American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-09-15
Important to Planters-Letter from
the State Geologist.

Prof.. Hligard, STATE deolosls'' audtess-
es a letter to the Clarion, which is OF
great interest to the planters. and especi-
ally land owners. The object of the letter
is to urge upon the planters the paramount
importance Of retaining upon their own
soil their own cotton seed. He alludes to
the practice fpanters before the war. and
which seems likely to be resumed. of sell
ing their cotton seed to the oil manufactu'
rer, as means Of turning that nuisance
to some little account. This is the gist
Of the letter:
l wish to lay before the intelligent
planter the balance sheet Of this transact
ton, to show that in selling his seed a
the rates current before the war. or, in fact,
at any rate the manufacturer will be likely
to pay, he is literally giving away bis
heritage for mess of pottage.
In so doing l need no more than allude
to the great fundamental truth of Rational
Agriculture, now generally understood,
that no soil is or can be inexhsustible
that exhaustion is owing 10 withdrawal
by the crops of the mineral ingredients
entering into the composition Of the latter,
and remaining as ashes when they are
burnt ; and that upon tie restoration OF
these ingredients of the soil depends the
maintenance or resuscitation OF its fertility.
Everybody understands that we might
raise the same crop consecutively on the
same field for harvesting. if we were to
turn it under with the pillow every year.
So ia from deteriorating the soil SO treat
ed it would constantly improve.
Suppose that in raising corn, we aimed
at the ripe shucks only, while returning
the fodder, stalks and ears to the soil it
is papabe that We might go on raising
corn and harvesting sbucks almost indef-
fnitely. The corn ear contained a score
of times over. the amount of nutrtiye in
gradients contained in the dry stalk, fOd-
der and shucks together.
Suppose, again, that shucks we're sale
able at 95 cents per pound, like. cotton
lint, while corn were OF little use save as
return to the soil, TO enable the planter to
raise more shucks, what would even then
be though! of the propriety Of selling corn
at seven dollars a ton, as has been done
with our cotton seed for the latter bears
lust about the same relation to the lint. as
the corn ear to the SD ucks. But, letting
comparison alone, we will come TO the
facts Of the case, as demonstrated by the
IN ring balance of the chemist.
Assuming that a 400 pound bale cor
responds to 1900 pounds seed cotton, We
find that 400 pounds cotton lint contains
SO pounds Of mineral ingredients 900
pounds Of cotton seed contains 80 pounds
Of mineral Ingredients 1900 pounds OF
seed cotton contains AZ pounds Of mineral
ingredients.
OF these AZ pounds, four represent,
therefore, the necessary exhaustion re-
sulting to the soil from raising bale of
cotton while nine and a half times as
much of Ingredients equally. or even more.
valuable to the soil, enable 10 q similar
number Of crops Of cotton. in addition TO
thoseit may still bear from its natural store
Of fertility.
In other words: For every 900 pounds
Of cotton seed finally withdrawn from our
fields, Ne setusllJ lose what would. IL re.