The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-05-10
ADVICE TO NEGROES.
One of Their Number Says, LET Us
Make Much of Farming


Make Much of Farming"
BY r. r. Wright president of Georgia
State Industrial College.
1t is now trite and commonplace to say
that the safest and surest way for the
negro to get foothold in this country
is to own a piece of the soil. To increase
the number of farmers among us is 20
Increase the ratio not only of comfort,
but Of opportunities for other avenues of
livelihood.
All peoples who have made any con-
siderable progress along the line of pros
perity have begun by owning and filling
the soil. The Saxon tlllers, though os-
tracised and driven by their Norman con-
querors from every other avenue of liven-
hood excepting the filling of the SOIL nm
ally became the masters of their conquer
ors, and are now claiming to be the mas
tiers of the world.
The Dutch in the Netherlands are a
good example of what thrift and enter
prise can do They have had to literally
battle with the ocean for land upon which
to live. BY endyking and draining they
have increased their acreage from S,76S
square miles in 1888 to y 73l in 1877. In
one place they have, by the use of sand
or clay, turned their marsh-earth into
great flower gardens, and in another place
by the use of clay they have converted
their marsh land into beautiful vegetable
gardens. Thus they have built up and
improved their land by shifting from one
place to the other just such soil as each
section of their country needed most. Per-
haps their is no country IN the world
xnba he "A +
er difficulties and with greater industry
than the land of Holland. With an area
equal to that of Maryland. Holland sup
ports nearly four times as many people
as the old Line state. BY their
thrift large percentage of Dutch own
their little homes and cultivate their gar
dens and truck farms to the highest de-
gree.
An equally striking example of what an
Industrious and enterprsing people can
do with their land is mentioned by Presi-
dent Wilson of the Washington and Lee
University: But IL is the kingdom of Den
mark. with a population of 900 900. that
presents the most striking example of "A
purely agricultural country, that has adj
vanced from among the poorest. 20 be- in
wealth per head, the richest country on
the continent, and that in all the period
of depression, has given an affirmative an
swer to the burning question. Does Farm
ing Pay" A full story of this achievement
and description of the organza ton of
the Danish farmers would extend this
paper beyond permissible limits.
This kingdom swarms with cooperative
societies. In every parish is a co-opera-
tive dairy; and there are bacon-curing So
cietes, societies for breeding and rearing
cattle, horses, pigs and poultry for bee
keeping and fruit growing The grea,
driving wheel for all this is the Royal Ag-
ricultural Society with branches I'm every
county Whatever aid Is granted by the
state. and the grant is large, il is given
not directly. but through these voluntary
organizations of the farmers themselves
When the competition of foreign grain and
meat began 20 threaten their prosperity
these farmers. guided by their own intel
ligence and the advice of experts quick
ly changed from cropping grain. ex.
porting live hogs and cattle, to dairying
bacon-curing, egg-raising and other small
industries. They took the London mar.
ket solely by Offering the best brands OF
butter and by catering to the English taste
in the fattenlng of their hogs and the cur.
ing of their bacon.
I'm less than twenty years dS90 their
exports of butter alone to Britain reached
a value of 100000 an export, relative
populations considered. equal to our en-
tire export of all articles, even in this year
of phenomenal export trade. The export
of bacon was about half in value TO that
of butter; and there is a steady growth in
the quantities of these ana other products
sold abroad"
It is easily seen from these examples
what can be done on a farm / beg par
don for quoting once more, from the ex-
perience of a farmer:
"My farm consists of forty acres, TWEEN
ty-five open, fifteen in woods. Last season
on this farm l produced 800 crates of
strawberries, 100 boxes of asparagus, 500
crates of cabbage, 500 crates of toma toes,
100 bushels of canteloupes. This crop a
failure. Had two-thirds ruined by rain;
1900 binds of oats. 1.1O0 bushels of wheat,
800 bundles of fodder. 225 bushels of corn,
80 bushels of stock pears. 60 bushels of
sweet potatoes. $50 gallons of syrup, wa
termelons, garden truck in abundance.
425 chickens. southern Poultry Journal.
1t is not necessary 20 ask why the col
ored farmer cannot do as we'll; for there
are a number of colored farmers doing
quite as well. The fact is, we want more.
We want the hundreds of idle and starry
ing colored people of the city to find en-
ployment on the farm. We want the hun
dreds of colored men who are planning 10
leave the country to know that they can
do far better by remaining on the farm,
where their lives are purer and healthier
We want the entire race to understand
THAI the farm must be our base of sup
plies in this contest for existence.
There are several reasons at pres
ent why il is easy for the colored man TO
get hold of country land. For the past few
years the low price OF cotton has great
by depressed farming. On the other hand
manufacturing in the South has Increased.
These two facts are the reasons which
tend to take white labor from The farm and
10 make far ming land cheap
Hence, now Is the time for colored men
to get hold of small farms. Large farms
are not necessary. Buy between fifty and
hundred acres of land. Raise only those
things that can he eaten or traded for
something TO wear, or sold in the neigh
bornood or in some city near by. The man
who raises on has own place sugar-c9ne,
potatoes corn, hogs, and chickens, even
ii he cannot clear much or any money,
has at least a nome and the necessities of
l,fe. Such a man ought to hold his own
and live in comfort. W.n the colored man
do this? VIII he begin at the bottom? WIN
he he content 10 ill his lille farm while
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