The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1904-02-27
FARMER AND PLANTER.
YOU MIGHT DO LIKEWISE.
How One Southern Land Owner Met
the Contingency Of Having
Idle Farms.

AS l have been silent reader of
your most valuable paper for many
years and have often thought l would
give is many readers a little bit OF
my short experience as tiller OF the
soil, though something always pre-
vented me from doing to until now,
and if this does not find its way to the
back door I may try again in the near
future. l have been living in little
town for 81 years, and all the time
have never plowed a day in the field.
Have always rented my farms out to
tenants until this year, and as last
year was almost a complete failure
with farmers through this section,
forcing many good tenants to go to
public works for a livelihood, unless
the landlord would furnish them from
the start. This many of us refused to
do, as we were already in the hole,
and many as we'll as myself were
forced to move out on our farms or
let them lay idle, and as taxes were
high and many other expenses accu-
mulating, this we could not afford to
do. / for one made the move and so
far l am not sorry returned. Yes, l
moved. l found house with three
rooms, one fireplace, not a porch, win
dow, doorstep, door lock or loft in the
house, nor a surplus piece OF plank
around, as all had been burned. Every
thing looked alike to me. 1t was but
oh hoH 70 in,
whole situation and soon realized that
l had the hardest job on my hands
had ever undertaken. Well, ] acted up
on the presumption that where there
is will there is always way, so
rolled up my sleeves and waded in up
to my neck. began to look to see
what was most needed. l got lumber,
built two rooms, ceiled overhead, built
hall, veranda, put in new windows,
doors, doorsteps, cleaned up the yard,
extended my garden, planted out my
fall onions, got. up lot of good win
ter wood, of which l had plenty, built
myself big fire, walked up and kissed
my better half, one of the best little
women in the world, and said: "Old
gal, can now see what can do, have
done all this with my own hands, not
hiring one cents worth" My wife's re-
marks were: You have done exceed
ingly well, though here we are with 45O
acres of land in this place and it is
almost Christmas and not one foot
rented. Also our other plantation on
Coosa river laying idle. | can hardly
see what we are to do" Never mind,
old gal We are not the only ones with
idle lands. The woods are full of 'em.
am going to work what | can and
let the balance lay out" Eyes, but idle
lands do not pay taxes, etc" We'll, we
wiu get through O. X. Let's not cross
the bridge until we get TO it"
Well, after Christmas l began to
make preparations to make a crop.
bought set of blacksmith's tools and
my better half laughed at me and said,
why, my dear, you do not know any,
thing about this kind of work" My
answer was, "One never gets too old
to learn" and have done all my farm
work, such as wagon, buggies, plowe,
shoeing horses, ETC., and have saved
about $50.
I took the "Cultivator's" advice. /
planted lots of corn, planted Is acres
in cotton and i'm June plowed it all up
and planted corn and peas, and my
were fine for good corn and
pea crop until the five weeks drought
we had the latter part of August and
This cut me short of
abou. 400 bushels of corn and 600 OF
800 bushels of peas, though while l
failed on one hand kept good time on
the other. l have saved about 40 tons
of as fine hay as ever was cut Will
make plenty of corn to do me, lots of
fine peas, sorghum, etc., all done by
myself, had no experience in the farm
myself and three little boys, who, like
Cor Southern Cultivator