Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1893-03-23
FARMER AND PLANTER.
A NOTE OF WARNING.
oiversifY Your Farming II You Would II
Inuepeusient,

AtNN II AOu NNNsN 49,
Independent
Since II was founded by the lament
ed Henry W. Grady, the Southern Farm
has given itself to the task of encourag-
Ing and promoting diversified farming
in the southern states. Heretofore the
condition of the southern farmers has
been such as to render impracticable in
large degree the doctrine Of diversi-
fled farming. The farmer raised none
OF his supplies, but was COM
peeled to buy them on credit from
the merchants, who in turn die
tated the kind of crop which the
farmer should raise, and refused to
take anything but cotton for the
supplies they advanced. In this way
the farmer was absolutely at the mercy
of the merchant. Up to the. fall of 1891
cotton had brought reasonably fair
price every year, and in consequence
the all-cotton farmer managed to come
out at the end of the year about even,
provided he worked hard. The fall of
1891, however, saw cotton so low that
it would not even pay for making it.
Experience is the best of teachers, and
the year 1892 saw more home sup
plies raised than ever before.
Less attention was paid to the
cotton crop, and in consequence of
the short crop, prices ranged higher
last fall. 1t is reasonable to suppose
that after having seen last year that by
raising less cotton and more home sup
plies they could get better price for
their product and owe less at the end
of the year, the farmers would follow
the plan thus laid out for the coming
year. We have reason to believe that
this is not true. If we are not mistaken
in our predictions the fall of 1898
will see the biggest crop of
cotton the south has ever known.
Each farmer is simply attend
ing to his own crop and paying no
attention to the general work in the
cotton belt. AS a consequence he does
not recognize that in the fall when he
brings his cotton to market, he will
meet farmers from every section, who
have followed his own plan, and in
creased the yield and lessencd the price.
We are told that the guano men will
sell every pound of guano which their
factories can produce There is not a
factory in The southern states which
carried over guano last year which will
not sell every bit of it this spring 1t is
not necessary to tell farmers that the
sale of guano means cotton. We dc
not mean to say that guano is used for
no other crop but cotton is the princi-
pal crop for which it is used, and a
marked increase in the sale certainly
means a marked increase in the crop.
If this thing continues there is only one
result to be looked for in the fall-a
crop of ten million bales of cotton al
five cents pound.
We would not feel that we had done
our duty TO the farmers of the south il
we did not tell them frankly the situa
ton as we see it. There is yet time t.
counterfeit the danger, and we urge
every farmer who reads this to take ad
vantage of the opportunity and raise
at home enough home supplies for mar
and beast.
After this is done, raise as much cot
ton as you please, and it will give yor
no concern whether it brings one cen
pound, or ten cents pound. since il
either event you will have your living
at home. We are not telling you any
thing new at all. You saw it yourscl
last fall one year ago. 1t is therefore
only necessary for us to tell you tina
if there is marked increase in the cot
ton crop this year, the price will b,
lower than has ever been known be
fore. You owe it to your families frs
and to the south next to see that yol
do not have to sell cotton in tn
fall at less price than it costs t.
make it, and send money west for mea
and corn which ought to be rails
ed right on your farm. 1t is impossible
for any man or set of men to say wha
acreage shall be planted in cotton ant
thereby fix the price of this staple
Therefore when you plant cotton yo,
are playing n hap-hazard game at best
as the demand for it will be governed al
solutely by the supply, and you can no
possibly know how much your neigh
Dor will raise. When you raise a
home everything you need for HON
consumption, you take no chances a
all. This is the remedy which ever
farmer has, if he will only apply il
We can do no more than call your al
tention to the matter 1t remains fo
you to do the rest. Southern Farm.