The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1895-08-01
OUT OF TrE RUT.
The Strange but suecessfui Departure OF
Southern Planter.

The Strange but suesessfui Departure OF
Southern Planter
A Young farmer in the southwest
having come into possession OF a small
plantation through the death of his
father. determined to introduce some
-adical changes. The farm had not
oeen profita Bile 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
.aid. ''to get out Of the rut."
He decided to abandon cotton-pla Mt
ing, and to raise straw berries 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 a few acres OF
strawberries. and put the remainder ol
his land in corn. OATS, grass, potatoes
and vegeta bieS. increasing his supply
Of poultry and pork.
AL his neigh bors demonstrated with
him A southern planter. they said,
who did not raise cotton. but who de
voted his energies TO small fruit and
tracking would be Of no account
socially, while inviting financial ruin.
The young farmer vas warned that in
breaking away from the customs and
traditions OF the cotton belt he was
lowering his dignity ana degrading
himself 10 the level Of the poor white
trash
One critic was even more Outspoken-
he was the father of the young z woman
whom the young farmer had heen
.ourting and who was engaged to him.
You are acting like a lunatic.-
yrowled this veteran What can you
30 without a cash crop like cotton?
Where car you find a market for your
strawberries? You are as mad as .
March hare."'
The finest varieties OF berries will
rrow here to perfection l can make
arrangements 70 send them by rail
north, where l 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-
ishinQ the planters here, as you well
know. Why should I raise cotton
without profit for the sake Of what you
call social prestige?7
well, sir was the angry reply. ali
you are bent upon going on with your
crazy schemes, you shall not drag
down my daughter with you. She is
a cotton planters daughter, and shall
not be truck farmers wife"
As the daughter sided with the
father, the engagement was broken
of. The young man, undismayed by
the disapproval Of his neighbors car
ried out his plans with resolute deter
nination. The experiment was sue
eessful.
He was obliged TO be patient as well
rs determined, and the result was that
he was soon Obliged to double his
strawberry acreage. lie then intro
auced raspberries as crop to follow
she strawberries- The result has been
nlat he found his profits warranted
the purchase of another farm, and the
Enlargement of his fruit business.
Meanwhile the planters around him
we're many of them impoverished by
low prices for cotton. The veteran
who had called him a lunatic was re
iuced TO such straits that one or tive
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.
Oauion