The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1865-11-09
From the New Orleans Picayune.l
, s,Ieudid Chance Tor ,Investinent I'm
- the SOuth


Many rumorS reach us respecting the
desire and purpose Of Northern capital
;sts TO come South with their means, to
"nCace in the business of cultivating
,nT plantations We hope that their i'll
tsntions are serious, for capital is now
onr preat aud pressing need. Our plant
arS have an abuudance of the best land
in the world ;tthey have experience and
al the appurtenances and requisites tor
cnltivation, except capital to furnish
<Lair laborers and families with siIbsist-
.nce 70 rebuild their levees, open their
Jitcbes and increase their stock Mil
lions of dollars of produce are lost to the
countrv and the world for want OF a COM
narativelv small sum. In times past,
aur State Banks came to the relief of the
nIonters aud merchants, in great stress
ff;re the present. Now there are no
Inks TO give this succor We must de
nsnd on private capital, and as mortga-
res and tue usual securities and interest
win not probably suffice to attract this
capital, the planters are willing to cult
,ate on shares or in partnership with
narties advancing the capital, or to lease
tba;r plantations on terms which promise
.nl.ndid profits There are planters now
N oar city who could raise a thousand
halrs OF cotton next year, if they
ronld command capital of S50,0OO.--
They are ready TO make arrangements
with capitalists by which they might
douhle their money in one season The
emancipation of the negro has dispensed
with one of the prerequisites, heretofore,
of planting and brought the business
more within the reach of capitalists than
!, was before. Those who wish to cul
tivate the plantations do not now have
+, invest SO large Il sum in such precarl-
ous nropertv as slaves. Where it used to
taks "A hundred thousand dollars to EN-
bark in the business, fifty or seventy-hve,
or even fifteen thousand will suffice
Land IS cheap-cheaper. considering quail
itv. than in any other part OF the United
States-and improvements can be more
easily and cheaply made. In view of
these advantages, we are not surprised
that the capitalists begin to think OF EN-
barking in Southern culture. We are
only surprised at the delay in carrying
ont their designs We trust such delay
is hardly justified by the apprehension
that the labor can not he obtained. The
prospects of the organization OF our la
Dor are now good. The freedmen will
soon be placed between the alternatives
of starvation or labor The planters can
afford to give th9u wages for good work
The present high prices OF our staples
will Justify liberal wages. Capltal can
find no better. no more profitable employ
meut than iii raising sugar or cotton at
present prices. either on large or small
scale Ten bales OF cotton are now
worth at least $500. aud likely to he
worth as much this time next year A.
most any ablc-hOdicd man can raise and
Lick ten bales of cotton on our rich alln
vial soils. We know one man and his
wife and little boy. not one hundred
miles from this city. who made $4,000 IN
1864 oil ten acres of grOund III cotton III
spite of the worms. which were very
destructive that season.. In all that
MAGNIFICENT stretch of alluVian. north OF
Red River. which in 1859 and 1860 pro-
duccd. i'm four parishes, 234 900 bales OF
cotton. ten bales to the acre is the OrdIn-
arp crop There, cotton grows so luXu-
riantly. nd ripens So richly. that the
great struggle is to gather it. The hands
had no time to pick, but grabbed 1t out,
and with little trouble hurried 1t oil to
market. This country is all open to cul-
tivatun and capital, but the owners OF
these lands are without means or labor
crs. The northern people will display
great deficiency of sagacity and enter
prise if they do not quickly appreciate
and profit from this grand opening-this
boundlesS field of wealth-richer, far
richer, than the mines of California, and
Arizonia