions, DC, and spend money, when they
owed for the meat and bread they and
their families had lived on. And there
ara farmers no doubt, to-day who spend
nearly, or quite, as much for drink as it
takes to supply them with provisions. A
renter was once heard to remark that his
liquor bill was tw enty-6ve or thirty dol
lars a year. What a confession for poor
renter! Let farmers learn 10 economize
more than ever before.
Next to cutting down expenses. let con-
slant, hard and profitable work be done.
Idleness has much to do in bringing on
hard times. It has been said farmers do
not, as rule. work half their time. Too
many days are spent in going to town
and other places without profit. Too
many in place of looking ahead and pro.
viding for the future, idle away precious
moments and days, and then regsle them
selves with the prospect of getting run by
bank note, lien or mortgage 1t is quite
convenient and easy thus to do, but pay
day will come after while when 1t may
be hard or impossible to raise the fund
people appreciate the fact that time is
money" It is q remarkable fact in the
daily observation of men, that two young
men, starting out in life under the same
circumstances, will show wonderful di-
vergence in after life. One will become
prosperous. reliable and useful, while the
other will make signal failure in all re-
spects. The reason lies In the fact that
the former was sober, industrious and
economical, while the latter leads an op-
posite life. Let farmers see to 1t that in
their present depressed condition they
will allow few moments of precious time
to pass them without profitable employ
ment in some way. And this should ap-
ply to colored as we'll as white farmers.
Let them begin now to provide for living
another year independently of banks and
merchants. There is no telling the loss to
the people of the County annually by un-
necessary gatherings about towns, coun-
try stores and other. places Of idle gossip.
Another very important factor In the
prevention and cure of hard times is the
raising OF home supplies. The eHPer1-
Nc Lr- fn Ho
procure supplies has been tried long
enough. IF any are yet uuconyinced of
the folly of such course they deserve to
be olassed among the inconvincible.
Further evidence and argument is un-
necessary for them. Such an agricultural
principle has always been wrong per Sc.
The very idea of the farmer going to the
merchant for meat and bread is mon
strous. There would be some sense in the
merchant going to the farmer for these
things, but never the reverse. Meat and
bread are prime articles of the farm. Mer-
chants don't make these things. If they
deal in them they must get them from
some farm or other, and must be paid for
handling them. 1t is strange, indeed,
that the very class Of men who could, and
ought to be the mosti independent, make
themselves voluntarily the most depen-
dent. If every Southern farmer would
first Of all, raise good supply of provls-
ions, and then what cotton he could con-
veniently, he would be independent OF all
| other classes CT men and realize for his
cotton twelve to fifteen cents. OF this
there can be no doubt. In addition to
| this our Southern lands need rotation ol
crops. They have been too much run in
cotton. Our soil and climate are well
adapted to variety of proitab able;supply
crops The notion that We can raise only
| cotton is all "bosh." While wheat and
corn may not always do we'll, enough can
generally be made by each farmer for
home use. The sweet potato is one of the
easiest made and most profitable crops we
can grow. Under reasonable circum-
stances from one to two hundred bushels
can be made to the acre, and they are
choice food for all kinds Of stock, espe'
cially COWS and hogs. They are among
our choice table vegetables. They are
good baked, roasted, boiled, fried. candied
made into pies, custards, &c. Every far
mer ought to plant from one to i've acres
in potatoes-good pork can be made or
them alone. With bountiful fall or win
ter crops, as wheat, oats, turnips, rye, bar
| ley, and then corn, peas, potatoes, &c.
during summer, every farmer could anc
would be prosperous and happy. Their
would be no need for bank notes, liens, &c
With proper cutting down Of expenses
constant and useful employment, and du'
attention to the raising of home supplies
there may be way out of the ,presen
dilemma into which the country has got
ten. These things will enable farmers t
keep out of debt, one of the greatest evil
that can befall this necessary class of peo
pie. But some may say, "all this look
we'll on paper, and it is an easy. matter t.
sit down and theorize, but it is imprac
tlcable." Well, farmer friend, what ar
you going to do? Can you see auy othel
way out of the present troubles? II 81
name it. Let the light shine in, that's wha
we want. Be sure Of one thing, however
relief will never come as long as the polio.
is cotton and guano, and guano and cot
ton, and then again cotton and guano.
am truly the
FARMERS FRIEND.