The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-16
southern Farming elections of the
= orr

: our.
The intelligent farmers of the south are
no doubt as much puzzled at this time IN
regard TO the setting of the years crops as
they have been any time in the past twenty
years To the very large majority of farm
srs there has been little profit in their last
years. work. We have no doubt it is true
that for one who made any ''clear money"
there were dozen who failed TO come out
square on the years work. Among the
large number OF tenant farmers what pe.-
centage probably did even - we'll as this
How many by close economy managed to
live and ind at the end of the year that
they bad not increased their Indebtedness ?
We have made it cuisines, to gues-
ton farmers Of every degree from the i-ox
tenant farmer up to the 8, s
or l0horse farmer In our sec
ton and the burden of the
testimony ELECTED from them will easily
sustain the statement thai no year in the
past ten has given little reward for their
work as 1899 has done. In the majority of
cases the Weld was ccnsid ra6Iy below the
average and yet at the same time the prices
received for their products, such as they
mad to sell was also below the average. For
the majority the advance in the price of
cotton came after they had disposed Of one
ud4L Vi VI " EdO was maze.
The small farmer derived very little benefit
from the advance. Those that we're in the
hands Of their creditors, so to speak. were
forced TO sell just as fast as it was picked
and ginned. Surely 1.-The destruction of
the poor is their poverty.1 a very large
number of farmers would have held their
early plckings of cotton through September
and October the past sea son il they had had
an option in the matter, but as they had
made their obligations fall due in those
months they were forced to sell.
Of course farming is done at q great dis
advantage "uuGer a mortgage but it
seems that much of the farming OF the south
can only be done in that way. This is the
misfortune of our farmers rather than any
ones fault. But for this poverty, a heritage
left to them as result II the war, the mass
Of southern farmers would doubtless at this
time be following q diversified system of
farming that would have brought them a
comfortable living and pleasant surround
inGssven If il had not b. ought them very
gress riches. It's not necessary to paint
their present coudItion-the cumulative
effect OF the "cotton and corn" system that
has been SO perslstently followed for these
many years. IL Is necessary though that
we should give serious consideration
to the future. The errors of
the past we must suffer for,
10 be sure, hut Il ey should be fraugbt with
LSdCuluRS lOF INC IuLUIes lS DEbJ ieSSODB
IF life are 20 be learned from cur failure
Success is not the only teacher. We should
sll prefer TO sit at the feet OF success as a
teacher rather than failure, but frequently
we have no option in the matter.
Is 1t not true that by far the large ma
jority have steadily been growing poorer
Tor number Of years-poorer in purse and
in the quality Of their land. Some moralists
urge that the farmers are pOor-most OF
thpTn--eiD1 My beNauSa fhoU g and haua
been extravaganza and wasteful-wasteful
not only OF the money they have made. but
constantly wasteful OF their time, a waste
that might bs converted into money, the
inorelist claims. if the farmers would only
choose to have it SO. While there may be
some truth in this allegation, and in
reference to a certain class of farmers,
mostly tenant farmers, 1t does not embody
the chief reason for the poverty Of southern
farming 1t comes nearer the truth TO say
that too many formers are engaged in pro-
duoing one or two products to the neglect Of
other things that enter ipto diversified and
prosperous system OF agriculture They are
attempting to carry on especial" farming
on soils that are now almost worn out (if
not entirely SOY from having their humus
exhausted. This they will learn sooner OF
later cannot be done. This great truth is to
os learned by our southern farmers. When
country or section Of country has ex-
nsusted the resources of system of agri-
culture, based almost entirely upon hoed
crops, the next step involves q change to
PASTORAL farming" In other words. grass
and stocks must IN great measure be su b.
stituted for cotton aud corn in the south
u we would see our lands restored to con-
olnon that invests them with any agricult-
ural value. Let US consider this natter, for
1t involves question of much more signif-
canoe TO the masses than any involved in
politics. 1.-The next President will be a
democrat" hut v hat will be theuext harvest
o. the southern 1armer2