Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1899-02-03
ARP TO TaE
FARMER
Bill Says He Must BE Shift
ty If He Would be
Prosperous.

bANA 4AOu1 lIC DdCk W. 10 (dlll
to Our town with two bales o
cotton and sold it for FIVE cent
a pound. This was his entir
crop, and he was complaining
bitterly to one of our merchant
aud said that the farmers woult
perish to death in another yea
II there wasn't so:ae chaLge 70
the better. 4 mischievou
drummer, Standing by, said
well, my friend, You must qui
rails ng cotton or else buy some
monkeys to pick it out. Owe
i'll India and Egypt they make
the monkeys pick their cotton
and that's what's the matter. 4
monkey will PICK a thousand
pounds day and he feeds or
the seed. So it costs hardly
anything over there to raise cot
ton, and our farmers in Missis.
s1ppi and Texas have sent fol
a hundred thousand monkeys
and they will be over here in
time to pick the next crop and
the price will go lower still, and
if you don't get a monkey or
two, you bad better quit raising
cotton, for YOU can't compete
with monkeys" The old man
took it all in seriously and said :
Well, what is a poor farmer to
do if he hasn't got the money to
buy the monkeys?'
Grow something else" said
the drummer. "Grow corn and
wheat and sorghum and pota>
toes. Plant apple and peach
trees, raise chickens and eggs,
and a yearlin calf or two to sell.
Get up soon and stir around
lively and make every member
of your family work. Work at
something, for If you don't you
will perish out. Go home and
take a new start. Don't sit
down and grumble and blame
somebody else for your poverty.
Quit cotton until you can buy
halt dozen monkeys" The 1nan
went back home and circulated
the monkey story, and for ten
miles around the one horse far
mer have sworn off from raising
any more cotton. That's what
they tell me. They say that before
the war the poor man couldn't
compete with the rich mans
nigger's, and now since he has
lost his niggers he is buyin'
to take their places,
and the poor man wont have
any chance at all.
Of course ther. is no truth in
this story, but there is a good
deal Of philosophy. New meth>
ods, new plows and new ma
chinery are the monkeys, and if
the poor farmer does not work
early and late he will keep
poor. | know some country
women who make more money
on their chickens and
eggs and butter than their hus
bands do On their cotton and
wheat. Little things we'll nurs
ed count up more than big
ones. The thrifty farmer al
ways brings with him something
to sell when he comes to town.
Some fowls, or eggs or potatoes
or a shote or some fruit in its
season. There is a good home
market for all these little things.
In fact, if we leave out cotton
everything the farmer grows
brings about the same old pri>
ces of ten years ago, and every>
thing he has to buy except cof-
fee is much cheaper now than it
was then. Everything that is
made of cotton is SO per cent
cheaper and everything that is
made of iron or steel or tin is
100 per cent cheaper. Beef and
pork and chickens and turkeys
and wood and potatoes and ap>
pies and peaches have not come
down a nickle in ten years. La
Dor is a little cheaper, not
much. We still pay the same
for cooking and washing and
work in the garden. If any
body has a reason of complain
ing of hard times it is the town
people, who have everything
% buy. The farmer who
is not in debt and owns his farm
is better off than he ever was
and the prudent renter can pay
rent and make money farming.
But of course there is large
class of shift1ess unthrifty peo
pie who will not succeed at any,
thing, and they blame every
body for it bat themselves. Cobe
saws that the Lord had to make
poor folks to keep rich folks in
money, and so Cobe is content
in being poor, for it is the Lords S
will. I know folks who have
never planted a fruit tree and
who will not even plant a gar
der Poverty makes some folks