The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1895-06-11
CIT OUT OF THE OLD RUTs.

Our people ought to diversity. Get
ont of the old ruts and try new things.
Don't think that everybody will follow
YOU. If they do some of them will be
so long starting that they will never
get in sight of you, if you are ahustler.
Youths Companion tells the following:
A farmer in the Southwest,
having come into possession Of a small
p~lantation 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 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 strawberries and other
fruit on a large scale, and, so far as
possible, to make a living from his
farm by producing his own food sup
plies. He began with a 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 neighbo1s demonstrated with
him, A Southern planter, they said,
who did not raise cotton, tut devoted
his energies to SIN I'll fruit and truck
ing" would be of no account socially,
while inviting financial ruin. The
young farmer was warned that In
breaking the customs and traditions OF
the cotton belt he was lowering his dig
nifty 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
counting, and was engaged to him.
You're acting like a lunatic!'
growled this veteran. "What can you
do without a cash crop like cotton
Where can you find a market for your
strawberries7 You are as mad as G
March hare"
THE finest varieties of berries will
grow here to perfection. l can make
arrangements to serd them by raj
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
ishing the planters here, as you well
know. Why should l raise cotton
without profit for the sake of what GU
call social prestige9"
"Well sir" was the angry reply, iii
you are bent upon going on with your
crazy schemes, you shall not drag
down my daughter with you. She il
a cotton planters daughter, and shall
not be a truck farmers wife"
AS the daughter sided with the father
the engagement was broken off. The
young man, undismayed by the disap
prevail of his neighbors, carried out hil
plans with resolUte determination. The
experiment was successful.
He was obliged to be patient as we,
as determined, and the result was tina
he was soon obliged to double his straw
berry acreage. He then introduced
raspberries as a crop to follow til,
straw berries. The result has been tina
he found his profits warranted tn,
purchase Of another farm, and the en-
largement Of his fruit bushnell
Meanwhile the planters around hin
were many of them impoverished b,
the lew prices for cotton. The veteran
who had called him a lunatic was re
duced to such straits that one or tw,
of his children went into the fruit
farmers field to pick strawberries il
their season fer the wages they nigh
receive. Every one now is convince
that there was method in the youDt
planters madness
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