The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1892-06-23
FARMER AND PLANTER.
A BRIGHTER SIDE.
Arc the Southern Farmers Really as
Of as They Think They Are?


Habit rules with an iron rod, and
custom is hardly less tyfanical. When
both combine their power is almost ir-
resistible. The habit of grumbling,
complaining and fault-fnding has
somehow grown upon the people of the
south of late, and it has been cultivated
and strengthened by the custom OF
public speakers and many writer's APP
pealing to popular sympathy by raising
and urging the cry of hard times.
Now, we are not going to rid ourselves
OF the gloomy feelings thus engendered
without considerable effort.
If man thinks lie Is sick it Is fire.
quently more difficult to cure him than
If he really Is sick. We rather think
this cry of hard TIMES is very much ex-
aggerated; and largely without good
foundation. If twenty men should
meet well man consecutively, and
each tells him that he looks very badly
and must be sick. the chances are that
he will go home and go to bed, think
ing himself quite sick. This cry of
hard times acts in much the same way.
If every man we meet during the day
tells us the times are very hard we go
home and tell our families that hard
times are here and worse are coming;
we must begin to prepare for the wolf.
1t does not help the case to say it
ought not to be SO spent, and that peo-
pie should not move from the country
to town. That is altogether another
question. The Question now before us
is not how the money is spent, but Is it
here and is it being spent? 1t is said
that nearly a million dollars has recent
ly left our southern cities to pay losses
on cotton futures Millions are going
for life insurance all the time.
30 then We see that the cry of hard
times is more apparent than real. Money
is scarce because of the misuse of money
and the loss of confidence which results
in unnecessary boarding.
Owe have just passed year of good
crops of all kinds. Food of nearly
every kind is fairly plentiful and cheap
enough. Our money crop, cotton, is
superabundant. Then it would seem
wise to be cheerful and look for better
days. But how shall we pay our debts?
few of them were made as matter of
necessity. The farmer who raised his
own provisions and owes nobody and
has a few bales of cotton on hand is In
fnitely better off than the one who
went largely in debt to buy mules and
provisions and pay hands on time to
cultivate worn land, and make hun
dred bales that cost him more to make
than he can get for it.
Not only does the constant presenta-
ton of this phase of the case tend to
produce depression on everyone, but
the disease is actually catching. Each
begins to reason thus with himself: If
times are hard must look out for No.
1. And if he has little money or some
produce to spare he says l will just hold
on to what have; l do not know what
is going to happen. So he shuts down
on all circulating mediums he can.
Thus it spreads from man to man.
Are we really so bad off? am in
clined to answer no. AS 1 see the con-
dition of the country it looks so.
Our homes are furnished with |
more of the comforts of life than |
at any former period since the |
war. There are more sewing machines, |
bookstores, good buggies and wagons,
better furniture and clothing There |
are more people able to live without |
work, and more families able to move |
to town and educate their children. |
There is more money being spent for
tobacco, cigarettes, wines and liquors,
theaters and shows, more being lost in |
cotton futures and invested in life in
surance than at any former period.
Southern-raised mules are as good as
any. Southern hay is as nourishing as |
western. Southern-raised Irish Do
tatoes are as good as eastern. |
Southern meat is as good as west |
ern. Southern-raised garden seed |
of nearly all kinds are as good as
any in the world. Hence, we can turn |
our attention to raising these things,
and thus save the millions of money we
have been paying out for these things.
BY doing this we can raise our crops at |
a greatly reduced cost. Then if prices
are low we will still make money. and
if they are higher we will make more
money.
Less grumbling and more gratitude
is what we need first of all. If Provi-
dence were to reward us according to
our complaints we would gather a very
small crop this year, and then there
would be cause for hard times,
have been among the people of
the state nearly all over Georgia
and l find plenty everywhere. The
farmers look well fed, the horses are
fat, there is less debt than formerly, and
more anxiety to get out and STAY out
All taken together the outlook is very
With lighter hearts and
brighter faces and cherry words the
will soon be good.
Let us study more closely the cost of
raising crops of every sort, and then let
each man devote himself to that crop he
knows best how to raise and sell. This
VIII reduce cotton acreage and introduce
diversified farming and result in inten-
Slve farming. Cotton can be raised at four
cents per pound, and if it is, and then
sold at six cents per pound, we have a
profit OF so per cent; but if raised at n
cost OF eight cents per pound, and sold