The Forrest City times., 1892-01-08
TO OUR FARMERS.

| IoiiciiiS duFicc lO those Who, from the nature of things, understand their bus mess best; but 1t cannot refrain from sounding a note of warning and ex- tending word of advice to the farmers of this section, where cotton has here tofore been made the chief staple Of product. That it is ruinous policy to grow cotton to the almost entire ex- clusion of other crops all will admit. That it can be accounted for is plain. That it must be remedied, and that soon, goes without saying.
 On Saturday last the writer saw a fair quality of cotton offered at 6-10 cents per pound. At this rate it would require two pounds of cotton to buy one pound of meat. This cotton cost the farmer not less than seven cents per pound to prepare it for market, aud we are not sure that this figure will cover the entire cost of cultiya- tion, gathering. ginning, packing, bag ging, ties, hauling to market, etc. The cost of raising pound of meat would have been, at most, not greater than five cents. In all probability it would have been les5. The terrible difference between the cost and prices of the two articles is apparent-fatallv apparent-to every observer. The farmer pays at least fourteen cents for an article which should have cost him but five.
 Our farmers are criticized for this one-crop practice; but those who stop to think will agree that it was first the result of dire necessity, and then be- came the custom from force of habit
 When the South emerged from the war, penniless and with it's system of labor revolUtioniZed, cotton was the only crop by which credit could be obtained of the merchant. No one could se- cure ''advances" unless he planted a cotton crop likely to cover his store ac- count. 1t was a positive requirement of the merchant who sold him goods and provisions. To neglect this re- quirement was to go hungry and naked. This may seem far fetched, but it is true. A large number of our farmers, unaccustomed to the practices of econ- omy, fell into debt and were practi- cally at the mercy of the merchants, who either sold him out" or carried | hi n, oyor ac caap,ad I,act Ir cold ont the farmer rented land and became still more the slave of the "all-cotton'' custom. If carried over he got little deeper in debt the next year, and so it has continued to the present day, though more than quarter of a cen tury has expired since the war ended. The custom of depending upon the cotton crop for every article of food and clothing has grown with the lapse of years until the case appears we'll nigh hopeless, but there is remedy a remedy which lies entirely with the farmer himself.
 | This remedy consists in the growing Of variety of crops. Especially does it consist in the growing at home of whatever goes to supply the table or to feed stock and cattle. Fortunately our mild winters furnish an invaluable auxiliary to the latter. Cattle may be pastured nine or ten months, and sometimes the entire year, throughout Eastern Arkansas. Corn, meat, fruit and vegetables of al!kinds sufficient for home consumption can be raised, and must be raised if our farmers ever expect to reach and rest upon that high plane of independence which God and nature intended they should occupy. It may pinch little at first, but year or two of economy and extra exertion are better than a life time of virtual slavery. Some will say they cannot abandon the old ruts-the merchant who supplies his table and clothes his family would not allow him to plant less cotton. It would be bet ter to work an hour or two extra each udy III OtuCi VI ouppiy yOuA o"h VobiS and feed your stock, and thereby at tain position of independence where you could snap your fingers in the merchants face, pay him cash for what you were compelled to purchase, and thus proclaim your liberty. The mer- chant himself would enjoy thls; for there is not one who would not prefer doing away with the credit system and transact all their business upon a cash basis.
 We hope our farmer friends will not think we are reading them a lecture. We are not. But it is our privilege, as sentinel upon the watch-tower, to observe the workings of the domes- tic, as was as the political, economies of those with whom our lot is cast and whom we have been appointed to serve, as it were, and it is our duty to sound note of warning vAen danger ap- breaches.
 IN another column we reproduce