The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-03-27

A Correspondent Who Believes There
Is More Money I'm Cotton, With
Somo Editorial Comments on the
Cotton Plan.

AS' AuAsoAS' d6Iee WIN Nr.
French taat barnyard manure is the
cornerstone OF good farming; but
the trouble In our system of farming
Is that we haven't the stock to make
the manure. and with the exception
OF dairy cattle we can't see the profit
In keeping stock.
met one Of our prominent farm
ers the other day. and said to him,
Mr.. c., you used to keep q large
flock OF sheep (they were fine South
downs). why did you discontinue
raising them?"
He replied that the price Of NUT
ton declined and 1t did not pay.
But" he said. "the price of mutton
is good now. and IL you are scarce of
labor It would pay you to raise early
lambs for market"
I replied. "Mr. c.. labor is plenti-
full in my section"
We'll them" he said. cotton will
pay you better"
Now. Mr. Editor. this IL the reason
for the scarcity Of stock In the South.
The farmers believe that there is
more money In cotton. and until they
are convinced otherwise they will
continue to raise cotton to the neg
lect OF stock. A number Of our farm
ers have tried the beef breeds, but
have not found them profitable. Our
market for beef cattle is not good,
and we can sell our surplus hay and
corn at q good price. think. our
Experiment Station farms might take
up this matter. and show where tho
profit lies In stock raising in connec
tion with general farming.
Mr.. Massey may be correct in de-
nouncing our system OF farming
without stock raising. but the aver
age farmer Ia not going to change
unless he Is convinced of a profit in
keeping stock. believe the South
will some day become stock k-raising
section. but the farmers can't be
driven into the business. They can
be led into 1t, however. by showing
them THAI 1t is profitable. ]. Med.
Mecklenburg Co.. N. C.
Editorial Comment.-It rather
strikes us that about the only evil
dence needed that stock raising Is
profitable In the South is to be found
In the experiences OF the men who
have tried 1t. II our correspondent
has read how Mr. French has built
up his farm and made money by the
raising OF stock-if he has read the
recent articles by Mr.. Shuford, by
Mr.. Moye. by Mr.. stribling. by MT
Murphy. by Mr. Dumville. and by
many others--he must certainly ad-
NIT that there are some men in this
section who have made stock -raisins
pay.
And Ii passes our comprehension
how any one can talk OF markets fol-
stock products being bad in the South
when the North and West are ship
ping US butter and beef. bacon and
lard. horses and mules all the time
We cannot get Chicago prices fol-
cattle. II Is true; and IL Is also true
that In most cases We could not get
the prevailing market prices for our
cattle IL we had them at Chicago
simply because they are not goot
enough to bring them.
We have never yet seen a farming
section where the farmers who were
making the most money were mo-
raising stock. No section has evel
built up. under ordinary conditions
a permanently profitable system OF
farming which did not have stock
raising for It's cornerstone. Does oui
correspondent really think that we
cannot grow feed for live stock a!
cheaply as can the farmers Of othe,
sections? We ship our cotton-seet
meal to dairymen In Pennsylvania
and New York, Holland and Den.
mark, and they feed 1t to cattle, make
money and enrich their soils, while
we talk about cotton bears and seJ
our land gradually depleted. In al
frankness. 1t does seem to us that n
man can seriously consider the com.
parison between the profits Of tho
Northern and the Southern farmer.