The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1903-02-19
BH Professor W. & Johnson.


ihr marvellous growth Of this Great
country has no parallel in the history
of the world. The Stupcnd0uS strides
We have made during the last century
arc unique. The world wonders a; Gur
success. Naturally many Of MS see and
lhlhk only OF our immediate surround
'lgS This is particularly true of
FARMERS. We boast Of our agricul, ,ural
supremacy. but few Of us could tell
what has produced il If the question
were asked.
No one will question The faci thai
the prosperity OF the United States Is
intimately associated with the prosper.
ity Of its farmers. The American
farmer has kept pace with the times
and iS considered one Of the highest
products Of our civilization. With The
unlimited facilities of the main h"hn,l
the plow. the American Farmer is Il
unique figure in this age. Since we
celebrated our Srmi-crntrnniAl ten
years ago, the American farmer n;,S
increased the value Of his products
nearly ninrty-thrcr per cent. No hr,,rr
indication OF his advancement can h,,
made than Il careful study Of The. facts
shown by our recent census report.
There were 5,139.G17 farms in ,hr
''nit"l States up to June, 1000. These
W"r" valued at IG,67I.Glu.2l7: about
lWHnlN-onr rrr rriIr. represents tho
value Of farm buildings. while nearly
SrNrnlH-ninr per cent. shows the value
or land and improvements. Farm i'm
pl"mrntS and machinery were valued
a'f SIil.2Gl.; 80. while the live Srucl;
represents %3OIS.O .OI0.Ui1. Adding his
value to that Of The farms "ivrS Il ioiai
value Of the farm pronrrly Of about
S20.h14. Lob .S3S. In round numbers we
have 16.9iI,nU0 horses 81 6OJ.Sl1 sheep.
2''',19S.0S5 chickens G2.S7G1GS swine.
l'1"o,iIl dairy cows and 60, I:iS. TT:I1S
other cattle.
Less than sixty years ago the young
nation which started with 1000. ono
people h0aS1"u Il population of l7OOU
ooo Of whom Il large proportion must
nave derived their support directly
from agriculture. The factory system
was III process of organization, 10.
mrStic manufacture was fast declining
toward dcSurtudc. mining was in it's
infancy and agriculture dominated ,hc
~
the South w:lS in forests. the Drairirs
OF the Yves, were dotted with home
St'adS here and there. the plains bc-
yond the Missouri were the homes Of
countless herds or bison AMI the wild
Indian hunted and fought through
most Of the Western half OF The con-
tinent.
IsrPORTANC-; OF COTTON GIN.
No invention in modern tunes hus
had more fur reaching influence upon
agriculture than the cotton gin uf
Whitney. The Yankee sclloolmastcr 1t
has more than trehlrd the Va lnc of land
in the South and the value Of This one
Implement is almost beyond tomputa.
1ion to the agricultural interests of this
country. Formerly the South, which
produced the cotton did not manu-
fncturc it to any great extent until
quite recently. Her invcStmrnt in cot.
ion mills has grown from >2l OOU. 900
i'll 1880 to $125.O0O.0OO in 1850. She
low has substantially 800 mills and
over 5.000,0nn Spindlrs. Her ronsump.
ton OF cotton has grown from T2n.nOO
halcS In 1891 to nearly 1,500,WO in
lS95 The writer was greatly inter
rStcd in thc large number OF cotton
manufacturing establishments being
erected throughout tn" South in 1889,
Thc capital invested in these institu-
lions has grown from S2jT OOG, 900 in
1880 to 81 .OnO.000,OO0 in 1890 In ten
years. from 1880 to 1880. her real and
personal property Increased from 81
G0oO0o,O0) t" 81 1l.i00.OOO, 900
PROGRESS IN FARM IMPLEMENTS.
che plOw is. perhaps. one of our hes,
illustrations Of progress. Ry 4 series
OF trials conducted by The New York
Agricultural Society in 1850 If WAS
shown that the improvements in the
plow had reduced the power required
TO draw il through the soil forty.siy
per cent, AID by similar experiments
conducted ia England forty-two per
cent This was largely due to the greu {
invention Of Jetiiro Wood. who patent
cd the modern iron piow. the principal
feature OF which was rhc special curva-
earth was miscd and turned with the
least resistance. With about 100000
eco acres OF land Under cultivation in
ihH United States, allowing 81 per acre
FOR plowiEg. the Savin" to the farmer
III single year by the Improvement
or thA plOw is close Ia $20OO0O, 600
with more modern and recent improve
ment OF wheel plows. gang plows,
ro'iing conltcra. etc. The saving is
h'"ch @rcnter. 1t is only necessary to
Iccai' inc old bull plows Of our grand
'"tnHrs or 20 have stepped into the OK
Po'l'ioh at Buffalo and compared the
"ld models there with tho modern i'm
p'en'e"'s u be satisfied on this point
EvohurIoS or MOWER AND REAPER.
Fhc New York State Agricultural So.
cicty held mower and rn,ncr ,,i,,
at Buffalo in 184S which scorrolv ,on.
vinccd the farmers of tho srro;.;or;t..
OF mowers over s:ythcs In Is,o
twelve machines We're cxbihito, w.,
tn, State Board of Agricultural IN oh,n
AS late as 1860 tho farmers of NnW,
England held that most Of their forn,s,
wcl> quite to rough for mower on
reaper. Now very little hayng is dono
there with the scythc and practicol,v
no harvesting Of grain with the sickle