The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-10-16
In The Wrong Direction.

Navaso,a Examiner.
The Galveston News, with the best In
tention no doubt, has again offered prem
lums on the best articles for the diversi-
fication of crops as 1t did last fall The per-
version innocently made by writers then,
OF what WIS rsalIy meant by diversified
ton might well discourage another ef-
fort in like direction. Even the News
seemed TO misunderstood It's own PROPOSE
ton In admitting the utility of most of
the articles contributed, while wandering
off from the true purpose of the proposed
object; most of the thousand and one sug-
Gcstlons then made were both Impractical,
costly ana ch2ngeful OF the whole system
Ol souunern farming; the farmers became
80 bewlldered they dropped The wno.e
question:, and as "a result, a supposed larger
cotton crop than ever before, has been
fa!sed this year. In illustration OF what
We say, We may further say that hsn-
ponds, while impossible as 1--WE hundred TO
enc. are yet OF long growth. the same oil
orchaiNs, while ~ was an imlnel latt
exigency that was wished TO be provided
TOR. AS TO 'on. ons, potatoes, tomatoes, etc..
suppose the state should turn it's attention
10 their production with the market from
Ole TO TWO thousand miles away. what
would be the consequence? Universal giut,
failure ana dlstress-anu even lar worse
than "all cotton That field is already
fuzzy occupied, and such articles are very
cheaFip price, those that can not be raised
carly are supplied by the canneries of the
year before. But worse than this, II would
be an abandonment OF the best one money
crop and OF the most universal demand,
In the world, OF which the South has a
practical monopoly, and All that Is neces-
sary Ia to plant IL Properly, for making
cotton farmers ale tho most prosperous
| agrioulturists on the earth, just AS they
we're forty years ago.
! The articles spoken of in these papers
to the News last winter. every farmer
should have for homo use, with somethn +,
for the local market, as far as he could
! poSs .ply provide them, both as & money
saving and money making consideration,
to say nothing OF their dencecy and COM
fort The evident purpose of the News is
commen6able, and Is therefore pardoaable
for any mistake in the trend it has taken.
Not ono city editor in u thousand has
any practical knowledge of farm life, its
comforts. It's drudgeries, its necessary
methods, it's general economy and its sue
cess. They think of a fifty acre farm just
as they do OF a hundrod-foot lot In the city,
whereas tse economy ara methods of the
two are almost perfectly autipoda.
litte humorous book. as treatise on
country life, as pracuced by a retired city
merchant. In which there was a devilish
sight more truth than burlesque, THE
Sparrow Grass Papers" which we recon-
mend to the News.
AN farm crops should be raised on a
parity. one is properly necessary TO the
other. while no one should trespass on
the others. Tho first object should be to
raise a home support. without this. all
farming Is fa9luBe, TO thNt, ana even
to n greater extent. Every farmer krows
what Il '7home support means, without
being told, while in the South cotton is the
leading money crop.
The Creator has wisely adjusted peoples.
cllmates and productions and wa can not
violate these laws with impunity, So far
as We can see, cotton will always be the
leading commercial ana domestic staple
of the world. The South has practical
monopoly OF II, but dare not raise 1t out
Of proportion TO other necessary articles.
urless at cost of ruin TO the producers, just
nss