361 



hay, ibcUlcr, aucl 6ti'a.w, aud mauutuctured ifc iuLo muuuio tliat will bo sutiicieut/ i'or :iO 

 acres, aud this sliould bo put upou tho clover sod, prepaiatory to corn pliintiup tbo 

 following 8])riug; lor which purpoHO tho ground should bo deeply plowed, uo as to 

 ])ut tho luujuu'o bcyoud tho reach of a yhallow plowing for oats tho following spring. 

 When this crop i.s taken off, then plow deeply for wheat, so that tho nianuro may bo 

 thoroughly juixed with tho soil, aud in a proper couditiou for the followiug wheat cro]>. 

 This rotation, or an equivalent, ia absolutely essential to successful and profltablo 

 farming. 



Southerners aro peculiarly an 'agricidtural people ; aud yet about their farms there 

 is a mauifest indifference and carelcssuoss about their condition. Tho fences aro broken 

 down, gates out of order, buildings out of repair, and implements lying around. It 

 cannot be expected that the employds shall be diligent and systematic in tho midst of 

 disorder aud confusion any more than a niGchauic should perform his duty with indif- 

 ferent or dull tools or a careless employer. It is easier and less expensivo to have 

 things in order. With ueatness and care, there is a spirit of pride and emulation which 

 enters into tho actions of every man and woman employed, aud diffuses itself into all 

 tho operations of tho f;irm, to the great profit of the farmer. 



Before I close this letter, which has been written hastily aud amid very much 

 interruption, I desire to commeud to your attention tho use of lime. It is ouo of the 

 largo constituent properties of grass, especially clover, without tho use of which no 

 successful farming can bo accomplished. Clover is a grass, too, -which of all others 

 ■will endure heat and cold. Nature has given to it a tap-root, which enables it to seek 

 moisture and protection to a greater extent than many other grasses tlie roots of which 

 are much conlinod to the surface. 



I trust I may have giveu you some useful hints about farming. I did not intend to 

 do more. 



Very respectfuUv, 



FREDERICK WATTS, 



Commissioner. 



This letter was referred for cousideratioii to a committee of the chib, 

 who subsequently submitted the followiug" report, a copy of "which was 

 courteously transmitted to the Department : 



EcjJort, to ihe Beech Island Farmers^ Club on a letter received from Hon, Frederick Watls, 

 Commissioner of Agriculture. 



Your committee have read the letter of Hon. F. Watts, referred to them, Avith great 

 caro and interest. Mr. Watts draws our attention to the fact that " our short experi- 

 ence" does not justify the conclusion that the work of the farm caunot be prolitably 

 done by hired labor ; and after stating that farmers in the Northern aud Middle States 

 " live comfortably, improve their farms, aud often grow rich," continues : " With your 

 soil aud superior climate there is no reason why you may not do the same thing, es- 

 pecially as the i)roduct of your land has a |>roater money value, acre for acre, than in 

 the Middle States." Of the correctness oi this view tliere is not a reasonable doubt. 

 We have had our daj's of gloom, aud it would hardly be candid not to admit that 

 there is some discouragemeut and anxiety still. But we cannot fail to recognize tho 

 important fact that failures, where they have occurred, came from causes which lie 

 mainly outside the iirovinccs'of legitimate planting. Js^either our soil, our climate, 

 our products, (tho money value of our great staples in the market,) nor our labor, can 

 fairly be taxed with them. In reference to the latter, it is only fair to the negro 

 (tho chief laborer) to state, that away from the towns and villages . and tho 

 malign influence of politics, as a rule, whenever fairly treated, ho has been 

 docilo, steady, and effective, comparing favorably, avo believe, Avith hireling 

 laborers elsewhere, aud unquestionably the best workers in our cottou-lields. Mr. 

 Watts' statement that "it is undoubtedly true that a hti'sd laborer at the North will do 

 double as much work in a day as a black man will do in the South," is a popular 

 notion there and here, but one, wo believe, that could hardly bo sustained by facts. 

 In many kinds of labor, incident to small gi-aiii and gfass culVire, rearing stock, aud 

 managing the more complex agricultural implcmeuts, the negro has little practice, and 

 therefore possesses little skill. But he is a good ploAvmau, foUoAving the team ;is far 

 as it ought to be driven in a day, and doing well, not only tho coarser work in the 

 lux'paratiou of the soil, but also the more delicate manipulations required by the young 

 plant. And with the hoe, the chief implement in cotton culture, lie has, from long 

 training, acquired celerity, precision, and in short, efSciency, Avhich the laborer of any 

 other country Avould liud it hard to riA'al. To get full work from him it is necessary 

 for him to feel that his pay is sure, and a part of it at least iu some shape directly 

 before him, and to thoroughly understand that tho amount of Avork will be required 

 of him, and that ho can and ought to do it ; which doiibtless, are about tho only 



