Abbeville press. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1860-1869, 1867-04-12
EXTRACT.


EXTRACT.
During the last year, learnt some
valuable new lessons: One was the
training OF hands to double the amoLn,
of work, with more case and less
waste of sweat and muscle. My for
mer hands being better trained than
othrs, had better offers than l could
give, and ninc-tenths Of them left me.
l then employed handa from rs many
as forty plantations, and got nouc
that knew how TO work 10 any advan.
tage. l had hands before tho war
that could pick 600 pounds Of cotton
in day, all by daylight, aud all
hands that went TO the field averaged
800 pounds per day, without lick or
Il white man in the f,ld All Of my
trained hands have now applied TO
come back, prcftrlin5 ono third Of the
crop gathered on my place, 10 one.
half on the places worked last year.
Whilst l owned them they told mo to
plant 33 acres in corn and cotton, and
II in wheat and oats, and thoy would
cultivate it with my aid, in preference
to 20 acres under an ovcrsccr, and
could do it with more case. My crops
before the war averaged me $1,000 per
hand. l divided thus S2G0 for 1na-
nurc ; 5000 for horse power, tools, &c.
$500 for land ard $500 for labor. My
estimate is now, whcu' hands work
we'll, to divide as follows:
First take pay for all purchased ma
nure-the balance to go onc.third for
land rcnt-onc thi!d for horsepower
and all tools, including gin, wagons
carts, wheat-thrtt>her, Sc, hocs and
axes excepted, which each hand should
turnish--and oho. third to the l;:borcr
being divided among tho hands that
produce the cotton seed to be rcturn-
cd to tho land, and all crops left in the
field ungathercd, to 90 to tho owner
Of the lind.
Now as to commercial manures, &c
am wIit,en frequently to know of
whom purchase, and what kind use
John Merryman t. Co., Of Baltimore
are my agents, but there arc other
parties who will do justice. Money is
so plentiful at the North, that spccu-
lators purchase eacI, cargo as soon as
it arrives, and hold it for an advance.
30 that tho planters and farmers must
act upon some uniform plan. The
only plan sec now, that will do any
good, is this: Send your check on to
Baltimore, With instructions to pur-
chase any manipulated or mixed ina
| nures. Many Of them, no doubt, have
merits, but The planter had better do
his own mixing. Then he will know
what he has got, and aavc tho profit
Tho best manures bring the boIls on
cotton early, and n drouth then, with
half crop would check the growth
whilst tho cotton with an inferior ma
nure, and but few bolls, would be injar
ed; the rains setting in would iniurc
the first far moro than the last. CD The
manures 1 am now using are composed
thus: Peruvian Guano, Bonos, Salt
ord Plaster-one hundred pounds OF
the last. Bones are but ef limited
supply; resort must bo had to some OF
the phosphate Guanes, of. which Co.
lumbia paid best. but is now exhausted.
The true plan, is to try all manures
on their own merits-then do your
own selecting and compounding.--
There are some of the phosphate Gu
amos that / have not tried, bnt my
opinion is, that they are too high to
pay profit. Manure should. yield at
least double tho cost, to pay for .capi-.
tai, labor, taxes and all risks Of Rorms,
drouth; food, SO. .
u Very, truly yours,
DAVID DICKSON !
HANCOCK QouaTr, JanR 1857 ,@:ss
ils.tsss. !: 1-5>sF Southern GsIfi61foxs g