Birmingham age-herald., 1895-06-03

one-half. I speak now of my own coun- try Whether this be the case elsewhere cannot say, but l feel sure that farm CTS everywhere are making reduction of the average seeded to cotton. Thos among us who claim there is no over production, but rather under consump- tion, recognize the fact that, be the cause of low price what it may, the fact that an over stocked market stares us in the face and another large crop will prevent any decrease in surplus stock on hand, and further depress price; there fore we deem it wise to reduce acreage and lessen the supply that surplus may be "worked off," No matter what may have caused the surplus, we know 1t is on hand and a factor in making pric $ for this years crop. It is folly to hope for better prices while there is more cot ton on hand than can be disposed of.
 We are in the midst of condition.' How best to meet the condition while it exists is the problem. We must look to the present and leave the future to care for itself. I am certain that the average farmer cannot produce cotton for cents The longer he tries the worse off he will find himself. Some few men will make money where others fail, but this class are few indeed and they ex- ample is practically worthlessas The man who depends upon farming alone is not accumulating anything nowadays. The only solution to the situation that I can think of is to be found in diversifca- tion of crops, etc This, of course, can only be done where the farmer Is suit ably located For the majority it must be to the extent of home supplies, that the money heretofore spent for such may be saved. Cotton grown as a surplus or money crop, while it may not be very profitable, will serve as a bank of de> posit for the cash accumulated from other crops, and will be returned to the farmer in the fall With a little trouble and application the southern farmer can manage to live very comfortably without using very great sum of money.
 My observation has been that the homes of southern farmers are by no means so comfortable or attractive as they should or could be made. The en- tire thoughts of the owner has been as to how he could manage to increase his cotton crop, his dream has been of great riches in the future (from cotton), when he could afford to build a fine home. Very few have realized the dream.
 Stop right now and retrace your steps, devote your energies to building up comfortable homes, comfortably pro- vded for Life is all too short to throw away in dreams. The farmer with twenty-five or thirty acres is better off than one with a thousand acres. How many farm homes are there in the south that have all the fruit they can use? Strawberries are easily grown, yet not one farmer in 100 grows them. Rasp- berries, blackberries, etc, apples, pears, peaches and plums, all do fairly well in the south, yet there are few families on the farm who have fruit. Milk and but ter, eggs and poultry are in easy reach, and there is no excuse for the absence of such from the table of farmers.
 ATew sheep will furnish nice, fat nut ton through spring and summer. A few hogs and cattle well cared for will com plete the list. A well supplied vegetable garden in season-sweet and Irish pota- | toes through the winter We go even | further and say that sugar and flour may be grown on the larger number of | southern farms. Of course all these | things will require some effort to ob- | tain, yet they are in reach if the right sort of energy and application is put | forth. Leave off half the cotton acre | age and the time and land saved will furnish the chance to have all of the above. The farmer who has all of these will not be likely to suffer if there was no cotton grown. The south ought cer- tainly to control the price of cotton. and would if the plan of making everything | that we can at home was more gener- | ally practiced