The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-02-28

PIopeI4S 1SlC i1' iti W toNA ~
may produce as much with his labor
as he may. We believe that the
other one-third of his crop should be
in food products-something that
will feed both man and beast.
Now the larger farmers and most
of the landowners are accustomed,
where they farm themselves, to pro-
duce enough of these things for their
own use, but the tenant farmers have
not been accustomed to do so. Can
we not get them to do so? Why not
let every landlord in the county re-
solve today to give to his tenant far
mer, or share-cropper, rent free one
acre of land on condition that he will
plant it in cane, out of which he may
make syrup enough for his family
for a year, and in potatoes, which
will last him for a year, and at the
same time make provision for keep
ing these potatoes? Why not let
every landlord today go to every
tenant farmer he has, and to every
share-cropper and explain the sltua-
ton to him, and warn him of the
folly of the past and the danger OF
following old time plans in the fu-
ture; and in order to encourage him
and to start him off right, why may
he not say to every one of these that
he will furnish to him two or more
hogs to be raised on shares provided
the tenant or share-cropper will
agree to plant certain lands in food
products for the purpose of feeding
these hogs?
1t is idle to say that these people
will not be interested in plan of
this kind. We have tried it out and
we know that. it works. The negro
farmers of the county are shiftless
set for the most part. If they make
money in the fall they spend it as
becomes a lord, but when the spring
time comes few of them ever have
any money. We know one who had
several hundred dollars last year af-
ter paying all his obligations. He
was entreated to save his money and
try to take care of himself another
year, but the merchants with the
fine clothes and the man with other
attractive things, and the allure
ments of pleasure have taken all his
money. His employer even was call
ed on to pay his taxes. But this
same negro farmer last year took a
lively interest in buying hogs and in
producing his own meat and he now
has enough meat saved to furnish his
family for the present year. He
wants to produce enough for another
year, and not only he, but every
other negro farmer in Abbeville
County, will be glad to seize upon an
opportunity to obtain his meat in
this way. And the larger farmers,
and the cotton-holders of Abbeville
County, may induce them to do so,
and at the same time reduce the cot
ton acreage in this county without
working a hardship on anybody.
And there are white men in Able
vile County who need help along the
same lines, and who should be help
ed. The trouble with most of us is
that we look too closely towards our
own interest, and never think of
those who in a measure are depend
ent on us. We are too anxious in
every trade to get the upper hand,
end to make everything we do serve
our own pocket:book, rather than
to stop to think that the hand which
guides the plow is very important to
US, and deserves mighty we'll Of all
of us. The thing to do today is to
encourage the man who performs
the work. Carve out today some
scheme which will interest this mani
in being a real farmer and follow it
ur, and make his interest identical
with your own, and you will have be-
gun to do something.
The men who meet in Abbeville
County today are capable of plan
ming and leading and financing al