The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1855-12-18
THE COST OF RAISING COTTON

trl-Weekly Issue 81 tn0 ~-CtH u1llIIO, III d
communication headed 1.-The Gulf States of
our Union and the Valley of the Mississip
pi" The misstatement, doubtless an unin-
territorial one, occurs in the following para
graph:
The cost of raising cotton is four cents
pound one bale of five hundred pounds
to the acre is considered a fair crop. A
twenty acre field yielding twenty bales, or
ten thousand pounds, at eight cents a
pound, only yields profit of four hundred
dollars"
The true state of the case can best be
reached by taking the case of all improved
plantation of the most available size, and
with proper number of slaves upon il, and
making the estimates from that basis. This
Is most favorable way of making the es
innate to exhibit the largest profit; for it is
well known to every experienced planter
and how dearly some have purchased their
experience that the.expcn.es incident to
the opening and improving Of a plantation
for several years after the undertaking is
begun, eat up all the profits and often leave
Il load of debt behind, sometimes forcing q
sale of the whole property, which thus leaves
the hands of the original proprietor TO fall
into those of some wiser man who has es-
chcwed the toll and hazard of opening a
new place.
y plantation of sixteen hundred acres,
one thousand of which is cleared land, and
has the necessary cabins and other build
ings necessary for CARRYING on place Of
that size, Is worth from forty TO sixty dollars
per acre, according to locality. Estimat-
ing its value at the lowest rate, say $40 per
acre, and it makes SGJ,OO0. To work this
place to advantoge--th0t is, to cultivate
seven hundred and fifty acres in cotton, and
two hundred and fifty in corn, peas, pota-
toes, SIc-will require force of IS effective
hands, which with the young and old, who
do not go to the field, or work, who would
ordinarily be united to the IS hands, would
constitute about I30 or 40 slaves on the
place, would be worth about $4,000; 80
mules worth $3.50 each, would make S6,400
more one hundred head of cattle may be
estimatedatSI 200; 800 hogs may be estimat-
ed at 800; II yoke of oxen, smith aud car
pcntcr'S tools, and all the other nccessaries,
including gin-stands, mill, &C., may be es-
tinatcd land it is all under eStimate) at $2,-
900; so that any one, by simply adding
these different amounts, will see that the
entire value of such Il place as | have sup
posed will he about 800, 900; and this upon
the suppOsition that the place is worked
without II steam engine to gin the cotton
with.
Such place, with favorable seasons, will
make ten bales to the hand, or about one
bale to the acre, and sometimes when eve
rything is prosperous, an early spring and
Il late dry fail, as many as twelve bales to
the hand, and i'll some very extraordinary
Instances even as high as fifteen bales have
been gathered. But on an average of ten
seasons every experienced planter will agree
that eight bales to the hand is an outside
estimate, making Il crop of about six hundred
bales; and taking cents as the average
price per pound, which for swamp cotton is
again & full estimate, and the gross income
for Il single bale Of 400 pounds, which is
the well-known uniform weight, will be S32,
exclusive of the cost of shipping and soil
ing the crop, which amounts to at least 81
80 per bale in every case, and where the
place is distant from market nearer twice
that; leaving, say nett income of about
$4,000. From this must now be deducted
the cost of cultiyating the place, overseer's
wages, feeding, clothirg and doctoring the
negroes, supplying wear and tear of tools,
and losses of mules and stock, altogether,
ON place of the size | have named, not
falling short of $4,000, many planters csti-
mating their expenses at 800 to the hand,
would make $500. Taking it at the for
mcr sum and we have the nett profits of
such : place as l have described, amount to
$4,000, being just about an interest of 8
per cent on the value of the capital invest
ed
This, Mossrs. Editors, | believe fair
statement of the profits of the cotton plan
ter: and You can now see how it COMFORTS
with the fancy sketch of your correspondent.
If have exaggerated at all it has been in
giving too favorable an aspect to the side of
\ PLANTER.
IichsJwrg, Jniy, 1855.
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