The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-03-27
ON A 0NE-HORSE FARM.
Some Practical Thoughts for Farmers.

In an CQltOTlal arIlCle pIlHtcu lcM
weeks ago the Carolina Spartan tried
to. settle the question of the cost and
profit of running cotton farm by
hired labor by practical illustration,
as follows:
"Farm labor is never worth more
than it will produce. When it re,
uuires as much or more than a hand
can make to pay his wages the farmer
is losing. The way to get at what it
is worth is to make an entire crop
with hired labor and keep correct
account of every item. Take one.
horse farm as a basis. The first and
second rate arabic land of this county
will come into the account. Let the
whole crop be planted in cotton with
hired labor. The account will stand
about this way
Rent of 80 acres........" "........""S w OO
Mule and feed six months....".." 4S OO
One nlouoh hand six months........ 72 90
Three tons of ruano. o..................... 72 00
Sixty bushels planting seed. .......::. 9 OO
Assistance in distributing fertil.
izers and planting. 10 Oo
Two hoeinps at SOC, an acre. 30 90
Tools and Gearing. ng..,,,.,,,...,,... so
Picking 700 lbs. to acre at 4Oc....... 81 w
Ginning and bagging for Is bales
cotton at 81. l.5O..."......"..... Y 5O
Hauling to gin and market......... 10 00
Total cost. ...........S4GO %
"In the above estimate one sack of
guano is allowed to the acre and only
two hoeings. 1t is considered that
one hand and horse or mule will do
all the ploughing. The credits will
stand thus
600 lbs. lint cotton at 5c.........S3oO 90
II, ,OOC lbs. cotton seed at $40 ton... 10 90
Total...................... ....".$42O 90
"Putting the cotton at 5 cents and
the seed at Is there would be loss
of $40 on this one-horse farm. The
yield of cotton, 700 pounds to the
acre. is above the average yield OF the
county. If less than that should be
made the loss would be greater. If
800 pounds of seed cotton to the acre
should be made then the credit would
be $3.50, against total cost OF s4ol,
or an even stand off. y
1t is drawing near to cotton planting
time, and a study Of these figures may
be useful to some cottontot who pro-
poses to "try it again with "all cot
ton" and hired labor. The calcula-
tion possesses further interest, how
ever. There are very many farmers
in the State-thousands Of them-who
do most Of the work on their crops,
only hiring help on a pinch, as in
picking time, when they cannot draw
on the family reserve for that pur-
pose. 1t would be useful and perhaps
encouraging to that class, and of gen
eral interest, if some one of their
number, or any practical farmer, would
90 over the Spartan's calculation ant
Show how matters would stand at the
end of the year with the farmer who
does his own work, if he started the
year with say 1000 pounds of cotton
seed from his last crop and enough
corn and meat to feed his family and
his mule, and undertook to make an
other cotton crop on fifteen acres and
raise corn on the rest and raise his
meat again-farming on land that be-
longed to him instead Of being rented.
It would be fairly good land that
| would be worth $40 an acre or s6OO
for the thirty acres. The interest on
that sum would be only s42, or less
than half the rent named to begin
with. The James Island farmers,
and some others who have tried the
experiment, have found sweet pota-
toes, sorghum, etc., much cheaper
feed for working mules than corn, and
quite as satisfactory, so the cost of
| feed which the Spartan gives would
| also be materially reduced-perhaps
half. The hire of plough hand for
six months, s72, would be saved out
right. If cotton seed and other home
made fertilizers were used the charge
for three tons of guano, another s72,
would be saved. So would the cost OF
| two hoeings, $50, or part of it. So
would part Of the cost Of picking the
cotton. These several savings would
amount to 5000 or $3.50. Suppose,
besides, that the fifteen acres of cot
| ton were we'll fertilized and worked so
as to make nearly bale to the acre,
and that the extra cotton seed were
used to feed all the hogs they would
support and fatten, and one or two
beef cattle-how would the account
stand at the end Of the year, the corn
crop being held as stated for the next
year supply Of food
These questions and suggestions
afford basis for an instructive COM
parison with the Spartan's estimate,
and it would be of timely interest to
have such comparison just now. We
should be glad if the Wateree Prize
| Club, for instance, or any of our farm
er friends who are given to figures,
would supply it for the enlig htenment
and encouragement of their fellow
worker who is trying to run a "one,
horse farm by one-man power, and
that one man himself, ,-News and
| COurjer