The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1899-10-04
THE LONE CALF THAT WIPED
OUT ADEBT.

gives II following interesting
story
Dir True, director of the experiment
station of the national department Of
who has just made a tour
OF inspection through most of the States
OF the Union, makes an observation
which is highly significant, although
not i'll the least pleasant to the ears of
the people of the South.
In speaking of his observations to a
representative of the Associated Press
DIR. True says that he found the farmer
much more prosperous and hopeful than
in former years. "Their financial con-
dition has greatly improved, and the
prospect for still greater improvement
Is good. The most important exception
to this state of 1tfairs,' says Dir. True,
sis to be found in the cotton growing
States of the South"
The reason assigned by this onicia! for
the condition of things in the South is
the same that has for years been appar-
ent to all observing people in this sec
ton and which has been discussed and
rediscussed until the public has become
%throughly tired Of it-too much cotton.
The cry for less cotton and more food
crops has gone out for years from press
and platform, and, viewing the cotton
belt as a whole, it would seem that the
cry has been UNDECIDED. But in some To-
calities the long sought for change is
taking place. 1t may not be appreci-
able at first glance and the points where
the new system invades the old may be
80 widely scattered as not to attract II
considerable attention, but 1t is never
theless a fact that diversification is
gaining a stronghold in many sections
and this is especially true of upper
Georgia.
The coming in of the new order of
things is shown by individual examples
all through the Piedmont region. a
young farmer of Gordon county tells a
story that it full of interest and valuable
suggestions. He says:
"Six years ago | was making all the
cotton | could with a little corn thrown
in. L did not often make corr enough
TO do me and frequently had to buy
when spring came and pay II big price.
L could not for the life Of me, sec where
all my money went. | was always hard
ur. | could not buy the things my wife
and children actually needed, and every
year | got deeper and deeper iii debt.
We all worked hard and did not spend
anything foolishly, but somehow or 9TH
or we never could get out of debt much
less get any money ahead.
"Aly little farm of eighty acres was
very hilly and poor. 1t cost me -four
dollars an acre when l bought it and |
still owed $40 ON the land besides
| store 1nhtS pnl nth,,. ,l1;.ot;,,, - H.
amount OF Sl25 more, making a total
Indebtedness Of $500. The thing trOu-
bled me Il whole lot and | had about
made up my mind to quit farming and
go to ~rallroading when my way of doing
was changed by accident.
GA few years before | had turned Out
III acres on a steep hillside, because il
had become so washed that could not
cultivate it. 1t soon grew up in grass
and weeds, and some stray sprigs of
bermuda got Il start ut the uppcr side OF
the field. | paid no attention to the
abandoned field for two or three years.
and in the meantime the bermuda had
worked down the hill and covered sew
eral acres.
Gone hot summer day when | was
blowing over my cotton for the last
time, and Wondering how much decp-
er in debt [ would be a ycar from that
date, a neighbor came along and
SAID to me:
'Bill, I'vc got a little old mul,y
call over yonder my wife wants to get
rid of. The thing is sick, and she is
afraid it will die at home, and she don't
want hat to happen. If you'll go after
the thing you may have it,
81 told him l had no place to put il,
didn't feel much inclined to fool with
sick ycarlings, anyhow.
"'Put it over there in that old scdgc
field he said, pointing to my aband-
oncd hillside, which now appeared n
wilderness of weeds and briars, with
big patches of bermuda here and there.
L told him that L didn't feel like foollno
with it, but if he would bring the calf
down II put it into my scdge field I
would give him half the money l got
for it if L sold it, or half of the beef if |
slaughtered it myself. He brought it
and put 1t in the field. A. creek ran
across one coner, which furnished wat
er, and / paid no attention to the calf,
fully expecting it to die. 1t didn't die.
Ho"Hfoi, out Inc way III grew II lat
tened was astonishing. BY the time
cold weather killed the grass he was a
n animal, and when a Colorado drov-
err came along in December he paid me
SlO for the animal without a word. OF
course l had to plank over to my
nelghbor according to my promise, but
L thought what a fool 1 was for not
going after the calf and making the So
myself.
"Well, / did a whole lot of thinking
about that time. L had SIS which it
seemed had been given to me. Icould
count the hard ticks and the bitter toll
which every cent of cotton O n cost
me and my children, but here were five
Sood sound dollars which had not cost
any digging, and blowing, and sweating
in the sun-had not cost anything
and somehow they didn'tscem to be-
long to me. l sat down and figured the
thing over. l asked myself why | could
not have something else making money
for me while L was making what /
could with the plow and the hoe.
"That winter l bought about a dozen
calves from my neighbors from prices
ranging from $3.50 to SO, and used
money oughtto have paid on my land.
L cleared the weeds and brushed off the
pasture and enlaropd IT, Tho born,ud. |