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Farming on Shares.» This custom in the old cotton belts of r the south grew lt;u of two causes which,* at the time we saw no way to i avoid—first, from a want of money to- pay wages with, and secondly, because r the negroes had been advised bv the Bu-, reau Agents not to farm in any other , . manner. These, we say, were the two , , leading causes that led to it. and eon-i firmed, as we thought, hv the iielief that . it was really the best method of secur-i ing the'negroe’s work. Experience, bow-- ever, of a disastrous nature, has shown the error lt;*f the plan, and the time hasI certainly come when farmers and plant-■ eis must adopt a different system, even- if it should involve the ncce**ily of cul-t tirating lone ground. This custom has' practically resulted in the negro becom- t* ing the proprietor of the crop ; and all of « 4 us who were accustomed to the negro 1 ) when a slave, and under good training ;* and order, know that it was seldom one lt;! could lie found, of sufficient knowledge ;and force of character, to make even a « . “Driver;” and but a small proportion | . of those who had that particular sort of r cxccutivcnorta wore at all calculated to I say when and how a crop should be .§ itched, planted and worked, outside the ireetiou of the planter himself. Yet, ; , in the fare of this, we now find them 1 placing their entire planting interest* in , i the hands of one negro, whose only re- .commendation is that he can command , 1 perhaps one to six hands. The effect of ] : which is, that the proprietor has to hear ( the brunt of the ignoruncc or idlcnene of , r the entire number, instead of one. The { I tenant or rent plan Is onlv the same ( .• thing under another name, and, if possi- 1 , ble, a plan containing more risks. For while working on the share plan, there I is s»me semblance of obedience to proprie-; tary authority, however tenderly it is ! 4 to be touched’ While the t#mnt plan 1 at once surrenders the entire control. ] : Under this last system the negro in *up-; plied with a mule or mules, under the * I appearance of sale, and supplies of all . : kinds advanced, with the only chance of , i reimbursement, depending .on the sue- ' cess of the negro in, to him, the new arts- of planting and proprietorship. .Sometimes this is attended by partial . success, but in the very large majority J . of instances, in failure of crop—large in-debtednes*, which he iR unable to pay— . i the mule badlv damaged, by ill use aDd starvation, and, in most instances, re- . turned, and quite often in the abandonment of the crop before gathering; this last- being practically done, by idleness f and neglect. Whenever the negro finds that his indebtedness for rent, supplies J and stock are likely to exceed the value of his crop, he feels no more obligation to continue work. .Our planters know these things just as *, well as we do, yet they seem not to re- Jfard the severe lemons of experience, low to plant, with the negro for the In- Tl , borer, is the question. Both question and answer are simple, but our planters , refuse to adopt them. tEmploy them for money wages, a certain portiou payable at the expiration of every month, trie remainder at the end 2 of the year—either working them in •; large or small numbers, as may be most r convenient, we preferring the small num- lt;bere with a well chosen white man to ] ’ work in the lead, and to act as a [ kind of foreman under the proprietor. r , If. then, an idle hand has been employed, l he can at any time be discharged with r only a prospective, but notan actual loes, as is the ease when farming on shares. t The fact* which we have here urged ^ upon the cotton planter* are of the most j serious character, as it shown in their £ pecuniary condition and in the appear- l ance of their homes—for a share cropper, f ora tenant, always refuses to awisi in , improving the place, having no further f interest in it, he thinks, than for the ^ pawing yeur; while with hired hands a \ man keeps his stock and cribs in his own *‘ hands, directs his own planting, and im- * proves his place a* he sees proper. 'These t are only a few of the facte involved, but ^ sufficient to demonstrate the troth of all c we say, as proven by the experience of ’ every planter who has tried either plan. A —Rural Texan. *
Newspaper Details
Opelousas Courier
Opelousas, Louisiana, US
Sat, Oct 16, 1875
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Ashley H.
USA 24 Aug 2023
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