The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-01-06


carry and carry and carry and pos
sible may ultimately. as in thousand
cases. be obliged to take the farm, for
which he has, no use. and under boil
weevil conditions Is difficult to handle
profitably upon q tenant system.
Under cash system there will be a
great reduction in the sales of some
staple foods such as bacon, potatoes
beans. lard, vegetables, canned goods
hay. corn, etc., all articles that carry
the low profits. The farmer Is rarely
hoarder Of monsy and IL he saves
two thousand dollars or more by pro-
ducing all his feed supplies at home
he has that much more to spend when
HIS crop Is made. and 1t Is cash.
Under q cash system the farmer
will buy with his surplus more dry
goods. clothing, shoes. furniture, etc,
for his family. better teams farm i'm
plements. wagons, buggies, ETC., on
which there Is much greater profit for
the merchant than on staple articles
of food. The merchant can turn his
money In thirty days. instead of year.
Ten per cent. clear profit turned
monthly is better than 12O per cent.
gained annually. Some Of the farmers
increased income goes into permanent
Improvement to enable the farmer
to produce more and spend more an
nually.
Again, there Is something about
raising cotton. tobacco. ETC.. to pay
debt. that saps the vitality of the
farmer and Affects the quality of his
tillase. 1t really lowers the grade of
farming. IF upon the other hand the
merchant will Join with us in urging
farmers TO raise all their food supplies
and try to produce by better tillage
double the crop per acre they now
produce, the result as 1t affects the
merchant will be this:
All business will soon be on cash
basis and the volume will be three
or four times as large from the farmer
alone The advent of more money will
bring diversified industries among the
farmers and eventually will attract
manufacturers to the market towns.
II there are little farms in the coun-
try. instead Of calling meetings for
the purpose OF raising funds to secure
immigration. call meetings to encour-
age the farmers who know the coun-
try and are loyal to It. to universally
adopt the following plan: First, pro-
vide their own food supplies from the
farm. Second. double the average
product on every acre under cultiva-
tion and let each worker on the farm
use better teams and tools. till three
times ~ many acres as at present, not
in the one crop but in variety q
diversified and profitable crops. ThiS
would cause an immediate demand
for more land and would provide the
money to pay for 1t. This makes ev-
cry man on the farm more than six
times the industrial power he now Is
and gives him a love OF the farm.
This Is better than to leave him In
disbursement and secure immi-
grants to come and buy him out.
! should not speak SO positively,
only ! have observed for a quarter
OF century that where the Southern
merchants have changed from an
advance system to cash system.
they have prospered very much more
then In former years and the number
OF failures IL immensely less. or
course. 1t is not meant that there
should be no credits. but practically
there should be little necessity for
them until the crop Is actually ready
for the harvest. then trade becomes
cash transaction. Or better still, the
farmer can get his money from the
bank and pay cash In all cases, II
there is lack of ready money.
The advance system bears down
upon the cotton farmer with special
hardship. His crop Is either sold at
once or forced to the gin and the
warehouse so as to secure loans. If
the cotton farmer Is not forced to
sell to raise money or pay debts he
VIII store his crop on his farm and
market at his leisure. which is In the
interest OF all parties.
1t appears to me. therefore, that
the farmer will Immediately gain
when he produces what he has hith-
erto bought In the way of living. He
Is not compelled to sell his crop i'm
mediately upon the harvest. When
he does sell he trades for cash. The