University of South Carolina Libraries
THE WHEAT Enthusiastic IM ee ting' Last 1 News am GREEWOOD, August 15.-There has been one Convention in this State in which there was no mention of pol itics. This may seem- wondrous strange, and it is remarkable, for there were men present who have had some thing to do with tue making of the politics of the State, but the only mention of politics that was made was the plea that it should be eschewed. There was no applause except when it was on a hit about living at home and raising food, products on the planta tion. The Convention was a good one, and it has Eown the seed for much good. It has shown that there is the dawn of a new day in the agri culture of the State, a brighter and a better day. Congressman A. C. Latimer was . asked to serve as temporary chairman, and Mr. N. A. Craig was selected as secretary. Then,, without further ado, the ex perience meeting-that for which the Convention met-started. , Some one present said that Mr. 6. P. Roberts, of Greenwood, had just ?old two hun dred bushels of wheat, and wanted his views. Mr. Koberts believes in deep ploughing in preparing lands for planting wheat, and mixes fertilizers with his, cotton seed on his lands; made a yield of 253 bushels on 16 or 13 acres; prefers the blue stem wheat tor this sectton for planting; has nev <jr been troubled with rust; always ?oaks Iiis seed in bluestone prepara tion over night: thinks it dangerous not to soak as soon as he can after frost, and keeps it np until after Christmas. He sold his wheat last year for one dollar to one dollar and twenty-five cents per bushel, and this year for one dollar. He plants cotton and wheat, and finds more money in wheat than in cotton. Mr. Eldridge C. - Addison, of ??ine ty-Six. said that he had been studying small grain for twenty years, and was a great advocate of the crop. He thought that thc time would come, and the sooner the better, wheo not a pound of flour would be shipped into this State, and when, on the other . hand, South Carolina would ship flour j outside of the State limits. He made wheat very successfully on lands that bad been given up as worthless and which had been run down to the heel; believed in stable manure on wheat; Y wheat stands all kinds of weather. He - sowed ten bushels and made a crop of three hundred and eight bushels. Could not advise planting on cotton land, because the land could not well be prepared in'time for the wheat crop: preferred planting after peas or on pasture land. Mr. C. H. Jordan spoke in part as follows: Mr. President, Ladies and Gentle men: There is no occasion which is to me more enjoyable and no compliment which I esteem more highly than the privilege of being with and talking to the farmers of my country. In the discussion of those problems, the solu tion of which is essential to prosperi ty in our future farm work, a subject is presented in which we arc now most vitally interested. Conditions which did not suggest themselves a .decade ago are becoming serious, and "formidable at the present time. While personally a stranger to most of you I -feel that my own interests are identi cal with yours and that we are all en gaged in a common oause. In advocating a revolution in our farming methods I shall not suggest thc adoption of anything which has not heretofore been successfully un dertaken, and will give no advice "which is not capable of practical ap plication. It is quite apparent to any casual observer that our system of do ing business is decidedly contrary to that which existed during the days of our greatest prosperity and consequent independence. There was a time, not so far back in the past, when the farmers of the South supplied the population of the towns and cities with the necessaries of life from the varied products of their farms. At the present time a large majority of our farming classes are helplessly de dependent upon thc merchants for supplies not only for themselves but for their stock as well. The heavy staple supplies which the merchants handle are grown in the far West, and the proceeds of the cotton crop of the South, which should represent thc Surplus money crop of the farm, is paid out to the farmers of the West. We are enriching not only these pro ducers, but the railroads, wholesale and retail dealers, through whose hands these goods must pass before reaching us, and who charge a full commission all along the line. The crop out of which we are expected to pay for these supplies is sold at a fig ure below the cost of production, and there can be but one result to us from the continuance of such a system of doing business. The great State of South Carolina possesses as great a degree of di versified resources as any State in CONVENTION. Held at Greenwood ?Veek. ? Courier. tho Union. There is not a farm in your State which cannot, by a proper method of diversified planting, under an intensive system of culture, be made self-supporting. The farmers of your State must realize that every pound of supplies which they purchase in the open markets is produced by otherofarmers in distant sections of the country who labor under greater difficulties than those with which we have to contend. When Southern farms were self sustaining open accounts were the only evidences of indebtedness, and the farmer's word was as good as gold. Sharp, shrewd business men of thc world soon saw that there were for tunes to be made in thc cotton crop if the farmer could be induced to pro duce it in large quantities. The Western people saw an oppor tunity for building granaries and packing houses to supply the South with food if wc could be induced to turn our attention entirely to growing cotton. The big railroad magnates saw the grand opportunity to increase dividends, multiply their rolling stock and otherwise fatten on the freights to be obtained by transporting heavy and costly supplies from the West for the Southern cotton grower during the spring and summer. In the fall mil lions of cotton bales would be turned over to them for carriage to the sea ports or Northern markets, a second whack had at the great Southern in dustry. The stock raisers of Kentucky and Tennessee were pleased at thc bright prospect of supply for the future that beautiful Southland, where all that was needed to make a man rioh was a piece of land planted io cotton, with a negro and a Kentuckyamule to plough it. Guano manufacturers saw at once that plant foods in enormous quanti tities would have to bc supplied to keep up the fertility of the cleanly cultivated fields, and that the invest ment would be a good one. Cotton expositions were held all over the country and the white staple crowned king. It, has tak,?~ twenty years to whip the fight, but the intense greed of the world has done thc work, and to-day the old king lies half dead in the ditch, while broken and disappointed mourners gaze upon the long trail of a disappointed past. While the farm er has lost in the struggle the country at large has developed and increased its wealth steadily each year. I have no criticism to make of the farmer for so largely producing eot ton, even with the costly use of com mercial fertilizers, when the business was a lucrative one. But we face con ditions to-day which are serious and which make impossible the future wholesale production of cotton as a . means of developing future prosperity In the rich, alluvial lands of the Southwest, in which are embraced the valleys of the Mississippi, the exten sive plains of Texas and Southern Oklahoma, cotton is being grown on an average of one bale per acre; with out the use of fertilizers. The farm ! ers of your own State, after using an nually hundreds of thousands of tons of fertilizers, can barely average half a bale per acre. With these heavy j odds against us and competition an i nually increasing in the Southwest, : we will be forced to change our pres ! ent system of farming. The solution j of the problem by which we are to-day j confronted must be largely determined by thc efforts of each individual who is directly engaged in the production of cotton-and who, by reason of a full appreciation of his needs and coni dition, realize that he is an important factor in breaking the bondage under j which he rests, that thc freedom and independence of his business may be once more established, placing him on that high plane of prosperity which was so conspicuous in the early days of our fathers. Fill your granaries and smoke hous es with the [products of your farms, stock your pastures with cattle, sheep and hogs. Diversify your interests and prepare to go into the markets of your country with a dozen staple pro ducts where you now only attempt one. Cut down your cotton acreage and di versify the crops planted. Wc can gradually get into the supply business and raise enough cotton besides to meet the demands of thc world, and the price for which it is sold will bc a profit in our business. Every farmer who has heretofore operated his affairs on the credit system must make a strenuous effort to use more cash in his business for what he is forced to buy and raise everything at home which his lands will produce. I am satisfied that a larger acreage in wheat will be planted io thc South during the coming fall than for many years past. We need shrewd business men on the farm as well as in other departments of life. Broad, liberal thoughts find birth in higher educa tion. The farmers will only combine heir common interests when coi dence in the business ability of ca has been gained. Unity among t farmers is one of the greatest nee of the present day. A caref thoughtful study of the resources the country will open up a system diversified farming, which will bri profit and pleasure to the agricull ralist. Every farmer should have thorough knowledge of commerc paper and understand some system keeping books. At the beginning each year a detailed account of wt he owns should be taken down, repi senting his capital invested, i itemized account of every dollar e pended, whether cash or credit, shou be carefully entered. The cost of 1 bor employed and the materials us in the production of the various ero should be specially accounted, J the end of the year his books w show the profits or loss of the bu: ness. Wherever errors existed in t management, the defects could readily found and remedies applie Thc boys growing up on the farms w catch the inspiration of systemat methods and business training, whi< they will be able to utilize with pro and to their own advantabc in futu years. I appreciate thc' fact that the da; of schooling, as we ordinarily use tl term, for the adult farmer has passe' that the only hope for the present ai future cultivation of his mental fa ulties and the bettermentoof his m terial prosperity must lie in the loc organization of farmers' institute The farmers' institute is without co to its membership. I want to gr my aid and encouragement to their e tablishment in every county in tl South as rapidly as possible. If ye have no institute in your State orgai ize and begin the battle for great success and prosperity in your faro ing methods. In these institutes tl interchange of ideas, experience mee ings, discussing and adopting tl most successful plans pertaining i our business would meet and ove come many serious obstacles whic retard, as stumbling blocks, our futui pathway. What the farmer neec most of all at this time is encourag* ment and aid in the solution of sue problems as will help him in his Iii work and the building of a future fille with contentment, happiness and proi perity. Organize and attend your ii stitutes with a full appreciation c your needs and surroundings. There arc no people who have betti opportunities for self-education tha the farmer, and he should be quick t take advantage of the circumstance which place this highly desirable fes ture of his avocation within his read That farmer whose business is opera ted on a self-sustaining basis, who ea ercises intelligence, forethought an correct methods in the conduct of hi affairs, fears no panic. Thc tighten ing of the money market, the crash o falling business houses in the grea cities, reaoh his ears only through th medium of the heavy headlines of hi newspaper. He is happy, peacefu and contented, and only responsibl to his Maker. But what of the farmer whose hom is mortgaged in the Northern loa companies, whose stock and crop fui nish collateral for the purchase of sur plies? Whan the stringency comes the crop fails to settle the obligations the loans fall due, an extension i asked for and refused. Thc iron gri; of the law is evoked, the property i advertised for sale and knocked dowi to the highest bidder. The wife i torn from a home which she has lon; learned to love: the little children an forced from the cherished playground and another heart-broken farmer i added to the long and rapidly swcllinj lists of tenants, while one mor Southern home passes into Northen control. This picture is not drawi from fancy; its ?ealism is too of ten heralded as one of thc misfor tunes of our present farming system The solution of the race problem ii a matter in which the farmers of ou country are more largely interestec than anyone else. The field of mos serious districts is in the rural dis tricts. Wc have assembled here for a higl and noble purpose, one worthy an( fitting thc honorable avocation ir which we are engaged. We arc hen to discuss plans for the material bet tennent of the farmers' condition ir South Carolina and to express our dc termination before the world that thc future planting and growing of wheal will be conspicuous on every farm ir the State. The reform movement if taking possession of your people it earnest, and a revolution of our farm ing methods is sending the pleasing sunlight of its advance into the mind and heart of every farmer. For years there has been great ri valry among thc transportation lines from thc West, soliciting heavy freight for shipment into our South ern country. Wheat, or its manufac tured products, flour and bran, have largely figured in thc heavy tonnage of freights daily delivered to your wholesale merchants in thc last twen ty or thirty years. The daily con sumption of foreign Hour on thc ta bles of our farmers has been some thing enormous, while our cities never enjoy bread prepared from home-raised j wheat. Thc universal raising of wheat your State will be. no experiment a no new undertaking. It will simj be gettinc back into the footsteps our fathers, and forging a strong li in the desirable self-sustaining featu of our farm work. There arethousan of people in your State to-day wi well remember when patent flor sacked in Western mills, had no ss in your merchants' stores. Sou Carolina wheat has helped to furni the muscle and brain of many of tl most prominent characters who ha conspicuous places in the history our country. In contrasting the agricultural co ditions of the South as they exist? thirty-five years ago with those of tl present it can be more forcibly pr sen ted through a short illustrate from a part of our history with whi< wc are all familiar, and of whic many of you who are here to-day ha1 a feeling recollection. During tl four years' continuation of the ch war thc entire population of the Soul was blockaded on all sides. The coi tinued call of troops to the froi drained the country of its best ma: hood, leaving agriculture largely i new hands and under the restraint < perilous, wrought-up times. The ei tire Confederacy subsisted upon hon raised supplies, and the invading arm of the North loaded its commissar departments with the produots < Southern farms. During the entii period of four years there was no su fering in any quarter of the South b man or beast for want of food, wholi some food, particularly flour. Ot troops suffered for want of money an transportation facilities, but not bi cause there was not an abundance c provisions of all kinds in every sei j tion of the South. Gen. Sherma commenced his memorable marc through Georgia toward the close c I '64, with nearly one hundred an thirty-five thousand men and thom ands of cavalry and wagon horses. A he advanced on his -line of march t the seaboard, and onward througi your own State, his foraging partie daily replenished this vast army' commissary department with thefiues bills of fare everissued to any soldier, I in modern times. I The full granaries, smoke house and extensive, well-stocked pasture of South Carolina's farms supplie I Gen. Sherman with an abundance o I provisions, without} any great detri ! ment to our people left in the wake o I his march. It cannot be doubted that there i j vastly more acreage in cultivation ii your State to-day than at that time Should such an army with its neces sary stock equipments, start du through your State at this time with out a well-filled commissary, depend ing upon the resources of thc country to sustain its march to the seaboard how far would it proceed without.halt ing or looking to other sources fo supplies? Suppose for one short yea: I the population of South Carolina wai blockaded and Western transportador facilities cut short off, what would bi the consequence; under our apresen system of farming? Famine woulc run riot in your towns and cities, an( thousands of the agricultural classe! would suffer for bread and meat, be cause our farmers generally do noi produce enough provisions to tak< their families through one year. Ol what a magnificent past we can boast and how glaringly it contrasts with th< present. In all departments of commercial and industrial life, except agriculture the inventive genius of man is beiuj utilized with every possible degree oi profit to the various avocations ic which the people of this country arc engaged. The conveniences of al] kinds that the world is daily manufac turing and placing before the farmei are tending to render him more help less and dependent in a business which j should be pre-eminently the most in J dependent on earth. Thirty years ago, when the cid horse-power thresh ing and hand power fanning machines J were in use, more wheat was annually I raised in some militia districts of thc various counties of your State than is now threshed with all the modern im provements at our command, from the combined wheat acreage of two or three counties. The young farmers of your State must look back into thc early history of their fathers and shape their future J course in agriculture by thc self-sus taining methods in use on every farm at that time, utilizing all thc latest and most approved farming imple j ments that will reduce thc cost of la I bor, increase the pleasure of thc busi ness and hasten that day of prosperity so much to be desired. Thc older farmers should resurrect the princi ples of farming in vogue during their earlier days and make of their farms I commendable object lessons of what they know to be possible of the great J resources of thc State. Plant your wheat not iatcr than the last week in October, preparing your lands by deep plowing, harrowing and rolling. No matter how extensive or how restricted your acreage in wheat may bc thc coming fall do not neglect to treat the seed as a safeguard against J smut. I have read hundreds of letters I this spriDg from farmers stating that they could not raise wheat because of the ravages of smut. The Homans were afflicted with thc same trouble over two thousand years ago. Scien tific investigation within recent years have discovered the life history of the smut germ, and by continued experi ments have found remedies, which, if properly applied, will in every in stance free the grain of future disas ter from that source. Smut is noth ing more than a parasitic plant adher ing to the grain, germinating with thc grain and growing along with the stalk. Its presence is only discovered by microscopic examination. As the infected head of wheat develops the nutriment intended for the grain is absorbed by the smut germ and a mass of loose brown spores is formed. These spores, blown about the field by winds, adhere to thousands of good grains, and the foundation is laid for increasing disaster the following year. Smut does not, therefore, develop after the crop is planted and growing, it must be in life and attached to the seed wheat before it is put into the ground. Ordinarily a solution of blue stone, at the rate ot' one pound to enough water for immersing five bushj els of wheat and allowing to stand for twele or fourteen hours, will eradicate the trouble. Do not allow smut to enter into your argument against wheat raising. A more universal growing of wheat will develop flour mills convenient to every section of the country. Produce the raw ma terial and wheat will be at once erect ed tor the preparation and grain into needed uses. The widespreadcinterest which the people of our cities are taking in the betterment of our agricultural condi tions is indeed gratifying. There has never been a time in the hiotory of our country when so universal an in terest in agriculture was manifested by people in all avocations of life as at present. The world is awakening to the necessity of the farmer and the importance of aiding him to so shape his course in future that his business may be one of de serving prosperity and high useful ness. Upon the success of the farm er must unquestionably depend the continued prosperity of all avocations existing in a truly agricultural coun try. All of these highly desirable ends and more may be accomplished through the adoption of such farming methods as will enable us to become more pros perous as the years roll by. Make your farm self-sustaining. Whenyou have provided an acreage*of diversified crops sufficient to meet the demands of the home supply it would then be proper to consider the extent of the money crop. Rotate your crops, plough deep, harrow and roll your lands. Increase the fertility of the soil, supply needed humus and im prove its mechanical conditiou by growing leguminous plants everywhere they can be sown or cultivated. In stitute a systematic method of increas ing the compost heap and cut down the heavy bills for fertilizers. The legume and compost heap should be the farmer's bank; with their assist ance he can at once commence to trav el the inviting road to independence and weath. Without them he must continue to look for help only from costly and opproisive sources. Let the farmer work out his independence without fear or trembling, gradually abolishing thc credit system from the future conduct of his business. Greenwood handled the Convention finely. Every one wont away satis fied and delighted with the Conven tion and Greenwood. AUGUST Koux. - "Married yet. old man ?" ;No. but I'm engaged, and that's as good as married." "It's better, if you ouly knew it." THE FIEND OF Whea NERVOUSNESS. <* woman's I |-^'<^^r^,t,^jt^ , / broken /J ^?r*1 ' that there is some special V?jsf'SB^^' dis*1350 or weakness of Ajay-/ thc important and dcli y/ cate organs which make ill I V/ herawoman. Nine times I j f in ten it means that some 1 " instant and radical meas ures must be taken to save her from com plete mental and physical wreck. "I was so nervous I couldn't bear to hear the sound of ray own voice when alor?* " says Mrs. Nellie Mrittenhan, of Davcnpor:, Thayer Co., Nebr. "I felt as though thc:-- was some one ready to grab me if the least sound was made. I really cannot describe thc feelings I had, but I can say 1 have no such ugly feelings now and I trust I never may again. I was suffering from female weakness and very much from nervous prostration. "I was not able to do anything. I could not sit up all day. I had not sat up all day since the Mrth of my baby, four months before I l>cgan to toke Dr. Pierce's medicines. I took one doctor's li.edicinc for four months but did not get along tn: all: so. discouraged. I thought 1 would try Dr. Pierce's favorite Prescrfptiou and 'Golden Medical Discovery.' I took six bottles of the . Prescription * ano nine of the 4 Golden Medical Disco-cry'and used Dr. Herce's Pleasant Pellets along vtth the other medicines, and 1 can say they have 'lone wonders for me. *' I do all my work now ami feel totter than for two years. I had not eaten anything for three months except some kind of soup and crackers; now I cat ?.nything I want. I believe \ owe ray health to Dr. Pierce's medicines." Discouraged, broken-down women should write to Dr. R. V. Pierce, at buffalo, N. Y., and learn how carefully he studies into these apparently hopeless cases. He will send without charge, (in a plain sealed envelope) the best advice of a capable, ex? perienced physician. ?YegelablePrcpaiadonlbrAs similating theTood andRegula ling tfaeStomachs andBoweis ?f PiomotBsDigcstioaCheciM tiess andRest.Conta?ns neit?isr Opiun^lorphin? nor?fineral. NOT NARCOTIC. 7?c?x orOldVr&KUELPMmER Pumpkin Set?>~ Alx.Senna * IiothtUcSdU AniitSerd * JYppcrmint - Bi CarboncttSoJa * flam Seed - fiari/udJuaer hlnioywn- f?an:: A perfect Remedy fer Constipa tion, Sour Stomach.Diarrhoea, Worms.ConvulsionsJeverish ness andLOSS OF SlEEP. Tac Simile Signature of NEW YORK. j At'b months old j j Do SE S - J5 C E N % S For Infants and Children. The Kind You Have Always Bought Bears the / * Signature //?jT ty J(v The A/ Kind IA YOU Have Always Bought PORTO RiCO ! YOU can get the GENUINE PORTO RICO. MOLASSES FROM US. <\LSO, Larkford Horse Collar, Guaranteed to prevent or cure galls or sore shouldeo. SHOES, HATS, DRY GOODS, NOTIONS, ETC, At CUT PRICES for the next thirty days in order to clean up and make room for New Goods. Big Line of Groceries of all Kinds AT LOWEST PRICES. Try us one time. MOORE, ACKER & CO., EAST SIDE PUBLIC SQUARE-CORNER STORE. AT A BARGAIN ! BRA IX D X?W. ALSO, a few Second-hand Gins:; The Hall Gin is given up to bethe best Gin now bailt. Nothing cheap about it but the price. I still handle the BRENNAN CANE MILL-the only Self-Oiling Mill now sold. EVAPORATORS and FURNACES.. SMOKE STACKS for Eogines. <&c, at bottom pries, manufactured of Galvanized Iron. CORNICE aad FUNNELS. TIN ROOFING. GUTTERING and PLUMBING of all kinds. Also, GRAVEL ROOFING and STOVES of the best makes. CROCKERY. GLASSWARE. FRUIT JARS-WHITE RUBBERS thc best. TINWARE at any price to suit thc wants of our customers. For any of the above will make you pri:es that you will buy of me, and ask your inspection of Goods and prices. Thanking all my friends and cus tomers for their liberal patronage, Respectfullv. JOHN T. BURR1SS. P. S.-Briuir vour RAGS. FOR;_ Fancy and. Staple G-roceries, Flour, Sugar, Coffee, Molasses, Tobacco, A.nd Cigars, COME TO J. C. OSBORNE. South Main Street, below Bank of Anderson, Phoue and Free Delivery. W. H. Harrison's Old Stand. THE YEARS COME AND GO AND with each successive year there also comes, amidst a flourish of trumpets, the announcement that some new GIN is born, "another Richmond in the field," and every time this announcement ia made, it is qualified by another and more im portant, that either one or more valuable features are patterned exactly like the Old Reliable Daniel Pratt Gin. How many times have you heard that "our (tin is as good as the Daniel Pratt, be cause we build one a good deal like it.!" No doubt some Gins are sold on tbt> strength of such assertions, but ask those who have bought and used them if they are the equal of the DANIEL PRATT GIN. But ?tili the years roll on, the Danfrl Pratt C?in not only holds its own but continues to add new laurels to those already on. our (JIN SYSTEMS and ELEVATORS are the most complete and up-to-date ou tho market. We have in stock at Anderson in our Warehouse six Car Loads of GINS, FEEDERS, CONDENSERS and PRESSES. Also, all kinds of REPAIRS Call on write to F. E. WATKINS, Anderson, S.C. 0. D. MW k BRO. FLOUR FLOUR ! ?>S>0 BARRELS. GOT every grade you are looking for. We know what you want, and we've got the prices right. Can't give it to you, but we will sell you high rade Flour 25 to o5c cheaper than any competition. Low grade Flout 3.00 per barrel. Car EAR CORN and stacks of Shelled Corn. Buy while it is cheap advancing rapidly. We know where to buy and get good, sound Corn cheap. OATS, HAY and BRAN. Special prices by the ton. We want your trade, and if honest dealings and low prices count wt will get it. Yours for Business, O. D. ANDERSON & BRO. 8?, Now is your chance to get Tobacco cheap. Closing out odds and ends in Caddies.