The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-02-02
FARMER AND PLANTER
TIMELY THOUGHTS.


Before Maturing Plans For Next Year
Scan the Mistakes of the Past.
Before developing fully the plans for
the coming year, it is well to look back
and scan the mistakes of the past Con-
ceit often makes us attribute failures
to every other possible cause than our
own folly, ignorance or Incidence.
Everything is to blame but ourselves.
This is human nature, but it does not
help us to make better crops. 1t keeps
us in the same old easy-going steps. in
the same old ruts. Each successive
year we repeat our mistakes, and lay
the blame for failure on the weather or
something else. What boon the
weather Is to the poor farmer. All his
shortcomings are hidden away in 1t.
One almost universal mistake is the
cultivation of land too poor to pay any
profit. On the rich lands of Arkansas,
Texas, Mississippi and Alabama, and
with the increased production from the
use of commercial fertilizers In the
older states thrown In, the average crop
of cotton does not exceed one bale to
three acres. Is it not perfectly clear
then that very large quantity of the
poorer land planted in cotton must
make less than one-third OF bale to
the acre? But suppose the yield to be
one-third of bale to the acre, is there
any money In it? The present season
a bale OF cotton will not bring on
an average more than s2s, which is
equivalent to $3.50 gross per acre. Now
set over against that, interest on land,
taxes, cost of preparation and cultiva-
tion, including stock, implements,
smith bill, picking, ginning, bagging
and ties, hauling to market; and in
many cases storage, insurance, COM
missions for selling. etc. After de-
Quoting these, how much will be left9
Suppose you make eight bales to the
mule on say twenty-four ncres. The
wear and tear or annual depreciation of
a mule costing $3.50 is SIS; the interest
on his cost dollar more, say
$40, which, divided by eight.
makes 81 a bale for horse
flesh, to say nothing of the cost Of
feeding the horse. The picking of a
bale of cotton will cost nearly s40O
the ginning So 90, say $1,000 for wear
and tear of horse flesh in making. and
for picking and ginning one bale Of
cotton, or for one-third of bale yield
of one acre) S3.33. Can you bring the
cost of preparation. planting, blowing
and hoeing of an acre under $500?
Again we ask is there any money in
that? On most farms the whole cost of
provision crops Is properly charged bic
to the cotton crop, also, because the
former bring no direct income
they are consumed In making cotton;
and what is left to pay for your super
vision, your own worry and trouble,
and the exhaustion of your land. We
are perfectly satisfied that less than
an average yield of half bale to the
acre win not pay, and that will pay a
very moderate profit only.
Here it may be asked, have southern
farmers then been getting poorer; have
they made no money raising only q
third of a bale to the acre. As a
whole, we have no hesitation in say
ing that they have not made money.
Some have. Those are. First, those
having farms naturally rich and spe-
cialy adapted to cotton, and who culti-
vate them with hired labor or withcrop-
pers. Second, those having lands that
cost little. and have rented them for so
much cotton per acre. Third, the small
farmers who do their own work and
utilize the labor of their young chill
dren. Those of the first class, who are
unusually good managers, and who
have been fortunate to secure good
laborers, have made some money. Iso-
lated cases may be found here and
there. The second class make good
profits whenever they watch their bust
ness closely, get tenants for. whom
they do not have to make advances,
or tenants so Industrious and
thrifty as to be able to pay out.
But their apparent profits are
reduced sharply by the running
down Of their lands-tenants as a rule
neither protecting land from washing
nor manuring it. The third class, by
utilizing the labor of their young chill
dren, get moderate compensation for
their own labor, but make very small
profits. The last, as class, have prob
ably done better than any other.
Against the above three classes who
have made some clear money stand the
numerical majority, who either have
lost money or merely paid out.
Those who have lost money are
in debt, probably their farms
mortgaged. Alas, how many OF
these are to be found. Others who
have paid out have lived poor, enjoy
. ing few of the comforts, except the
rudcst, and none of the luxuries OF
life. Our farmers. as . rule, work
harder and live poorer than any othe,
class. And yet the cotton crop bring.
. a large quantity of money into the
south every year. Who gets the bene
fit of that? The farmer least of all
the merchant, the banker, the cotton
factor; the railroads get the Ion.