Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-01-27
AND PLANTER.
A SERIOUS SITUATION.
The Cotton Planter Has Laborcd Tor year
and Probably Comes Out Deeper
In Debt.

In Debt.
A most serious situation confronts
the farmer. He has worked and Ia
bored for n year, and at the end OF IL
finds he has made nothing, possibly
has sunk money. His debts are as big
ms they ever were, and his taxes are
greater than they ever were. An
economic and political problem
stare him in the face. He must change
his farming plans and methods, and
he must work for reduction Oh pup
lie expenditures. AS TO the economic
problem, one thing is so patent that IL
calls for no thought or discussion-he
must raise less cotton. reason ana
good sense have suggested this Tor
years past; facts, hard stern iac's'
now COMPEL it. The average farmer
| has been slow to learn the lesson put
necessity now beats 1t into ms heao'
he can not deceive himself any long
err. Change or bankruptcy are the TWO
horns of his dilemma. What can ne
substitute in the place of cotton, is the
great economic problem now before
him. II is one which calls for the pro-
foundest thought, the deepest study
and one about which conclusion
must soon be reached. The new year
will soon he here, and work in new
directions must soon begin. "A sec
ond point in the economic problem Is
just us apparent as the one Already
: mentioned; namely, he must devote all
the land, labor and other things requi-
site TO raise an abundance of home
supplies. This is an old song, but IL
can not be sung too often. The WIS
dom of substituting a full supply OF
provisions for it's equivalent in cotton
is MS plain as the MONDAY sun. No
one will dispute it. 1t only remains
To 90 to work and do it. The details
in carving on the substitute will vary
somewhat with ones conditions ana
surroundings. In the extreme SOUTH
ern portions of the cotton belt, 1t may
y not be practicable to raise wheat, but
in those regions rice may take the
Mace of wheat, for If lowlands are
not universally available, upland rice
can be cultivated with success. And
: rice can very largely take the place OF
c wheat. 1t can be beaten or ground
; into flour, with which great variety
of breads can be made We speak Oh
y this point from wide experience.
In the mountainous and northern
e nortions of the cotton belt where TIT
. tropical sugar cane can not bc grow
" sorghum can be, and strip and ever
sugar obtained therefrom. Corn cal
he grown everywhere, and wher
:, sweet potatoes do not thrive the IRIS
- potato fiourishes. Milk and butte
=, can be had in all regions, and SO ca
- chickens and eggs. With an abundan
. supply of milk, butter, chickens an
eggs farmers family can dispens
with almost all other kinds of an
=. nal food. There is vast room for e'
20 pansion and development OF the dair
, . and the poultry yard on most farm
20 and they call for very trifiing G.
penditure of labor or money. 1t b.
;, hooyes our farmers to awake to IL
possibilities in these directions,
do place of going to town to buy westel
Wv pork. Another available source
:. cbeap wholesome meat is the raisir
OF the European or domestic rabbi
49, They breed with great rapidity al
- thrive in confinement. yard fence
with wire netting and a cheap shelf
',.' to supply dens are the outlay needle
~ The goat is also worthy of more
y, tention as IA source of cheap and e
ccllent meat. He will live where
- most any other animal will star'
and wire fencing combats successf,
w. ~ his climbing propensities. In ma
=, regions sheep can be raised succe
,ho fully and supply both excellent me
for the table and wool for mon
~ crop. Beef, of course, Is availal
-. everywhere. The difficulty in consu
- ing whole carcass in hot weatl
may be overcome by establish
~, neighborhood clubs, the members
~ which kill animals in succession a
divide out, rotating the choice paI
la Some hog, of course, must be had.
there is no need. and he should not
y. ;, allowed to monopolizc the meat hou
WI W., A few pigs dropped in early spri
%" and pushed through the summer
~ crops easily raised, and which hi
Wv been discussed heretofore in tn
columns, will be ready for slaugh
"n the ensuing winter and furnish
,,nr needed supply of pork at very CHI
,on. figures. Added to above supplies
;t food vegetable garden and an
~ chard can make the farmer almost
ron dependent of the outside worl'
Southern Cultivator.