St. Tammany farmer., 1905-09-16
FARMER AND PLAN I TER.
LANDLORD AND TENANT.
4 story Tiiustrnfins How Many o
the TroubIen Complained of
May BE Avoided.

the TrOubieB Complained OF
May BE Avoided.
Most of the troubles of farm life In
| the south, and how to avoid them, ars
suggested in the following story, which
is taken from true characters of the
writer's acquaintance.
A farmer, whom we shall call Mr..
Thompson, owns "a big farm in Mad
ssen county, Georgia. He is big
hearted man, and was considered a
good farmer after the old methods. He
had his farm arranged in one-horse
crops of about 40 acres, with a house
for each tenant. For many years his
hands made about ten bales Of cotton
to the plow, which was one-fourth to
one-third bale per acre. It took all, at
best, to pay for guanO, meat, corn, flour.
n.olasses, etc., and afforded only q
hard strained living at that. His. land
got poor, washed and worn. His white
tenants became discouraged and went
to seek work in cotton mills and else
where. His colored laborers had run
into the habit of attending all the fu-
nerals meetings, pic1ics, secret orders,
etc. This necessitated conveyances,
Sunday clothes, extra, cooking, sewing,
starching, ironing, etc., for themselves.
Also made much loss Of time, caused
them to be slovenly and discontented.
They had been happy ON 40 cents day,
but now this became high and unprofit-
able labor for the farmer, and INSULT
cient for the modern wants of the Ia
borers. They began to go to the brick
yards, rock quarries, sawmills, rail
reads, ETC., where they could get 75c
and 81 a day. The old-time house
servants, male and female, were gone.
M. Thompson had to worry with his
field work, stock, tools, his fencing,
buildings, and everything else cut OF
DOORS Mrs. Thompson could get only
poor help at a high price, even in time
of sickness or other emergencies. Be-
sides there was so much lounging, loaf
ing and idleness it was unsafe for her
to be alone even in daytime. All these
we've stubborn facts which all saw, but
few could remedy. Naighbors were
renting out their farms and moving to
town, there to be without employment
for themselves and children. Their
incomes got smaller and their farms so
dilapidated that it was sad even to
see them.
Mr.. Thompson's flexible, practical
Judgment and good-hearted, sunny,
Christian disposition suggested some
thing different He experimental on a
small scale until he finally resolved to
adopt the practical, intensive, scien-
tific methods of farming.
At this time q man whom we shall
call Burrell was tenant on an ad-'
joining farm. He was industrious and
honest. As with most others Of his
claes, he had such poor crop, his
landlord agreed for him to give it up
and raove in August He was so ac-
custo1ned to discouragements that he
had drawn his face one-sihed into q
habitual frown His wife, though
young, was stopped and faded; his
children shy and forlorn. This poor
an cut and split wood in the old fields
from August to October. Then he went
to Mr.. Thompson for a home for the
next year. Mr.. Thompson told him that
he had decided not to allow more than
20 acres to the plow. Mr.. Bur1ell would
be glad to live with Mr. Thompson,
but he feared he could not pay out with
so little crop. Mr. Thompson told
him that there was lots of la1d there,
but If he would take that and follow
his advice he would sign contract
that IL he did not make coed living
he would give him what was lacking.
He took his word for it. Mr.. Thomp-
son let hil,l have a wagon and team
to move with. When they arrived he
made them q visit and found they had
brought all their belongings at one
load. Mr.. Burrell presented note
drawn for $50 the $3.50 odd money hav-
ing been left off, in favor of the man
he left, it being the balance Of pro-
vision account. Mr.. Thompson was
asked to sign. No, he was sorry that
he (Mr. EurelD, was not able TO pay
for honest meat and bread, but he did
not propose to do more than he had
contracted.
He sent them food and other imme
diote necessities from his home. In
a short time he handed them SIS, and
told them to go to town and buy what
they needed They hesitated in taking
wha. was to them such a big sum SO
soor. When they returned Mrs. 7. in
vited Mrs. B. over to her home, that
she would be glad to assist her and
give her the use Of her sewing machine
in making the winter clothing. She
gave them some spare milk and butt
ter and other things which they them |
selves could not use. After Christmas
Mr.. T. asked Mrs. B. whether she would |
like to have a COW, and about pair Of |
his thoroughbred pigs. o, yes, Of
course they would, but they feared they
could not afford SO much. Well, said
Mr.. T., it is true your account is now
s125, bur I promised you living, and
you shall have it. He advised them to |
send their children to school all win
ter. In the meantime Mr.. B. had got
the privilege Of Mr.. T. to get the mule
Of another of his one-horse share crop
pers to plow half the time. He thor
oughly prepared with turn plow and
subsoiler three of the 20 acres for
wheat. borrowed some cottonseed and
them, bought some acid
phosphate and potash. his half OF |
which he paid for in doing some car
penter's work during the winter. He
harvested the grain, which was 40
bushels to his half, and sowed the stub
BILE IN peas and sorghum for his cow. :
MI. T. had furnished all the plows, the |
grain drill and binder, SO also his
mnvar and hay-rake The other half |