The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-08-07

D1versiacd Crops. Better Treatment of
enal and Steady Work, Always Win.

condition of South Carolina farmers.
NE Charleston News and Courier
called upon It's correspondents
tAroughout the State. with results
eAat are instructive. Though at this
soason of the year many farmers who
orr1inarily have money in bank have
Withdrawn their deposits for active
-. reports received show to farm
srr credit over s5.000.O 900. or more
rAan the total deposits of all South
Carolina banks In 1881. But, some
makers having refused information
I'D reports being otherwise incom-
yoate. the News and Courier thinks
s0Aa4 100000 more nearly repre-
uunts the correct total than $1,000
-. In the seven banks OF York
0sunty. just below Charlotte. there is
o9oe.eo0 to the credit Of the farmers.
AZ Rock Hill alone the banks hold
- farmers' credit from $4,000 to
411e.o00. In one Rock Hill bank far
pnsrs have $4,000 to their credit.
And 90 the story goes. We do not
vsnder to md news summary of
0Aeee reports declaring that "the ma
Nsrial condition OF the farmers of the
0lA&e. taken a. q whole, Ii undoubted-
u better than for some years past
enh probably better than ever be-
oors." In addition. beneflt Is expect
- from the recent repeal of the state
LIN law. which made against thrift
and for debt.
The Observer quite agrees with q
spmment OF the News and Courier
1Aat farming certainly pays. and that
= may be doubted whether any other
oosaness pays better. And farming
pecspects become more encouraging
uelll when We consider how much
gocm there is for improvement in
unsthods. Here In the South our folks
40 undoubtedly far behind the east
ogus northern and western farmer In
~ intelligent application of modern
nothods. The Southern farm worker
was lately producing. on an average.
shout one-seventh as much In value
- the Iowan. Almost certainly he
Zoos better than this now. but the
net. for example. thatb y very simple
, scans hec ould double his acreage
yield In corn shows how opportunities
.are still largely unused. Diversified
eson. long recognized to be among his
chief needs. grows. though not as rap
sdfy as Il might.
Perhaps the greatest need of all is
nat the ruin and butchery OF the soil
should cease. Nowhere else on the
xace Of the earth has farming land
been, so recklessly handled as In our
0outhern States. Fields which should
have produced Increasingly rich crops
S0r centuries have often been worn
'ouf-w--hich Is to say. butchered--
within few years. or perhaps even
guilied and washed away. To these
subordinate results cheapness of land
and cheapness of labor both contrib
Used; In particular. the ignorant ne
sro's low efficiency has tended to drag
o0wn the whitem ans efficiency and
exert a most unfavorable influence
npon the ge-Nal standard. Now,
however. the white man Is not rest
1ag content with old ways, and the
negro shows disposition to follow
him. For one thing. land has grown
TOO valuable to butcher. or course
the Southern farmer has had to con-
end with hardships which the farm
or and people of other sections Quite
sscaped; chief among these. apart
from war and It's results. was the lack
- local markets: but when the cot
fen mill began governing competitors
INTO customers his economic salvation
oecame assured.
Year by year the Southern farm
srs position grows stronger. He
shares with the farmers Of the coun-
try at large the benefit of constantly
rising prices for foodstuffs and every
othcr commodity which he produces
Dore and more per acre to benefit by
this situation. He naturally has plen-
" OF brains. and he Is now learning
how to mix them with his farming.
oote agricultural departments and
agricultural colleges serve the South
veil Within the past twelve years
thc department. Of agriculture at
washington. under Secretary James
WILSON,. has done much. Other fac
tors for large usefulness are publica-
tsons like the Progressive Farmer,