Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1895-07-18
FARMER AND PLANTER.
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
"shaIl the South Abandon the Culture OF
CottonY or How Shall We Make IL More
Remunerative2"
No question is more important than
this. To the south, the proper an
swer involves every interest. The
culture of cotton has been for many
years the principal industry of this
section.
Upon it was based not only the sue
cess or failure of the farmer, but, in
large measure, our entire financial pol
icy. Merchandise, banking and trans
portation were largely modified by this
crop
THE MONEY INVOLVED.
The lint sold, the seed products and
the manufactured goods, annually
brought into circulation among us
over four hundred millions Of dollars.
This gave life to every artery of trade.
This of itself was circulating medi-
um of nearly or quite twenty dollars
per capitol added every year.
WE CAN NOT ABANDON 1T.
1t would seem evident to the most
casual thinker that the abandonment
of such money-producing crop would
paralyize every branch of industry in
the land.
The immediate effect would be
general cutting down of values. Every
acre of farm land would be worth less
Every species of real estate would de-
preciate. Merchants would have to
| give up their merchandise, and the
railroads would run empty trains.
Lawyers would be without clients.
Schools would rapidly fall into decay,
and general collapse, if not universal
bankruptcy, would ensue.
PRovIDENTIAL CAUSES.
We have the climate, the soil and
the labor to grow cotton, to a greater
advantage than any other portion of
the globe can produce similar grade
1t would not be wise to fail to utilize
all these.
THE CONSEQUENCES
If we abandon the culture of cotton,
we have in our midst vast contingent
of unemployed labor, idle, shiftless and
homeless. The negro does not know
how to support himself in any other
branch of agriculture.
We must plant all the lands now
used in growing cotton in some kind
of food-producing crops. This would
soon glut the market with all that line
of produce. 1t would ruin the mol ia
west, cut off the largest source of in
come to the railroads, break all the
commission men and provision dealers,
reduce the price of provisions of all
sorts so low that it would be losing
business to grow them, and the farmer
would be in a worse condition than
now, with cotton at five cents.
WHAT SHALL WE DO THEN?
There is a much better way out o.
this trouble. We can cheaper the pro
duction of cotton by growing all oul
home supplies upon the farm. Then
plant smaller areas in cotton, ant
manure and cultivate better, so as t.
increase the yield per acre. Make NJ
accounts, pay as you go, so that the
cotton when grown will belong to tn,
grower. Quit forcing the entire crol
upon the market in three months
Distribute the sale over the who'll,
twelve months, only selling as the fac
tories need it for consumption; thi
will greatly improve the price.
We gin cotton because it brings
higher price in lint and is easier han
died; for the same reasons, let us spir
the cotton and sell thread and cloth
Lint cotton is worth three times a
much as seed cotton. Thread is wortl
three times as much as lint. Cloth, O
woven cotton, about three times a
much as thread, or six times as mucl
as lint.
The increased value of one or tw
crops will pay for all the machiner
necessary for the manufacture of tn
entire crop. A little concert of actio
will enable us to regulate this matter
We can inaugurate this movement
easier than we can give up the cul
ture of cotton and adapt ourselves t
a new system of farming and ney
set of crops and huntuup new market,
We only need little more commo
sense economy.
RECAPITULATIoN.
/. Grow crops that belong to IL.
and thus cheaper the cost of produC
} ton.
2. Sell only as consumption d,
mands.
8. Manufacture all or nearly all tn
crop here in the south.
a. Inaugurate these reforms b
, economy and concert of action.
g. Thus the cotton crop will brin
us annually $1O0,0OO,OOO.
The above is not intended to be e,
haustive, but only Suggestive. TIL
changes suggested will not come abor
Q of themselves without thought an
action. Neither will any other a,
g justment of our present deep-seate
L troubles.
Above all things, our farmers mu,
: better educate themselves, SO as
8 know how to be independent of tricl
|; sters. We can not change the habi
u of lifetime in day, but we can b
. gin and press on in the right way, an
y improve as we go-Jas. b. Hunnicut
in Southern Cultivator.