The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-29
Changes in southern Farming.

A change in the way OF farming pur-
sued by the average cotton planter is al
ready beginning to appear, says Hon
Jud Pierce in American Agriculturalist.
This change is not entirely matter of
choice, but a necessity. The wasteful way
of buying supplies needed by man, beast
and field in the making of crop is barely
possible with fair price. This, it is true
is materially better than early in the year.
and a reason for encouragement. Yet with
present and prospective competition on the
part of such foreign cotton-growing coun-
tries as India, Egypt and South America
not to speak of Southern Russia, the fact
remains that the industry at home must
be carefully guarded.
The average cotton planter cannot drop
cotton If he would. His land, his tools
and his labor are especially fitted for this
staple. He must produce cotton more
cheaply. To do this he must first concen-
trate his crop on a few acres. Only as
much will be planted as will, with such
fertilizing and tillage as he can reckon
on, give fair promise of a crop that will
pay for itself Next in Importance, 1
think, is the buying of supplies for cash
only. The present system of advances
on the crop amounts to more than % per
cent! interest. and no legitimate business
can pay so much. The decreased acreage
by decreasing expense will help the cash
plan. 1t Will also give more time for other
crops; more time for a good garden and
truck patch; time for field of early corn
or sorghum to feed the mules, with some
for the COW and pigs; time to plant cow
peas on part of the land not in cotton;
to raise patch of sweet potatoes; to SOW
a field of winter oats; and to do a great
many other things for which there is no
time when every nerve is strained to put
in a big cotton crop.
In this way the cotton produced will
belong to the planter and not to the mer-
chant who has made advances on the
crop. There will also be something for
the subsistence of man and team as a
start for the next campaign In this there
is nothing particularly brilliant but It
is at least a start, and it is the start that
counts. With money on credit, the change
at the start might be more radical, but if
the average planter had money on cred
it he would not be seeking a change.
During the next year the average
planter will cast about for some other
crop than cotton. Some-those near a
railroad stationary decide to try mel
ons or peaches, and grapes, or cabbage
and potatoes, for shipment TO the early
market north; others-those far south
upland rice; still others-those well north
apples or wheat; yet others dairying or
fattening cattle or hogs, or some one OF
hundred other lines of farming. For
there is no crop grown outside the trop-
les that cannot be successfully grown
somewhere in the cotton country While
only a small per cent. of planters may de-
eide that they can profitably make an
entire change from cotton to some other
crop, yet a very large per cent. will, when
they study the situation, see how they
can well combine some other crop or line
with cotton. Besides deciding how to d.
versify, our planters will, during this
first year of attempted change from all
cotton, study up the matter of crop ro-
tation and deeper tillage,-for the two
will go together.
The next year and following years.
cotton viii not follow cotton. but between
viii be grown cowpeas. crimson clover.
corn or potatoes. the system settling after
a while into a rotation in which cotton
will have a prominent place, but not the
whole place. This will allow humus, now
the great lack Of most cotton fields, 20 he
put In the soil. As humus IS put in. the
poF VIII year by year 60 deeper until a
sufficient depth Is reached. Meantime a
part OF the acres--the quilted part. n there
be gullies-wiA be put In permanent pas