The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-12-22

know a prosperous section where
the banks are full of the money Of
farmers and where, when town
merchant wants to borrow money,
he goes to the farmers for it. And
these farmers have nice homes, hig
barns, fine stock, and buy less fer
tilizers than the cotton farmers 10,
while their lands have steadily in
creased in productiveness Here, on
land that was in my memory consid-
cred about worthless, a farmer made
this year over 1900 bushels Of corn
on thirteen arces Of land from
turned-down crop Of crimson cl,yc-,
and that farmer invested some Of his
profits in farm in another part Of
the county for $4,000 cash, and all
made at farming.
That farmer is a money-lender
and makes a small fortune every
year because he farms and does not
go in debt. He works seventy-five
hands on his various farms all sum-
mer and twenty In winter and If you
should talk to him about a two
horse farm or four horse farm he
would not know what you mean, for
he works all the horses he needs all
the time and figures on the amount
of work to be done rather than on
the number Of acres to a mule.
Now that prosperity has come to
the Southern farmers, why should
they stay In debt and let their money
lie In the bank bringing no interest?
II you have gotten out Of debt, now
Is the time to stay out. Instead of
adding more acres. put your means
into the Improvement of the acres
you have, be they many or few. What
we need Is not more land in cotton.
but more cotton on every acre and
fewer acres in the crop and more in
the auxiliary crops that will help us
get more money at different seasons
and thus keep out of debt. A farm
ing community that remains in debt
these times is community that has
not risen to its opportunities. When
see farmers wagon backed up
to supply store and loading bales
Of hay and bales Of cottonseed hulls,
know that there is a man in debt,
man who is simply growing cotton
for the merchant and who belongs to
the merchant and fertilizer man as
much as II bill of sale had beeen
signed for him. I do not need to
see that mans cotton nor his corn,
for I know that the man who buys
feed for his stock has little stock to
feed and little manure to enrich his
land, and that manure Of the poor
est quality. like his stock.
But when I meet a man on the
road, as I did some time ago, with
a wagon-load of drain tiles hauled
by fine and well-fed pair of horses.
l know that there Is a man using his
Drains, and man who has the cash
to spend for the Improvement of his
land; for tiles are a cash article and
are not shipped to men who do not
pay their debts. I at once want to
see that mans farm for know there
Is something there to see, and that
he has not a patch of corn here q
patch OF cotton there. with broom
sedge waving between and every hol-
low in the field full of bushes. and
a crop lien on his poor crops. He is
able to buy and lay drain tiles for
the Improvement of his land because
he has gotten on a cash basis and
can draw his check for what he
needs for the further improvement
of his land.
Buying on credit will keep anv
FARMER poor, and in this time Of high
prices every farmer should get ont of
debt and then keep out. A man call
Ing himself a farmer wrote me re-
Gently that cowpea seed are so high
he wants to know what else he had
better buy to SOW for the improve
ment OF his land. Southern far
mer complaining Of the high price
or peas is evidence that he Is not
farming we'll The high price of
peas should be as welcome to him as
the nigh price of cotton. for he
should always have some to sell in
stead of buying; and he should have
corn to sell, and oats and potatoes.
and should welcome the high prices.
Do not take the risk Of putting all
your land in cotton next spring and
argue that you cannot afford to grow