New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-09-01


| grass and te-yines. The clean crop, however, is
the exception; generally the culture is slovenly
4 and Indifferent.
The dronth set in in the latter part of May and
we had no rain for seven weeks, during which cot.
ton barely held its own and kept alive The rains
commenced early in July and copious floods en-
sued, followed by seasonable showers up to this
4 time.
So soon as the rains set in, the plant then small
and stunted, began to grow OF finely and bloom
and boil out abundanty, and we now have the
prospect of very tolerable yield, say at guess
(no man can do more than guess, the cultivation
/ varies so much) half to three quarters of bale
4 to the acre.
4 There has been no boil worm, very little web
worm, and the great destroyer, the Yeritable army
worm, is now for the first time threatening seri-
ously. We have heard of some patches in the up
lands already destroyed, and the worm is now
scattered in ihoonsiderable numbers on the river
4 plantations; but few weeks more will ensure a
\ crop in spite of them,
4 We have on the river great protection from the
| increase of the worms, from the immense numbers
/ of small birds that have congregated to feed on
the seed of a large native grass that comes up
spontaneously in uneultivated and neglected fields.
One specie pr bird, resembling, or perhaps iden-
teal with tRe rice bird of Carolina, is here in
countless thousands and it has been observed that
cotton growing contiguous to mlllet, or to the big
grass alluded to- Is kept pretty clean Of worms by
the exertions Of these little foragers.
4 The owner of the plantation from which am
now writing noted last season that patch Of mil
let at the end of his cotton protected it for some
forty or fifty rows. The birds filed their craws
with the seed of the millet early in the morning,
and as as the sun became hot they retired to
the thick shade afforded by the cotton plant where
they remained till evening, destroying millions of
army worms. In the evening they varied their
diet by another descent on the mlet, and at night
again retired to roost in the cotton.
The result was that the yield to the acre for fifty
rows adjoining the millet was from one thousand
to twelve hundred pounds, while outside of this
| cotton in all other respects similar, brought only
from five hundred to six hundred pounds to the
acre.
My friend, who is practical and experienced
planter, says that he never expects to discover
i specific which will render cotton crop or any
other crop certainty, but that if his house were
oyerrun with rats and mice, he would certainly
enlist the services of some cats and terriers anf
on the same principle he will do all he can topress
the birds into service versus worms.
He intends next season to plant strips OF mlllet,
ten to twelve feet wide atntervals of fifty yards,
4 throughout his cotton field. The millet will be
d cut and shocked in July, the scattered seeds and
the shocks will attract the birds, and he conf
u IDENTIFY expects the exertions of the quick eyed
foragers will keep the insect pests within bounds.
| Should his plan fail, and from some unforeseen
cause the birds do not come he will at least have
secured abundance of rough feed for winter and
4 spring. very important item now when Mr..
Freedman has concluded that stripping corn fod-
der is too hot work. Besides, he will have the
1 convenience of wagon roads at short distances
to haul up cotton baskets, which is also con
i slderation in plantation economy.
1t may not suit planters who SOW small grain to
collect and entertain the birds, but for all who de-
vote themselves exclusively to cotton think this
plan promises more fairly than any have pre
4 Viously heard. In Alabama and Mississippi much
time, money and trouble was thrown away il
) catching the moth or fly that lays the egg pro
ducing worm. Whole counties were Illuminated
J with lamps to attract them, and sweetened will
tin plates of molasses to secure them and myriads
OF insects were caught and old negroes and theii
RI 1,f4a
and objurgations as they trudged nightly in TIL
heavy dew through the rank cotton but all to nc
purpose-the worms were as plenty as ever Sui
phur has had its advocates, in all manner of WAYS
from soaking the seed in it, to fumgating the
plant with the smoke-but so far, believe with
800 Gess. But whoever will stand in one Of gu,
copei, ero, h and watch the birds
hoeki IN countless myriads, and note dot ~
visitation Of them will eat up hundred acres 81 =
wheat IN three days will have great expectations
can be directed there. -
And beit observed, that their fight is short and
their range limited, and that some such plan as
the one, above described must be resorted to- to
render their services availing. But let the miIlet
pc convenient, and as witty friend of mine OBJ.
serves like Luther in the time of the reformation,
they Will not be deferred from the Diet of
| Wurms.
The reports of the working of the freedmen ara
as various and contradictory as those about the
| crop. My own observation is that outside Of The
ldemoraizing vicinity of the army and the burean
they are disposed to work, and do work pretty
wen. mat IS the men work, and all the children
WORK, but the women will not, and do not leave
their cabins unless thereto induced by great moral
suason, and not unfreQuenty course of tonics
IS necessary to get them to the cotton field: oak
PARK with the stick in it, smarty applied by their
husbands, externally, of course Most of the
freedmen have share in the crop, and as cotton
IS rapidly opening, and speedy and lucrative re-
tnfn Tor their labor s evident they gointo the field
with some shirt A1Anrifty anI
child capable of doing anything go along and helm.
Little creatures who under slavery never did anv
WORK harder than soaring chickens out of the
garden, are now picking diligently In this sec.
ton OF country the crop will be saved and it viii
prove a paying one. The largest crop ever made
in De Witt county was 5000 bales. think we NAV
reckon this season on 800 to 1000 bales-the three
thousand bale crop brought net about forty dol
lars per bale. One thousand bales at present
prices, and secured at considerably less expense,
would show a handsome balance in favor of the
new order of things
But this immediate neighboFhood ID in an excen-
tional position-the labor and discipline of the
plantations have never been interrupted during the
war or since; there was short saturnaia when
freedom was proclaimed, the negroes wandered
off or focked to the towns, but most of them have
returned to their old masters, and so long as the
habits Of industry and obedience aquired under
slavery last we may expect to get on tolerably.
bus the planter must exercise endless patience and
uneeasng attention; he must be ever instructing
eShorhng and threatening, and he must see and
hear everything, and affect not to see and hear a
very great deal.
In the meantime houses, fences, cribs stables,
mills, gnhouses, screws, in short the whole build
ings and fixtures of the plantations are going
rapidly to ruin. There was no lumber to be had,
and no skilled labor attainable during the war
and the present seasons results were looked upon
as too hazardous to warrant any outlay in build.
ings or repairs. We hope that more hopeful
spirit will now prevail and that one of the richest
and best cotton regions on the globe will not be
suffered to relapse into wilderness.
cannot imagine why the flood of emigration
pouring into Texas has entirely missed this portion
Of the State. Our country is easy of access by
way Of New Orleans and Lavaca, thence byraiIroad
to Victoria and within fifty miles of Victoria there
is every possible indueement for the cotton plan.
ter, the horse or cattle raiser, or the owner of
Sheep to purchase land and settle for life.
Lands can be had lower than anywhere else ON
the earth possessing similar advantages. Cotton
farms, where in favorable season a bale to the
acre can be made, can be had at from SIS to $40
per acre. We have no overdoWs. We have good
health, and white man can work out of doors all
the year round. Our sea-breeze in summer is
constant and eXhilarating. We have no consump-
ton. We have good water. We raise our own
horses and mules at trifing cost for herding and
branding. We raise the finest beef in the world
almost at no costa and work oxen as many as we
want--oXen that will do all the hard work of the
plantation and not finch from the sun-big
BtrDnR fallnWS yoke nf whom will mil