The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1893-02-16
LETTER FROM RUSTIC.

would venture to drop you few lines
to let you know thatI appreciated the
change, and hope you will go on i'm
proving it in other ways, and maybe
next time the improvement will be an
Increase in size. I like home indus
tries of all kinds and home institu-
tons, and think the people ought to
encourage everything of the kind by
liberal patronage. [ believe in self
reliance in every way that we have
opportunity to profit by it, and l be-
lieve in living at home as nearly as
possible, and not depend so much on
others at distance to supply our
wants, when we can supply them as
we'll, or better, right at home.
In the matter of paper, of course
our country editors cannot compete
with the great metropolitan weeklies
of the cities either South Cor North,
and we ought not to expect too much
from them, nor growl and croak at
their defects or short comings when
they do their best and give us live,
sprightly, newsy and clean paper,
which latter We do not always get in
those more pretentious sheets, es-
pecially from the North.
Butt did not:set out to give learn
ed Dissertation on editing a newspa-
per, as I have never edited many, so
I will leave that for those who are
competent, and I will proceed to pen
few thoughts which more closely
concern me and every farmer, and
which, let me hope, may cause some
one to think, at least once before
planting his next crop.
We of the South were taught a
valuable lesson by the results of the
two years just past, and I hope the
farmers will remember it we'll till
planting time again.
1891 taught us very forcibly the
folly of risking everything on one
crop-the cotton crop-and 1892
taught US the good which we can &C.
complish by diversifying our crops
and planting less cotton. But I am
afraid that the good prices brought
about by the short crop will cause
many to plant more than they ought
to this year.
1t seems to me that farmers and
planters ought to reflect that even if
cotton should continue up that it is
better to grow plenty of all home
supplies that we can grow plentifully,
than to risk buying nearly everything
with cotton money.
Cotton is one of the hardest crops
on land-especially hill land-of all
those we ever raise in this part of the
country.
Clean culture all summer exposing
the soil to the scorching sun, to be
followed by the teaching rains of win
ter and spring, all of which exhausts
the soil more in one year than two
years cultivating in most any of our
other crops. I speak from actual ex-
perience and observation of nearly
half century. You can tell an all
cotton farm at a glance in it's washed
off hill sides, if hill land; its scant
and dilapidated improvements, and
its razor-back hogs, rainbow cattle
and rough and bony horses and
mules.
Some will argue that it is no use
for them to plant less cotton to affect
the price. for what little they would
raise would make no difference any.
how, and if cotton is going to be low
they must have more of it to bring a
given amount of money.
Very true one mans little cror
would make no difference with the
market, but if he plants all the corn,
peas, potatoes, COOLERS, sugar cane,
&C., &C., that it will take to keep fai
horses, cows and hogs, and to make
81 1oaoI l.,