The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1899-01-11
The Negro. Ridden Planter.

The same lands upon which people
amassed fortunes before the war are
now lying idle, overgrown with pines
and more or less washed iHto gullies
The creek bottoms upon which grew
as fine corn as ever greeted the eye
of Joseph in the land of Egypt, have
gone to waste. The beds Of the
creeks have been overgrown by
bushes, the streams have filled up,
and the bottoms are now covered
with water or are too wet for cult
vation.
Vast stretches of fertile lands are
here waiting for the coming of more
labor and more capital-not waiting
for the departure of the limited
amounts of labor that may now be
found upon the Improbable fields
Our streams have been filled up,
and their course is now the width of
the valley, and with each succeeding
rain the valleys become great seas
and additional deposits are being
made upon shem. If these creeks
were ditched the bed of the streams
would be so lowered that the bottom
land would again become profitable.
x * X x
Abbeville county has in the past
suffered by emigration.
Before the war, the small land
owners and other "poor white trash, ;"
were encouraged or forced to go to
the west Thousands of white peo
pie of this county, under pressure,
or from force of circumstances. went
westward before the war For sew
eral years after the war great mass
of our youog white men left tie
negro. ridden State for new fields of
usefulness.
This is the gloomy picture which
the Abbeville Press and Banner draws
of agricultural conditions in those
parts of its county from which the
negroes wish to emigrate, to the
alarm and distress of the white land
owners.
By coincidence, the same day
that brought us this jeremiad brought
as also statement of experience in
dealing with just such conditions in
another state. We quote from an
article by Col. J. B. Killebrew, a.
NJ, Ph. D in the Southern Farm
Magazine for January:
No more striking illustration can
be given of the great benefits to be
derived from q diversifcation of
crops than to detail what has taken
place in the central and southern
parts of West Tennessee within the
past 20 years. There is region of
country of which Humboldt, Tenn.
is the centre, that 20 years ago was
devoted mainly to the cultivation of
cotton and corn. The average farmer
of that region at that time aspired to
be planter. He rejoiced in seeing
many broad acres in cotton on his
farm He was ambitious and indus
trious, careless and energetic. He
cared for no crop except cotton. He
did not try to raise his supplies, but
stoutly maintained that he could
buy them cheaper than be could grow
them
As for chickens, eggs, butter, wheat
bay. fruits, meats. in his estimation
these we're all little things. aad cotton
woald buy them. Cotton was the grand
mogul of all the crops It controlled
all and bought all. x Gullies
might wash on his farm. fences might
rot and houses might fall to decay. but
With all this cotsou must be raised. A
big crop of this staple supplied all other
deficiencies and relieved every calamity.
What if the land should be exhausted
in ooe place. a large crop Of cotton
would bay fresh fields with virgin soil
in another. Preserving the fertility of
the soil and improving it By rest aud
rotation might do for the farmer else
where. but time vas too valuable to be
wasted 10 this way by the average West
Tennessee cotton planter 20 years ago.
x x He would crop cut his laod or
rent it, payable 10 cotton, which be
seemed to prefer even to money. He
was willing to buy mules, 70 supply
proveDder, to advance provisions oo the
faith Of the cotton crop. but Of nothing
else. * *
But the evil day came wheu the
cotton planter of that regiou could 60
longer. make himself comfortable at
home BY devoting his attention to one
crop. His lands we're s'erilized.
Great guliies coursed themselves down
every steep slope and made the land
in many spots Dot only uuproduc'ive
but im passable for teams. Something
bad to be done Many farmer