The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1915-01-16
NEWS FROM DALZELL.
Farmers Plant Some Small Grain and
Plan TO Raise Tobacco,

come out at last and some of the
gloom and despondency among our
farmers is being dispel;ed. We have
had five or six weeks of cloudy and
rainy weather and that coupled with
the financial depression has been al
most too much for the average coun-
tryman to bear.
There has been a lot Of small grain
put in, notwithstanding the gloomy
weather, but not near so much as
should have been. A good manv of
our farmers are yet going to SOW.
There cannot be too much of that
crop made this year as we will have
to look to some other crops besides
cotton for a living.
some are going to try tobacco
again this year. They say there is
no money in cotton and thew must
make something as a money crop.
The farmer must make something to
sell as he has to buy more or less
fertilizer and must have something
TO get the money out of to pay for it.
l think our legislature during it's
extra session was very wise in not
passing a total elimination act as to
planting cotton. The reduction of
acreage is all riPt.t and just what it
should be. BY he observance of
that act we will establish a system of
rotation whereby we will not be
forced to buy SO much commercial
fertilizer and yet make better crops.
as well as great diversity, which
means a more prosperous people.
l see there are some people over
the State wanting the reduction of the
acreage OF cotton act repealed. 1t
does seem to the writer, if those reo-
pie ever had any common sense it mas
taken it's departure. We now have
n 1G million bale crop on hand that
we cannot dispose of and should we
make another such, l can not see for
my life where we will be, if the ELL
rOpean war continues, and the pros
poets just now are bright for it to do
so. If all the other cotton States are
intent on planting all the cotton they
can, with the present conditions star
ing them in the face, that is no reason
whatever that South Carolina should
plunge herself deeper in debt and go
to the bad by following suit.
We know that the European nations
want cotton and are willing to pay
for it, but how are they to get what
they want, when this country has not
the bottoms In which 10 ship il and
the bel!iSerent vessels cannot afford
to carry it, only as they can with a
convoy or run the risk OF being de-
stroycd by the enemy. It is to be
hoped that our people will consider
the conditions under which we are
placed and let the first object be to
make a living regardless of where the
price Of cotton goes. We we'll know
we must plant some cotton, but let
us make 1t secondary consideration
and next selling season we will not
be wearing such long faces, trying to
meet our obligations. The less cotton,
the less fertilizers and the less obli-
cations to face next fall.
We see that our Republican friends
in congress are fighting the policy of
the administration, with might and
main, in it's effort to procure bottoms
FOR the exports Of this country. 1t is
worse than ridiculous that these ves-
sells have not been secured long ago,
either by buying or building by the
government. There has been enough
money wasted in establishing govern
ment buildings, on rivcrs and harbors.
and other worthless appropriations
within the last twenty-five or thirty
years to have almost covered the sea
with commercial ships. Here we are
with our great agricultural and man.
ufactured products and no way under
the present conditions to get rid of
them only by chance and then at the
other fellows bchest. An excellent
predicament to be in. President Will
son realizes the conditions under
which we are placed and if congress
will only cooperate with him, it will
steps taken to relieve the congestcd
situation of affairs, though we may not
set immediate relief.