The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1862-03-05
Iron THE LANCASTER LEDGER. I

in worse .predicament than any Of the
other Confederate States, from the very
fact, that their cotton ports are blockadeG
and in consequence cotton will not sell,
onl TO limited extent and that at a
very great sacrifice e; and all the neces'
ssries which they are compelled to buy
are at exorbitaut prices-prices created
by the demands Of this unr,gh.eous war,
and which are enriching the non'cotton
producing Confederate States.
Therefore, propose through the col
umns of your journal few suggestions
for the consideration Of the planters Of
the Cotton States. In the first place,
Cotton has always been represented as
King, and believe i. is; when it's pow
ers are not abused-that Is, no: produced
beyond tue demand and the necessity Of
the case. believe tue cotton planters
have it in their power TO raise the price
Of last Falls crop Of cotton TO IL o. Is
cents even in the event the war does con,
tinue and the ports remain ckaded.--
II they will but adopt the system unan
mously of planting from one-fourth TO
one half crop this Spring and plant the
other half or three fourths Of their cotton
lands in corn, oats, peas, &c. This would
enable us to raise our own grain and
meat, and great deal TO spare. The
very moment the fact would be ascertain
ell and relied upon, that there " would on
ly he fourth or half crop of cotton
planted, you would see the manufactur
ers storing It up for their factories ard
capitalists buying it as a matter of grea,
speculation at from IL to Is cents. This
would help out tue Cotton States to a
very considerable extent, in lowering the
price Of our provisions and clothing, and |
raising The value of our negroes in hir
ing, DC. There is one way the cotton
planter might make his negro women
more valuable than raising so much cot
ton. Linsey now commands about one /
dollar per yard. Then instead Of buying
his linsey, let him make it at home in the
old % way, excep, the chain, which is a
little cheaper to buy it at 81 90 per bunch.
Il understand it can be bought at that
price at Factory near Rocky Mount,)
will make calculation what this linsey
will cost TO make it al home. We will
take five punches Of yarn, tha: will cost
IS 90 the wool will cost about 25 cts. |
per yard at the present prices, which will
make sum Of $4,000 for 100 yards of
Linsey. Now, we will see how long it
will take good spinner and weaver to
make the 100 yards Of Linsey. 1t will
take about 225 cuts, that will take a
spinner 80 days, spinning @ cuts per day.
Then it would take her about II days to
weave it, and about days TO prepare
it for the loom, including selzing, spool.
ing, warping, DC. That would make 60
days. In that GO DAYS she would make
$1,000, which would he $l.l6 per day
for her lsbour. This is a calculation I
will leave to the judgment Of any pracli'
cal lady to say if il is not moderate work
for any one who understands spinning
and weaving.
The planter has always been pursuing
a policy detrimental to bis own pecunia.
ry interest, and also in a political point
Of view. 10y raising too much OF tie raw
material to the great neglect Of grain,
stock, meat, clothing, &c. Only take a
retrospective view a. the price Of cotton
for the last two or three years, and be.
hold, and that with astonisb neni, the |
difference ib the price Of goods aud infe,
rior cotton. When good cotton was
worth 12 cents, very inferior was worth
about 6 cents. But it has been a gene
raj practice among number of cotton
planters to prefer to make $4,000 worth |
Of cotton and give five hundred dollars
worth Of it away for stock and provision,
than to make $500 worth Of cotton and
raise $500 worth Of stock and provisions. |
10 other words, hs would rather raise 8 !
bales OF cotton TO the hand gross, than
bales nett. For his name would be
heralded all over the State, while the
mans name who made only s bales would
remain in obscurity. I. appears, there.
fore, that men would prefer their negros
10 make two sorry baskets per day, to
pick cotton in, that would only last one
year, than for them to make one good
basket that would last two years. They
Fould also prefer to wear out two mules
q wagons in ten years, to get the name
being rusher or pusher, than to wear
oiit oulv oua vsoon ne rnuix l. H. -