The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-02-15

Walter S. Flagge, Greensboro, n. c.
We often read and hear the ad-
vice given to buy small rather than
large numbers of acres, and farm in
tensively. Also, If you are the owner
OF large number OF acres to sell
some Gall but about 40 or so acres)
and raise as much on the remainder
as you did on the whole tract before.
Now l am going to say something
that will brand me as ignorant on
the subject on which 1 write; but 1
am very we'll satisfied that J. am not
without justification.
What the average Southerner
wants Is not fewer acres, but better
equipment. The man who owns only
40 to SO acres can not afford the
more expensive labor saving machin-
cry. With the man who owns so few
acres no matter in what state Of cul-
tivation, the corn harvester that cuts
and binds the fodder by machinery,
the hay baler the grain binder, the
four or six-horse gang or disk plow,
the corn shredder that shreds the
fodder and husks the corn at the
same time, as we'll as the power to
run 1t economically. and dozens of
other things are luxuries that must
be left entirely alone, or on which he
must pay some Of his enighbors a
handsome profit for their use. Is not
this thing entirely true?
The deeper significance Of this is:
First, the small farmer must either
count his time as worth less than the
large number Of acres would en-
able him to pay his hired men; or
he must receive a higher price to
pay him for his time that is used to
produce these by hand work of the
crudest sort. Second, he is compell-
ed to leave some things Of profit un-
done or pay that profit wholly, or al
most wholly, to another. Third,
some things which if done by ma
chinery, are pleasant work, must
ever remain drudgery to him. be-
cause Of the lack Of proper equip
ment or the reasonable justification
for such equipment.
On the farm. the mans wages are
whether this man be owner or en-
ployee. So with the large and more
modern Gas we'll as more expensive)
machinery the pay roll is very mate
rally decreased. With some Of the
machinery mentioned above one man
can do the work Of from to IL men
Nth the smaller machinery that the
little farm could afford. And, with
out some Of these the work for which
they are designed Is entirely i'm
possible.
While l am a firm believer in the
theory Of intensive farming, l do not
believe in the wholesale advice to
sell off land down to 40 or so acres.
and farm this intensively. Many
Southern land owners own as much
as 500 or 1000 acres Of good-gade
land. We'll. you say, these fellows
ought to sell some. Maybe they
should; maybe they shouldn't. 1t
depends largely on the individual
under consideration. If he has rea-
son to believe he has the business
ability to manage a farm, / care not
whether he has the immediate CAPT.
tai at his command or not, he will
come more nearly not making a mis-
take by holding, than by any other
method, if he likesl farming as a
business and is willing to devote his
energies to it in a conscientious
manner.
He must then take this proposition
up as any other business. Prepare
in good manner 5, 10 or 20 acres
just whatever amount his pocketbook
will stand-for intensive farming.
These few acres, we'll improved, will
serve as a profitable nuclous for
other acres that are then sure to
follow. Each year will then see
larger number Of acres added to the
list Of highly productive acres, be-
cause he will have more money to
go ahead on; also, he will see that
1t Is good business policy to go on
thus. And it will surprise the man
who gives this an honest, business
like trial, how short will be the time
between the start and the time when
he will have all his land in the high
est of cultivation.
The only question is: "Will you
sell your acres for from $40 to $40