The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-11-09
Diversity and Prosper.
A Dallas letter to the Chicago II

wax, belt of Texas-the richest agrl
cultural section of the State-hav'
deserted their mature cotton crops be
cause they could earn more money oJ
picking cotton for wages than by gath
ering their own crol and paying the
rent. This has forced landlords upor
whose hands rented farms were thrown
back to import negro labor from soutt
Texas to pick the deserted crops; ano
the cost of picking, which at the be-
ginning of the season was 35 cents 9
hundred pounds, has advanced to Of
cents. Reports from Arkansas tell Of
similar conditions there. The acute
distress caused by four-cent cotton
may easily be appreciated when it is
stated that the average cash yield OF
the staple at this price is less than S.
an acre, gross. Out Of this the ten
ant pays one-fourth to the landlord,
and, if he hires the cotton picked,
about So an acre goes for that expense.
The net result to the farmer is. less
than 81 an acre, and this pittance is
more than exhausted if he is COMPEL
ed to hire help to plant and cultivate
the crop. The best authorities agree
that the day when cotton would pay
wages to the producer passed when
Che price dropped below seven cents a
pound"
| This seems to be somewhat exag-
gerated statement, but even allowing
for some coloring there is enough in 1t
to give pause to the cottontots OF our
own State. If cotton has fallen to a
price which benumbs and disheartens
Texas itself what folly it is for South
Carolina 80 persist in relying on it!
Here we have not the rich soil OF
Texas and must go to heavy expense
| in fertilizing our cotton fields. Be-
cause Of our local mill demand and
our greater proximity to the northern
and European markets we receive a
somewhat higher price than the Texan
planters do; but the difference is not
sufficient TO offset the advantage they
have in their far more productive soil
they can make more cotton at less
cost than we can. Moreover: Texas
determines the price of the crop, and
this we cannot do. So great is the
industry in that State, and SO vast is
the yet implanted area adapted pecu-
liarly to cotton culture, that it is now
and must continue to be the cheapest
producer of the staple; and the price
will fall to the figure at which Texas
can afford to make it.
If all our 1,OOO,OOO-bale crop were
wiped out it could hardly make a diff
ference Of half cent pound in the
price Of the remainder, 80 we cannot
encourage the hope that even concert
ed and successful action in South
Carolina to reduce the crop would
have an appreciable effect on the
price. We ought to look at it from
another standpoint, from the stand
point Of the individual, each farmer
for himself-and let each for himself,
without regard to the action Of others,
resolve to rely no longer upon crop
which is 70 longer profitable.
South Carolina has not the excuse
of necessity which States farther west
have for planting mainly Of cotton.
Her soil and climate are adapted to
many other farm products and nature
points to her ultimate destiny as a
State of agricultural variety. She has
much variety in soils, in climate, in
elevation. She is near the great mar
kets where many products are in de-
mand, and she is with her mills build
ing up important home markets. How
many things besides cotton she can
raise at profit! The whole range of
farm enterprise is before her-tobac-
CO, hay, wheat, oats, rice; fruits OF
many varieties, vegetables of all
kinds; dairy and apiary products, cat
tie. horses, hogs, sheep, poultry;
corn, peas, cane, sweet potatoes; the
list is endless. Everything that the
north can produce and many subtropi-
cal products are within our range.
All produced now-to a limited ex-
tent-but cotton to an unlimited de-
gree. What but lazy conservatism
and timorous temper prevents us
from extending our attention to all
these products and others besides,
while giving cotton no more than
fair place in the list?
This State is to be, must sometime
be, State Of small farms and greatly
diversified products, and the sooner
we resolve to meet our destiny half
way the sooner We will prosper. There