Year: 1875

immediate supervision, and in many


instances laboring in the field with the
hired laborers.


We have been talking about raising


hogs, sheep, cattle and poultry, and


having our corn.houses and smoke


houses at home; but it is mostly all
talk, we don't do it; we make about


enough corn to feed ourselves and


mules until March, and sometimes not


longer than Christmas, and if our hogs


by diligent roofing manage to live


through the summer, when they begin


to fatten in autumn, it is uncertain in


whose chimney they will smoke.


One of our farmers did raise hogs


last year, worth talking about, he sold


about eight hundred dollars worth of


uncured meat, nearly as much as an


ordinary cotton crop is worth and yield


ing good deal more net income, but


he quit trying to raise them for this


year at least, on account Of the failure


of his corn and pea crop.


We hear of a pretty general deter


mination among the planters, to endav-
or to make more corn, but the corn
crop is not all in yet, and | cannot say
whether more than usual will be plant
ed or not, it SO often happens that
good intentions and good plans are de-
feated by pressure from unfavorable
circumstances, and it is so difficult to
break away from bad habits.


The colored people say, they must
make cotton, or the merchants will not
furnish supplies; and the whites fear
a closing Of mortgages if they do not
produce full crops Of cotton. So we,
by species of necessity, either real or
imaginary, persevere in the same ruin
Gus policy that has brought us to our
present condition, and that too without
beneftting any class of men.


The land owners and laborer are
wearing out themselves and property,
without being in any better condition
at the end of the year than at the be-
ginning. And the merchants say that
they are not prospering. If so, they,
as we'll as all other parties concerned
ought to encourage change of policy
in farm management, and insist on
abandoning the all-cotton policy.


Some of the merchants do talk
corr" pretty earnestly, but their depen-
tents know too well how sad and some-
lines how angry they are if full cot
,on crop does not come in. This full
cotton crop excludes sufficient guam
ity of corn, for the amount of cotton
which is annually reported, cannot be {
Produced by the farm labor now engag-
ID in its culture, if enough corn is
,rown to supply the wants of the cot {
on planting community.


The influence of the Patrons has ,
,een felt here as elsewhere, and their s
ound teachings as to farm management, '
economy and finances, are understood t
nd approved by all, though practiced f
y few, if any. The great incubus, L
ebt, is the cause OF this. We t
an not do as we wish or as we now I
now is best, but are compelled to con- c
ent ourselves with the nearest approach d
re can make to a correct and safe t
olicy, and be satisfied with doing the y
cry best we can, whether the result is ?
quail to our wishes or not. a


Industry is not lacking among the S
lrmers here, and economy is thing {
necessity as well as choice. p


If we could only have been taught f
ne lessons inculcated by the Patrons s.
time; before the debts were incurred; o
r if we could be forgiven our debts as y
,eeIy as we would then forgive our a
ebtors, all would be well with us. a
any one happens to be in debt to us v
Irmers, we do not disturb him we &
link it rather refreshing and COM il
,rt to have some one under obligation il
us, we do not refuse the money how P