The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-04-01
Southern Plantations.

The great question of the present day is
the war. But a greater question must come
up, and inventors should be the first to con-
slider it, and it is not now too soon to begin.
III ow are the Southern lands to beworked
when the laboring force, always inefficient,
becomes barely willing to minister to its
own uncultivated wantsp We do not give
apolitical opinion in this case, to excite dis
like in our readers of either party, but we
take for granted what seems to be expect
cd by both parties-that slavery is weaken
ed, ifnot ended and we take the expert
ence of the English and French colonies as
evidence that, in future, the negroes will
over, the planters are mostly ruined the
vide capital and machinery to work them,
is the greatest question ever presented to
the intelligent spectators and inventors
and engineers of this country. ~ More mil
lions may be made by machinery to work
these lands than have been wasted by this
brainless war. ao'
We have been told by geologists, mete-
orologists essayists, orators, and other au-
thorites in whom we have not implicit
faith, that the world must depend on Amer
lean cotton, because no other country has
climate suitable for the growth of cotton.
In opposition, we are now told by closet
authors I'M England that other sources Of
supplies are being opened, and will render
Europe independent of America, or at least
reduce the present price oil. cotton. We
are also told by men here, whose political
opinions and feelings probably bias them,
that the cotton lands have been exhausted
by unthrifty slave labor; others tell us that
deeper plowing will restore them. How
much truth there is in these views lsnot
to be learned without methodical investi-
cation; but our opinion is, that the cheap
labor and parching climate of India will
not successfully compete with machinery
working on our cotton lands AS for Egypt,
the cotton is said to be good, but Egypt
has not land enough to affect the market.
Stunted cotton grows in Italy, about Ma
pies, but labor there is not energetic or
very cheap and it is wanted for silk, wine,
and other products. Algeria and Western
Africa are talked Of as great cotton fields
Finally men who never have looked at the
fibres through q microscope, and knew
nothing of spinning, talk of making flax
into cotton, which is as reasonable as to
talk of making bristlesint wool. All the
facts Indicate that the American cotton
region must rule the cotton market, at least
for good qualities, even if the demand does
not Increase But the increase in demand
is one Of the great phenomena Of the age,
and is not likely 10 slacken while the gen.
eral power of producing what may be ex-
changed for cotton goods is increasing
This growing demand for cotton offers i'm
mense returns to spectators who will or
ganize with capital sufficient to unite with
them in one body all the inventive and en-
gineering geniusi in the market. Such force
will revive the fertility Of the exhausted
surface by deeper cultivation and will work
with profit even in competition with the
labor of India, that earns only the cheap
est feed that we can keep up the race of
laborers. We urge on the authority of
the best engineers, that pound Of coal
under boiler will do more work than three
pounds of rice consumed in rearing and sus-
tanning Indian laborers, more than three
pounds Of feed forhorses, or any other force
of mereamuscles !; and the directing intel
lect Of white mon will add more to the pro-
duct than will pay the cost OF machinery
american Artisdn Sea go A9 ssss''''' ~a-