The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1900-02-07
1gEs qEs rAaagsa LISTER !
20 the Folloaing Goss E7eellenfsA6'
vice from the Cotton Plant.


the South are standing just now at the
parting Of the ways, and upon their
decision will depend to great extent
the policy and plans Of a generation.
Cotton has given them more money per
pound than for any year in decade,
because the crop Of last year was raised
for less cost per pound, and hence there
was more clear money realized. Be
sides the average farmer was IN pet
ter financial plight than ne has oeen
for ten years, because he has Oeen
nrscticing economy and raising his own ON
food crops for man and beast. l ne
money brought by his cotton crop mas
bao1 more oearly surplus than any
vss- Vss since the inflated prices that pre-
ys;IaS inst after the wsr, when every
thing was booming along that line, and
the con,agion Of going into debt took
hold OF the farming class and held 1t IN
a firm grip fc7 twenty years.
Conditions are changed for the better,
and nearly every farmer will admit that
the best plan is to raise supplies on the
farm, make as few obligations as possi-
bic, and cultivate only enough cotton
to call it 8 surplus crop. The large
acreage in wheat would indicate that
the fs,ners are determined to stick to
the policy which has in large measure
brought them out Of debt aud planted
their fee, on solid ground, but there
are signs that many of them arc weaken
ing and vacillatiDg at the present time,
which would fcrebode a return to past
conditions and restore the ruioous mau
ageuent of affairs in the South. One
Of these signs is that the fertilizer COM
panies and agents are generally report
ing larger sales than usual, aud the in
ference is that the fertilizers will be
used on the cotton crop. This may
not he true in every instance, but the
large majority Of farmers are not yet
adeots IN the use Of commercial ferslll-
zers for any other purpose than raising
cotton.
On the threshold Of another year
the farmers in the South should make
haste slowly about putting their trust
too much in cotton. What guarantee
is there that prices such as sre now
prevailing will be realized next fsll7 A
craze on planting cotton this spring
will inevitably lower the price ii Sep
tenber, and already the speculstors are
beginning to use the increased purchase
Of fertilizers to depress the price of cot
ton futures. Will We never learn that
the world is combined against the
Southern farmer to get his cotton for
the least money, and that every factor
which indicates larger crop is used to
our dissdvautaae? The sensible sud
pointed remarks of Mr.. R. T. Nesbitt,
Of Georgia, which We print in another
column, gives needed information and
advice, which ought to be taken by all
the farmers Of the South. His coun-
sci in regard to the farmer putting him.
self into position whereby he will not
be forced to sell cotton early in the sea-
son is worthy Of careful study. The
bonded warehouses may not be accessi-
bic to every community, but there are
few towns in the South where the farm
ers cannot make arrangements with To-
cal banks and merchants to get ad-
vsnces upon cotton after it has been
baled, and thereby prevent the SUsh OF
the crop to the interior markets early
in the fall. There is no doubt that
the advice given last fall to hold back
cotton aided to great extent IN rsis-
/ ing the price in October and November,
! but concert Of action among the farm
ers through banks and merchants where
bonded warehouses do not exist will
have a like effect another season.
| Let no one be deceived by the pres
ent prices Of cotton, which would not
yield near the profit this gear than was
realized from the crop Of 1899. Not
only will the farmer have to pay more
for his fertilizers, but as prices have
advanced all along the line, his labor
will cost him more than last year, and
he cannot buy mule for anything like
the price paid one year ago. His
plows will cost nearly hundred PEI
cent. more than they did last year,
and all machinery used on the farm
has advanced pot less than 6fty per
cent. Agricultural implements and
all else bougat from the stores will cost
more this year, and it is matter OF
impossiblity that cottoa can be grown
as cheaply as last year, or in fact that
any kind of farming can be done in
1900 at the same cost as in 1899. Far
mers who are so unfortunate as to buy
provisions this year will feel the effect
keenly every time they enter store to
eat their supplies.
viii the farmers listen to the wsrn-
ings Of their best and most reliable
counsellors? Or will they ignore the
facts staring them in the face, and
plunge headlong into course which
cannot end in any other way than dis
appointment and disaster? The Cot
ton Plant to the full measure of its
influence wishes to svert the calamity
that is lying just ahead, and recognizes
with intense satisfaction that sosue of
the farmers in South Carolina are pre-
pairing to fight the trusts by organizing
their forces in due season. Still the
great masses Of our people are supinely
yielding to what they consider the de.
cree Of fate against them, when By IL
telligent and earnest effort they might
teach lesson to the fertilizer trust
that would benefit them for many years
to come.