, 1861-12-31

4 letter from H. III. .KangWoxfhy.

Especial Correspondence OF tbs Chic4go Tribunel
DUBUQUE, Iowa, Dec q, 1861.
notice with pleasure your editorial remarks
upon the cultivation Of cotton in Southern
Illinois, in your Issue Of the 23d Inst. have
nov ths pleasure seS! Ct enclosing to report
worthy, Esq, Of this city, to the 's Farmers
Club" Of this county. Mr. Langworthy and
bis brothers, now residing here, have consid-
erable practical. knowledge upon this subject,
aud his remarks, as eontrmatory Of the sub
ject under consideration, will be Interesting
to az your readers. I agree with you that
this is 8 subject Of much practical Importance.
The chief difficulty to be overcome In the
extensive cultivation Of cotton in Southern
Illinois wi1 be found in IN insufficient supply
Of labor at the picking season- It will
be seen that NJ. Langwort1y takes the
same view Of the subject that I do
He proposes to remedy the matter By employ
ing children during that season. will not
now debate the propzietT Of this. merely
Elsl to bring out prominently o. II the only serious
remedy may be applied It is idle to think
Of raising cotton extensively without large
force Of hands at the picking season, or some
different method Of gathering it must be de-
yised.
In Mr.. Langworthy's report, after remarks
Of general nature, he proceeds as follows: |
"The cotton plant will flourish well in many
OF the free States Of the American Union. It |
is hardy plant, but grows best on alluvia1
soils, cultivated Ike corn In rows by the t
plow and hoe. It bears good crop on rich |
land, but less on poor highland situations. |
The fertility Of the soil On which it is planted
determines the size Of the plant, length and |
hneuess Of the fiber and the amount OF the |
product.
lit is singular that this useful and profitable
branch Of agriculture should have been so
generally neglected in some Of the free States,
Or in other favorable portions Of the earth In
mild and genial attitudes.
s'Ihe tact is that the field 1aborer in picking
out the cotton from the bolls or pods that en-
close it is so great that cheap work is requisite.
| Free labor can not compete with slave labor,
| and hence the Southern cotton fields supplyin
part this article to all the balance Of the world,
| at least about tTo-tlirds Of the whole comes
/ from the cotton fields Of the Southern States,
! and is the product Of cheap labor.
! " 4 cotton plant in the rich soil Of Southern
| Iowa, Illinois, Indiana or Ohio will grow as
! well, produce as plenthul1y, and mature as
fully rs in any other parts Of the globe. 4
| plant Of cotton has about ten branches, each
! branch has about four pods, and each Of these
| pods has three different apartments OF cells,
which are to be picked out BY hand Thus
it will be seen that one hundred and twenty
insertions with the fingers extract the pro
ducts Of one plant. Add to this the fact that
one set Of branches Fipen before any other,
and must be picked In season. or the light
substance will fly away on the wings Of The
i
other branches Eil1 mature aRd so continue
until the cotton field will have. to he gone
over three or four times before it is all fully
gathered, and VIC will discover where the DIFF
f1culty lies 1t is said that slaye labor is cheap
and has been devoted to this class Of products.
A negro slave will cost say $500. His time Of
Life in the cotton field will be about twenty
years. Now after deducting first cost, interest
on the money, food and clothing, II all 81 500,
! ! he can work his twenty years or COCO days at
! | of e71or1 T11- md far
,, self, 60 that rs slave labor can be had in the
cotton fields at twenty-five cents . day, and
probably half that amount, free labor is ex-
Guided entirely, or the price brought down to
the standard Of that Of the African Stare.
"Where, however, the price Of slaves ranges
! high and q good laborer can only be had for 4
rcnluncrating price, then free labor can begin
: to grow cotton.
'sTo apply these general principles suppose
q farmer Of southern Illinois plants a thousand
acres in cotton. Thirty hands and as many
> horses will perform all the work, "1ay by
!, the field in July, and the crop will be rIpened
: in September. Then let the farmer advertise
= through the surrounding country and villages
; the labor of al children over the nse Of clever
!. L years and pay their board; also, their expenses
= from home, for fifty days, or during the cotton
- picking season, thereby securing cheap helI
I 1or the harvest. Would he not make money
u Every acre would yield two balts Of cotton
] whole field nearly $4,000. The thirty mel
Il Il and horses for four months costs s., 500, an
y the children doubling the number and tn
! t price, fifty days at fifty cents and board, max
! ! 5000, which, deducted from the gross amoun
y y Of salce would leave, exclusive Of inturest O.
~ ~ cost ct the land, an annual profit Of $1,000.
y 'sNow, suppose we reduce tue wages Of thes
~ ~ children to twenty-five cents day, the pric
u Of slayc labor, and allow that thirty days III
o. be sufficient to gather the crop from the fieli
~ y instead Of fifty days; and suppose furthe
T. that fifty children will gather the cotton the
n. \. ne have net profit on the one field Of cotto
Ct Ct Of s9,125. But, again; suppose that the CO
" " per acre, and the price is only $50 instead
spl $12O, md allowing the highest rates for the:
L. free chi1dren's labor, and the greatest numb
-, Of days, say fifty, and the greatest numb
~ employed one hundred, and still We have
~ ~ clear profit over and above all expenses
aE r 5000. These are the facts and figures. 4
ta VI acre Of wheat will net ordinarily not mo
~ ~ than Sc, if, indeed, any profit is ever realiz
M W over and above fair price for the labor al
W Ted more haa % Of I'll
ng sBut some may doubt the TACT that colt,
can be Tlised to any perfection as far north
IL the parallel Of latitude above named
ne- 1 will only refer such to the history of, t
~ ~ nearly all Of the farmers then settled in t
ua district of country named. In all Of Southe
'ns Illinois each family planted, gathered q
~ manufactured into wearing apparel their St
eral little fields Of cotton. From ono
three acres Of land we're generally planted II
old in March or carly in April, in rows like col
On drilled in, cultivated " plowlng and hoeil
act and brought to maturity. like any other CT
The With as little expense and with equal certain
/ in 1.-THE directions for cultiyating this crop
ers short and easy. Get lot ten acres OF groo
nts about three bushels Of tile seed. winch can
iyc. had at any OF the cotton gins in Tenness
! Of Arkansas or Louisiana; plant in drills early
ike spring, about three and half feet apr
IDS, When the plant appears above the surface
its the ground, cultivate as you "ould COZ
led, thin out the plants TO ABOUT SIX mches ap;
NV and keep the weeds from growing. Sci
run good soil, for on the size Of the plants p,
we depend the quality Of the material !
crc8 lands even In the sunny south, WILL prou
ope only poor specimens; AnuflaL land5 are