The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1904-12-28
Entered at the postoffice at Laurens,
S. G, as second class mail matter.
LAURENS, y. c., Dec. 2s, t9G4.
Tho Farming Problem.

A peculiar manifestation Of the times
is that several men OF intelligence have
seriously advised farmers to burn cot
ton in order to elevate the price. The
proposition is too absurd to discuss. II
is to be boued that in no individual
case will any cotton be burned. OF
course it seoms INSANITY to imagine
that any large number of farmers could
be prevailed upon to destroy cotton
and unless million or 80 bales were
destroyed the price would not be af-
fected. The only danger Is that some
weak men may be led astray here and
there by these honest but most de-
luded dreams.
We do not advise farmers to reduce
the acreage in cotton next year. We
do advise them to plant more corn and
smal grain and provender crops every
year. We urge now as we have always
urged that the farmers produce all
they consume-so far as it can be pro.
duced in this climate and on this soil.
When the Southern farmers act on
this principle the cotton acreage viii
necessarily be reduced. In other words,
the present proportion of cotton acre.
age on the average farm is such that
other crops cannot be cultivated as
they should be.
1t Is not true that the Southern
farmer can produce cotton ard iuy
Western grain cheaper than he can
raise it even though cotton bring 10 or
10 cents the pound. Here is the rea-
son. Suppose farmer plant nothing
but cotton. His hands and his stock
will be very busy at certain times. Ex.
cept when the cotton fields demand
hoeing, plowipg or picking his hands
and stock will be idle. Every minute
that his hands, his stock and himself
are idle brings loss, just as that cotton
mill on the hill yonder is |, sing money
every minute that its machinery is not
running. Corn cultivated at times
when cotton cannot be cultivated is
therefore all p.otit-every bushel OF it.
Consequently, the problem to the
farmer just as it is to the manufactu.
rer or merchant, is to keep his labor
and plant busy all the time. He should
produce cotton as his money crop but
he should not lei it be "top-heavy"
crop. He should map out plan that
wonld permit him to produce cotton
but his cotton fields should not be so
large that he would be required to
neglect his corn, pea, barley, alfalfa
and pindar fields when they called for
81 of u,1,o ho,
brains enough to make his farm an
'all round" farm, producing many
things and keeping his hands aud his
mules at work on all working days is
the man who Is going to own this
country. Such men already own most
Of it.
We have pointed out a hundred
times that this country affords mar
ket for beef, mutton, poultry, vegeta-
bles, grains of all kinds, fruit, eggs
milk and butter aud hundred other
things, all of which can be produced
easily here in Laurens. Oae may cal.
culate that corn may be produced at Is
cents the bushel in Iowa and that it
costs 30 cents the bushel here and that
therefore he cannot compete with the
Iowa man. That Is plausible. But II
the man here has the land and the
idle land and mules to produce corn,
that corn costs him nothing whatever
The Iowa farmer cannot sell corn in
competition with him.
So the way to reduce the cotton acre
age is to increase the acreage in other
crops that are equally as valuable as
cotton when a loss of time and stoppage
of work would follow from not produc.
Ing them.
1t is foolish and wrong 10 advise the
reduction of the acreage in cotton II
that reduction Is to involve au increase
In id eness.