The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-10-19
The Cropping Evil.
Memphis Commercial-Appeat.

All efforts so far by conventions tC
curtail the acreage of cotton have failed
It seems to me that there is way tc
success, and it is by putting an end tC
the prevailing system of cropping. Ar
owner of land usually rents out his
fields to small tenants in such sized
tracts as they individually seem capa-
BILE of cultivating. These tenants pro-
ceed to put in as much cotton as they
individually can possibly cultivate and
twice as much as they can possibly
pick out; then, at harvest, extra pick
ers are in demand, and they being
scarce, are able to dictate their own
terms, the consequence being that the
cotton costs, more than it will bring in
tions cannot alter this condition. Plant
ers meet and resolve to plant less cot
ton, go home, rent out their lands to
croppers and the old game is played
over year after year.
| Is there no remedy9 | think there is.
Let landlords hire labor and pay for it
as it is performed. The merchants are
to blame that this plan has not been
adopted long since. If a land owner,
seeing the evil of cropping years ago,
approached q merchant land cotton
factor) and asked for assistance to
work his lands, in the form Of cash ad-
vance, agreeing to give mortgages on
his lands, crops, stock, etc., the mer-
chant would coldly refuse; he would be
willing to aid with merchandise, for
which he would charge as large a profit
as his conscience would permit, with
perhaps little cash now and then to
paw GOctor's bills and for collins. The
planter was compelled to accept these
terms and went sorrowfully home and
again let out his land to small tenants,
who consented to work after q fashion,
provided they were furnished with
supplies in quantities largely beyond
the actual value Of their labor.
There is large number of planters
with credit so we'll established that
they can get the cash needed and can
work their lands with hired labor. They
can put in as much or as little cotton
as they think it profitable to raise, and
there can be no complaint among the
laborers if they are paid in fullsevery
Saturday night.
Planters too often buy their corn IN
stead of making it. They say it is not
q paving crop, and it is not, when made
by renters. It does not realize as much
10 the acre as cotton, but it requires
ten months to cultivate and harvest q
crop Of cotton, and but five months for
corn, and at less than half the expense
of labor.
Merchantsand factors who hold large
plantations, on which they have fore
closed, may not fancy the plan suggest
ed, as these plantations are dumping
grounds for large quantities of mer-
chandise, but it will pay, even them, to
have responsible managers and pay
their laborers weekly; nor will it in any
way affect their merchandise business,
as each of these owners maintains q
store on his plantation, where, instead
of supplying his people on credit. he
can sell them goods for cash.
AS longas the owners OF large bodies
Of land leave their land to the ignorant
management Of irresponsible croppers,
white and and black, just so long WILL
cotton be overproduced. and soon the
wages OF labor in this favored South
ern land will be on q parity with those.
of the peasantry of Germany, Italy or
Russia. JAMES b. CRIGnEAD.,
Arkansas.