Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-01-14
BOTH SIDES OF THE
TENANT QUESTION
The Doing of Nine Tenants Detailed,
and II Reason.

ihS boiiS VI -NiiS tenants Dctalleu,
and Reason.
| am "back-to-the-lander and a
one-mule tenant farmer, and the
facts herein narrated are cleaned
from experience and observation
Taking from the land as much as
they can, and returning as little as
possible to maintain fertility, is
"grab-all' game usually practiced bv
farm tenants. Just as long as the
majority of landowners favor one
year term Of farm tenancy this land
skinning" business will continue, and
yearly grow from bad to worse
If it were the prevailing custom to
rent land for a term Of five years or
more, wide-awake and progressive
tenants could then build up and
maintain fertility of soil by cover
crops and crop rotation, with a sure
prospect Of reaping at some future
time savings of present outlays.
If our present system is bad where
shall we look for the cause-to land
lord or tenant-to one or both?
think the tenant is chiefly to
blame. True some landlords will en-
act their pound of flesh, but | dare
say that the majority will meet a
good tenant with hustle" written all
over him half way and more.
To prove my assertion, that in the
majority of cases the fault lies in the
man behind the plow, | will recount
the doing of nine tenant farmers in
this neighborhood the present season.
All but one were farming lands own
ed by the same corporation, of about
the same quality and on the same
terms. The crops grown were corn,
cucumbers, Irish and sweet potatoes.
| will designate the several tenants
by the letters A, B, c, D, e, f, G, II,
and |.
A is four-horse farmer, cropped
90 acres, and now drives a touring
car. Last year from the products of
the same land he purchased 400
acres of unimproved land. A native
Alabamian, an agricultural college
graduate, wide-awake, hustling and
energetic.
b is a two-horse farmer; came
here from the Middle West this
spring. Has done well, thinks of
buying land, but will farm the same
land again, and may justly be term
ed an all-round hustler.
c came from the Northwest; crop
ped ten acres with one horse. Has
since purchased a farm Of his own
and will farm more extensively next
year. Is Industrious, efficient and
prosperous.
ID, and were "back-to-the-
landers," came from the orth and
farmed about ten acres apiece. PAY
days turned out poor and very irreg-
ular, and II hours of labor in the
field per day did not appeal to shop
men. Actual results were so far be-
low estimates made on paper that
they sold what they could and re-
turned North-poorer in purse, but
III lGuCe.
G is native one-mule Southern
farmer. Had SIS when he commenc-
ed farming about Is years ago, and
has seemingly accumulated nothing
but a large family. Plows the land
as a Land skinner" would, about
three inches deep. Takes life easy.
works when he feels like it. If the
crabgrass takes his crops he evens up
matters by cutting the crabgrass 70
hay. Thinks "book larnin'" Is USE
less and farm papers expensive and
worthless to man that has farmed
all his life.
II is like G, only more so.
is the writer, who expects to farm
the same land and more, and hooes
soon to be classed as a two-horse
farmer.
will tell how l find time to keen
up things about the place so that
strangers passing think | am the
owner: Cutting out an occasional
trip to town gives me ample time for
needed repairs to buildings and
fences, keeping premises in order,
cutting weeds, etc. Perspration and
little self-denial make strangers he
lieve that | am not tenant farmer
| don't believe in spending my time
going about telling what some one
else has done. find it more profita-
Dle to show people what | can do.
Now, if all tenant farmers tilIed
the land and cared for the premises