The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1899-05-25
CAN'T AS 4 FARM Err.

COttOn-~1tS''k''" "
Field,
NJ, ~ Larry CAN'T has retired from
.,Lia,n mt he wields q racy pen
tho Trco Lance evory week, and
nn r. ono NJ HIS latest experiences as
d farmer: A,o hoo, hard ut
,vnrk on nv farm, and had only tlmo TO
nav two little p0p-calls to town. am
PiiIiop grass and cleaning my crops
whilo tho sun shines, and havo no" my
cotton brought 10 q stand ana tho alrt
thrown back, and my corn roplanted
and worked oyer.
The dry May has boon blessing to
tha farmers for it enabled uS TO catch
An with our work, and got our crops IN
good condition. We are now rcady ior
rain. and don't caro- how soon 1t comes:
Nothing except spring oats has 3olcrco
from the dry weather, but therc !" limo
onouuh for them to stretch up il We get
-. good. sOakinR rain in tho next 10"
davs. Those mOonitcR predict do"h-
no;,r NJ water at y,una's next change
{ don't take much stock in tins moon
huainoss, but since ! haVo shncKoo
suspender, and sport ten Genus h"',
find my3elf fast absorbing the 8npcr5b'-
lions OF my brother farmers, an" Ino
othor day looked intO tho almanac 10
prOpnOsticato rain
This week, in having my crops hOcd
over, had to mako u drA't on tnoso
town darkios to do tho work. occasion,
aI,y would pick up hand VINO diu
mo good and faithful sorvlco, but, iiko
angela visits, they aro Tow ana TAR DO
spnen,: and | will MISC add that when
Won find an od-timo hand, born ana
ralsod in slavery days, you havo an
agricui turai treasure 'ndood' but my
friend, Squire sloan, IL right about
this younger generation OF negroes, for
not ono in ton is worth H'i'ing
ONLY yesterday two coiorod dudincs
from town came out to Hungry Hill to
rhou for me Ns soon ~ ! set eyes on
Tho vair. and SAW the way thcy ducked
thoir roads and noticed the airs they
pp5 ON, I know that thoy wore no good.
I,ut had grassy piece OF cotton to
clean, and made contract by which |
VAS to psy thCm % C0ntS pcr acre, the
usuaI price. In about an hOur J went
0ver TO 500 how roy ebony'huod treas
nros we're progressing with thcir work +,
and found that thoy would hayo no
troubo in getting OVor about tive aCres
apiece by dinner. Each WAS carrying
nor rows, giving ~ lick hore and there,
and ioaying oOshes grass and an aver-
ago of ton stalks to hiii. OF course !
tnsdo thom start back over again, but
With little bottor success. When the
sun began to got warm they adjOur ned
to tho spring and spent the greater
part OF tho day thOro, At night set
lied no with the psir OF town dudines,
,,,t =, hD Il
ton that thoy had evidently missed
their calling. told them that such
fragile, black yioiots were not Dorn to
waste thcir ndor in tho cotton field. but
they should be gracing some Cak e-walk,
or leading On African german. When
I went to measure their days work, |
iound they had haggled over just one
quarter OF an acre, which | will have
to get some uid-fashiOned country dar-
key to Cloan out again.
These dark-hued damsels said they
did not like working by the acre, but
preferred day wages. told them that
know Oi only ono man in the whole
South who could pay Thorn by tho day,
wIthout going into tho hands OF IL re-
coiycr-.Mr. Vanderbilt, just this side
OF hshevitlo; that he had Rn income
OF about ton million dollars per year,
and might possibly bo able to max @
two or three crops with cOlored town
bellies before the sherif closed him
out.
Monday put dozen hands at worl k
chopping cotton, paying them by the
day, and found 1t the biggest swindle
over perpetrated on coniding and
gullible farmer. They zach averaged
about one-eighth OF an acre OF cotton
very foolishly put them all to working
In one squad, and these darkies owl
dently thought that had invited tkon
to Hungry Hin for the purpose Of or
ganiXing q debating society. The,
discussed every topic under tho sun
and exhausted the subject too. hbou
eleven O'Clock they struck religion
and until tho sun went down tho battl
ragged warm and bitter. My squad o
hands woro equally divided between
Baptists and Methodists, and oacl
faction uphold tho doctrine Of it
church and quoted Scripture to sus
tain their positions. Sometimes tn
whole force would rost on thoir hoe
half an hour, while ono Of the leader
would deliver q religious cxhOrtatiOn
| dil my best to break up this religion
controversy by such Biblical quotation
"a IMAM must Darn his bread by tn,
sweat OF his brow" and not by wag
ging his tongue; that "all flesh il
grass" and therefore IT becomes the
duty OF human ilosh to extorminatt
grass, etc, etc. But it WAS no good
Just as soon % my back Was turned the
VARY contest continued hotter than
over; and I gave up in despair, #
took two water toters to supply those
hands and | would 80 soon try to fiji q
locomotive as ono, Of them. Out OF
the squad OF twelve, at least tn roe
hands were absent from tho field all
the time.
That night ! dismissed my Cotton
Patch Debating Society, and made w
my mind that it is q losing business
for a farmor to try and mix Baptists
MethOdists and cotton hoers In She
same field.
/ have only planted about five acre
OF cotton to tho plow, but to got bacl
my expenditures, tho staple will hav'
to bring something like 20 cents pc
pound next fall. have my crops cleal
at last, and hope that suffering time
are about over. I am devoting m
greatest attention to cO,n and provis
ion crops. r.. +. @.