The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-04-10
A Plea for Ribbon Sugar.Cane.

To the Editor of The Neus and
Courier. I am never anxious 20 in
trude my views upon the public
through the columns Of a newspaper.
However, I have for a long time been
a subscriber to and reader Of your
valuable paper, and I certainly appre-
ciate your efforts, now and in the past,
to improve the condition Of our South
land. While rejecting on the very
stringent times through which our
country is now being called upon to
pass I have concluded to write you a
short article for publication, with the
hope of directing attention to some
thing from which, | trust, some prac-
tical good may result.
There is nothing more certain than
that our people cannot raise cotton at
five cents a pound, Notwithstanding
some writers to the contrary. The
man who thinks so has never raised
cotton with hired labor. If these
prices are to continue and our people
continue to grow large crops Of the
staple it is only a question Of time
when the country will be bankrupt.
This. will either be the result, or the
laborers will be reduced to starvation
wages. Then we will have the pauper
labor of Europe here, of which some
politicians are so fond of preaching.
In such an emergency what are we
to do? Are the people Of the South
not equal to the occasion Our farm
population must farm. But if we
continue to plant cotton, as in the past,
as the population increases every year
the acreage will be extended and the
crop will be swelled in amount and
prices must go lower. Then we must
find some other crop. What shall it
be2 I suggest that it should not be
simply one or two or three things ;
but every citizen who has observed
and studied should come forward and
contribute his experience, and out Of
many suggestions the country will
sooner or late solve this problem.
Have you ever thought of the rib
bon sugar cane as substitute in part
for cotton =? Hundreds Of thousands
of gallons of molasses are used every
year throughout the cotton belt that
are bought from other countries and
paid for at extravagant prices with
four and five cents cotton when we
could raise at our homes a better grade
than we buy, and at a profit besides.
This, know, is not the true home Of
the ribbon sugar cane. It is child
Of the tropics, but it will grow here,
and with intensively high manuring
will beat cotton as money crop at
any price which cotton has brought
during the last fifteen years. This is
true unless all the farmers with whom
I have talked during the last few years
are mistaken. This is one industry
that is beginning to attract attention,
but it has not received the prominence
to which it is entitled.
Small areas of land during the past
year on nearly every farm in some
portions Of Darlington County were
devoted to this crop. 1t is also plant
ed to some extent in Marlboro and
Chesterfield, and perhaps all the
lower counties of the State. From
inquiries made among farmers I have
come to the conclusion that by inten-
sively high maDuring from four hun
dred to six hundred gallons and even
up to one thousand gallons, may be
produced from one acre Of ribbon
sugar cane grown upon our warm,
light lands. But to do this it will
require warm lands planted early and
very high manuring. In fact, the
manure must not be spared. But it
will pay. There are thousands Of
farms throughout the State on which
areas were devoted to the cultivation
of this valuable plant during the past
year.
have talked to farmers in gener-
al way wherever I found this crop cul.
tivated, and from what they. told me
Of their. experience I have, in every
instance, come to the conclusion that
it could be made one of the valuable
crops of our State if our people could
be made to realize it. [ have written
this with the hope of inducing your
valuable journal to make thorough
Investigation of the subject among the
farmers Of the State who have engaged
in the industry. If you will do so and
any good shall result from it may in
the future be tempted to write some.
thing else on similar subject.
SUBSCRIBER
Chesterfield, January Is, 1895.