The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-07-08

q
4 m in stocks and beads is chat NE q, get our
| diyiadnds Niitiii,out labor { on our paft.!
n We cultivata cotton or CORR ws must ia
hire hands, buy mules, corn, hay. be-
con and pay gblseksmith ailla. Ie ss
she end cf the year these expenses ex.' s:
ceed The sates' 'tlie land has basn worth
less than nothing to- ns. n 4 If slsere
sheald be : sm=i.ii 11sofis asftsss ali oar
expense and tsoable, Ghen she laad
has . small value 10 us. But IL Nc
put down the eI1aad in grass che work
10 done for . number Of years. IF il
Yields only . ton Of hay to ths acre,
and its aalsble value be only $50 per
Iton, with expsnses or S5 for curing
and selling, We have net profit Of 1915,
(which is 10 per cent on $50, the ac-
tual value Of the land. The only la
bor IN the case is the QUITTING. curing
and baling the hay. With the horse
mower, tedder, rake and hay litter
this expenss is not more than 90 per
ton. What is the difference between
the Southern plantation and the Bel.
! gium farm2 Il is this: Two-thirds
OF the latter yields handsome return
without labor, while not an acre Of
the plantation pays cent without the
Iiu77e Of coatly labor. A small, we'll
Fmsnured and we'll cultivated area Of
land in cotton and cereals, and large
proportion ii forage plants and grass.
es, would give to the planter q pleas
ure in his business and profit which
he has never known before.
There seems to be little to choose as
TO climate at,the South. In each Of
the plantation States we have three
different climates--that OF the noun
tains, the middle country aud the
coast. For live stock the mountains
have the advantage in the summer,
the low-country in the winter, while
the middle. country has a share Of
the advantages and disadvantages Of
both.
+ The lands most likely in the judg.
ment Of the writer to produce heavy
crops Of Timothy and herds grass hay
are the rice lands Of the coast. They
are very rich and have ample command
Of water. IF The rice planters would
apply to tbeir land the agricultural
system OF Lombardy they would attain
. value Of which they have not dream
ed. The Maroite lands. or lands in
grass, irrigated in winte--, near Milan,
rent for from $50 20 s100 per acre,
while hay sells at $40 per ton.
h 10 young men at the South entering
upon agricultural life grass farms Of
fer great Inducements. They require
80 little labor and SO little outlay. If
q return mpat be had the first year,
grass seed can be sown with small
grain--the whole expense is then the
cost ofsthe grass sesd. Afterward the
farm will provide for all its own ex-
penses, The pleasure Of life on q,
grass farm Is incomparably greater
than on Q plantation devoted exclu-
siyely to cotton The latter exaots
orr whola time; the former gives leis-
ure for reading, study. and the ameni-
ties Of social life.
Sound political economy requires
that the South should raise its own.
horses, mules, catsls, sheep and hogs.
and produce its own wool, butter,
cheese and hay.
When. We add these productions to
our cotton, rice and sugar wes shall.
perhaps live more independently than
any other people in Christendom.
Grass culture is the basis of this in
dependence.
The well known authority of the
late Mr.. g. NJ. Howard on this subject
should be Gil that is needed to,induce
the more enterprising farmers of the
State to5lay down some land in these
two crops, following carefully the in
structions given as to tbe way Of
planting and their subsequent care,
beginning on Q small scale, and seeing
themselves that the preparation Of the
land is thorough and the directions
carried out. and not leaving tito some
field hand, as was done last year by .
plantcr ,whc procured alfalfa seed and
|. gave it to one Of his careful hands TO
[splant. finding out after iaarda it had