The Forrest City times., 1895-07-12
OUT OF THE RUT.
The Strange but Successful Departure Of
a Southern Planter.


The Strange but Successful Departure Of
Southern Planter.
young farmer in the southwest,
having come into possession of a small
plantation through the death of his
father. determined to introduce some
radical changes. The farm had not
been profitable for several years. His
father had borrowed money of mer-
chants and put every acre into cotton,
buying his food supplies every year
and running every year more deeply
into debt. The son was anxious, as he
said, Ito get out of the rut"
He decided to abandon cotton plant
ing, and to raise stra wberries and 9TH
er fruit on a large scale, and, so far as
possible, to make living from his
farm by producing his own food sup
plies. He began with few acres of
strawberries. and put the remainder of
his land in corn, oats. grass, potatoes
and vegetables, increasing his supply
OF poultry and pork.
All his neighbors demonstrated with
him. A southern planter. they said,
who did not raise cotton, but who de-
voted his energies to small fruit and
trucking" would be of no account
socially, while inviting financial ruin.
The young farmer was warned that in
breaking away from the customs and
traditions of the cotton belt he was
lowering his dignity and degrading
himself to the level of ''the poor white
trash"
One critic was even more outspoken.
He was the father of the young woman
whom the young farmer had been
courting, and who was engaged to him.
You are acting like a lunatic!"
growled this veteran. What can you
do without cash crop like cotton?
Where can you find a market for your
Strawberries? You are as mad as a
March hare!"s
THE finest varieties of berries will
grow here to perfection. | can make
arrangements to send them by rail
north, where shall be ahead of the
season, and also south for the latest
varieties when the home crop is ex-
hausted. AS for cotton, it is impover-
ishing the planters here, as you we'll
know. Why should I raise cotton
without profit for the sake of what you
call social prestige?"
well, sir" was the angry reply, eff
you are bent upon going on with your
crazy schemes, you shall not drag
down my daughter with you. She is
cotton planters daughter, and shall
not be truck farmers wife"
As the daughter sided with the
father, the engagement was broken
Off The young man, undismayed by
the disapproval of his neighbors. car
ried out his plans with resolute deter
mination. The experiment was sue
cessful.
He was obliged to be patient as we'll
as determined, and the result was that
he was soon obliged to double his
strawberry acreage. He then intro
duced raspberries as crop to follow
the Strawberries. The result has been
that he found his profits warranted
the purchase of another farm, and the
enlargement of his fruit business.
Meanwhile the planters around him
were many of them impoverished by
low prices for cotton. The veteran
who had called him lunatic was re-
duced to such straits that one or two
of his children went into the fruit
farmers fields to pick straw berries in
their season for the wages they might
receive. Everyone now is convinced
that there was method in the young
planters madness. Youths Com
panion.