Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-11-06
La,er fron, RoIirnr. Tenn.

BOLIVAR, Tenn October 25.-Fhs principal
source Of wealth in this section of the country
are the cotton and corn crops, end the PteGninHy
st7ple-the raising of negroes. The city OF
Bolivar, a place Of about 1900 inhabitants, is
situated near Hstchie river, is the county seat
of tsHsrdeman county, and, until the days OF
: railroads, was at the head of steamboat naViga-
{ ton. Since the days of railroads, boats no
longer ply the devious and uncertain channel OF
the Hstchie. The city is the metropolis OF a
somewhat extended stretch of country. Ls-
Grange is twenty five miles TO the southwest
ward, and Jackson the same distance in the op-
poste direction. During ''the season" this is q
not ineonsderable cotton mart, it being about
the only article Of expectation. The country is
well adapted to its culture, and a great many
; plantations run" as many as from one hundred
; to three hundred hands These plantations
make from one hundred to one thousand
bales season. The clear profits of a well reg
Ulsted plantation is an annual foTtune L is
| estimated that 'full hand can "tend" ten
acres Of corn and eight acres Of cotton every
season, and then secure the crops when matured.
On some of the rich bottom lands in Mississip-
pi and Arkansas they can make three bales to
the acre. One bale 60 the acre IS an average for
old uplands IN this part Of Tennessee. A bale
weighs 500 lbs more or less This sometimes
runs as low as eight, ten and II cents per h.
Let US consider A plantation runs two hun
dred full hands. Make it al cotton, iastead Of
part cotton and part corn. Take these Old up
lands. A bale to the acre, and twelve acres to
the hand. Twenty four hundred acres. Make
it eight cents a pound-$40 an acre. Forty
times twenty-fOur hundred make $4,000
Ninety-six thousand dollars. Let rs take an
estimate of like plantation in mississippi boz
tom land, with the present ruling p-ices-46
cents. Cotton is now worth 46 cents IN gold at
any Of the peTts in this country. That's S230
/ h,lo 3p1r 4 h. ..fT hot
makes only one mI1on one hundred and four
thousand dollars This is not visionary Ii is
own, an extreme case; but take the medium
of the product, or one bale to the acre, the ave
rage here. That would make, at the ruling
prices, $3.50 600. "
Near Grand Junction-thrOugh which we
passed tine other day on cur road 10 bum
bridge on the Holly Springs road-near there
| Major Mickey has a field of three hundred acTe5
all going to waste The Major thought it econ
omy to save his ''niggers," even if be did waste
one years crop. He ''tOted" them all eff to
Mississippi-"all excepting what broke and
came to our lines. That crop is worth, as it
stands, $50, 600. He has, besides, four hundred
acres Of corn. l sm glad of It, it stands just
where we will want it when we 90 down tnsTe
in few days from now. In ordinary seasoHs
that corn would be worth dollar q bushel
When we were at the Junction the major was
an excellent Union mantle biggest toad in
the puddle" Since We loft be has given large
subscriptions toward srming and eqUipping
guerrillss, and has been guilty of all kinds of
mesunesses. We hope soon 10 renew our ac-
quaintance.
They have a queer way Of raising corn here.
1t is planted only one way" and in ground
that has only been SKINNED. They plant It in
drill fashion, and leave only one stalk in place
The ears grow large, aud fill out well, but the
scarcity OF stalks make the crop light yield
l have lie doubt but our way Of cultiYating 2
would double the product.
There are no meadows in this part of Tonnes
see. As substitute for their rough feed
, they use the stripped corn blades and stalk
felds. They keep but little stock to feed, ex-
cePting their work mules and milch COWS. About
| the time the blades begin to turn they are
stripped OFF, bundled and stacked. No one has
barn to put them in.o Outside Of the town,
| don't think there's a decent barn within
twenty miles of here. L have never seen one in
the State A pole pen, covered with cane, brush
weeds and cotton stalks IS s positive mule
, palace
There is a regular stampede among the "prop-
erty" in the La Grange and Grand Junction
sections of country. Stock holders in the s. Di-
Yne institution ere attempting to transfer their
I shares to safer banks than the banks of Davis
, creek and Wolf river. The institution is on the
rsmage;" it refuses to be transferred, and we
kave at this post alone, diurna influx OF about
D thirty thousand dollars worth. We have men
0 in full vigor, eble-boded boys; we have matron-
{ ly looking women, young women, and women
still younger = girls, boys, sud plcaninnies
| They come in gangs, in squads, and singy
They esme in the morning, they come al
, noon, and at all hours of the dsy. Men escape
5 here, and seeing how the land lies, they obtain
. q pass out of the lines, and, under cover of tho
J. friendly night, spirit away their life-partners
sweetheaTts, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters
spirit away whole plantations in single night
g time. They may come in half famisned, bu:
, | they seldom come In half naked. single mau
may have upon his head bundle large enough &c
9 start rag picker's establishment aud q very re-
y | spectacle Jews second hand clothing store! j
| is really surprising, what bundles the creatures
will carry on top of their heads. They are a.
good an army sppendsge as a jack mule. / have
seen mere boys, here in camp, ard women, by
: no means OF muscular appearances, "tote" three
| mess kettles of water for halt mile, without
. stopping to rest One of the kettles, eontsining
| six gallons of water, is placed upon the head
y Everything is carried upon the head that can be
placed there have seen boys not more thar
| eight or ten years of age, saunterlng through
, camp with fifty pounds weight upon their heads
;, They will carry a bucket OF water, full to the
bIim, and never spill gill OF It, They nevel
| keep its balance with the hand. have seen meT
bundle rails together with ropes and bring then
q hundred rods for our moraing fres-or
:. their heads Of course. As a class, they srt
: inclined TO be-not indolent, but slow. They
% are willing, good natRFed obedient, honest snC
always cheerful. Some of the boys who have
been longest in calm, are little spoiled by teas
. ing and too much familiarity; bus were | gOine
Z to hire men here for field hands, should fuC
I no trouble in procuring plenty who would d.
!. a good, honest, fair days work Aud, besides
! -. I L.,
an instance in our regiment Of q servant going
/ away without leave-of neglseting duty steal
ing farthings worth; or telling wiful lie
J. They nun away from their masters moi so mucl
y because they are faithless, nor yet so much he
b cause they want taeir freedom; but becaus'
p they have horror of going tp Missouri or Ar
kansas. They have always been used to being
l. frightened out of disobedience or incidence b!
D threats of being sold into these same States
a, and they run eff to avoid the very buggabo
their masters hung up to fTightsn them with
A. My own servant is a live character.
l. The country, for miles around Bolivar, speak
ss the language Of a progressing revolution
g Fields are laid bare; fences used up for fuel
D. corn crops long since appropriated; cotton field
half picked, and hundreds of acres of plsin-land
upland, hillside, and hollow still white wit
}, myrisds of untouched and open bells house
4 standing here and there, surrounded by--desO
!. latlOn, Win not DoaIOy pichSl, OF SCatcel9
/; post left standing to " mark where garden hs
u bsen." No horses, no mules, no COWS, no calves
= few hogs, no cabbage, no potatoes, apples
g chiekens-no nothing that is edible, or that ca
be useful or ornamental tor army purposes. Tn
n secesh stole the cream, We drank the milk. The
$, took FIRST choice, and we appropriated the It
r mainder. Our teams to day went thiGteeH mile
e. for forage.
n. We noticed an unusual phenomenon here o
Thursday evening, the 23d inst. We had thre
n dsysi IKE tae Indian summer oSys o1 11.LI Out