The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1919-02-25

to keep within the letter of the
pledge, he may buy an extra mule
or two and work the same land with
more stock, thus cutting the acreage
to each mule, but working the same
land, with the same, or more fertll-
izers, with his additional horsepower,
and more help perhaps than last year,
and he will make the same amount
or more cotton.
That is not the man who will have
his crop cut. There are others, how
ever, who are to be considered. per
haps half the lands in this county are
worked by small farmers, who have
bought their homes on credit, and
by renters. These people, in order
to get guano with which to grow
crops, and to get supplies for max
ing the crop, will buy this year on
credit, they will be forced to go to
the bank this year again for money
with which to farm, and in every
other respect they must proceed as
in previous years. Now what is to
become of these men if they are to
be coerced into using only one-half
the fertilizers formerly used, and
into planting only two-thirds of the
amount of cotton formerly planted?
Everybody knows that there are lands
in this section which will not make
cotton without fertilizers, and which
will not make corn with fertilizers.
A great many people look to these
lands for the rent upon which they
are forced to live. A great many
people on the farms, white and black
alike, cannot live upon the farms
unless they grow a full crop, under
the most favorable circumstances.
The living expenses of these poorer
farmers will be the same as hereto
fore. If they use one half Of the
fertilizers which their cotton lands
demand, and plant one two-thirds OF
the cotton they have heretofore
planted, they will make less than
half the cotton they have previously
made. They must pay the rent they
have already contracted to pay, or
the interest and principal which will
be due and which will be demanded,
and if the cotton crop is cut and the
price does go up, they will find
themselves holding the bag and pay
ing the expenses of putting cotton
up for the benefit of those people
who are more fortunate, who have
produced as much cotton, as hereto
fore, fertilized as heretofore, and
worked more carefully perhaps with
the intention of making a big crop.
There is nothing to be gained for
these people in advising them to
throw away a years labor for the
benefit of = few people who are now
able to hold cotton for tihrty-five
cents.
Calamity Howlers and Politicians.
We take no stock in all this talk
about the South being ruined by the
present price of cotton. Any man on
the farm who cannot make money
at the present price Of cotton, with
the prices of other things remaining
as they are at present, should be
"bored for the simples," as the ex-
preston goes. He is no farmer, A
man who produces on the farm the
things which he should produce, (and
we favor encouraging not only the
farm-owner to do this, but CO.
operating with the tenant class to
enable them to do the same thingJ
may produce cotton as surplus crop
and make. money: on the farm at
much less than the present price Of
cotton. The past demonstrates that
to us beyond question: We have
seen it done.
It is stated that all other sections
are prospering, while the South is
being enslaved by few designing
people who are hammering our, pro-
ducts. The people who buy our cot
ton are business men and quite
naturally buyas cheaply as they may.