The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1868-11-04
you would be on the other side of
Mason and Dixon's line. y, #
Improve Your OoSton-seed.,

live per cent to his income, in
II series 'of five or ten years, by aim-,
proving the seed he commenced with,
let it have been tho Boyds' Prolific,
the Bates, tho Dixon or the Zipporah
variety. Noticing the. doath ofDrs
ID. W. Ray last week called to our
mind bis experience on this subject as
given to us in person. Every year he
would pick the Cotton from the lart.
est aud hcalthicst stalks Of q select
and highly manurcd acre of4ahd, gin
it, and take tho seed to plant the
same acre with the seed on tho otfolfo%-
ing year, while with the remainder Of
the seed from the acre he would plant
his general crop. lie told us'that
the Improvement both as to quantity
he made to the ncre, and as to the
quality of the staple, was worry strik-
ing, and that his cotton seed always
commanded premium in price in his
noighborhood. Were this simple
plan systematically pursued wo be
licyc that twenty-five bales would be
soon raised, where twenty arc raised
now, and the lint would be SO ilnprov-
cd rs to bring five cents moro on tho
pound.
The first picking is not the best
from which to reserve sce1, nor is tlro
last one. The seed is moro mature
and in its best condition when rcscrv.
cd from tho middle picking. Yet
even those who know this fact, lose
annually several hundred pounds Of
seed cotton to tho acre, and one or two
cents on each pound CT tho lint, by not
putting their knowledge to advantage.
The Dixon Cotton has a great rcpu
tation. 1t is profusc bearer but tho
lint is inferior, or at least not supc-
rior, to that Of tarc ordinary varieties.
We hear dissatisfaction expressed by
some that have tried it. And why :
Wo conjecture that in our warming to
each planter to improve his seed, and
to guard against it's deterioration, we
have suggested II reason for .hoir dis
satisfaction. Tho seed most likcly
was not selected seed, if got from Dix
on himself, and VIC are certain, it was
not selected seed, if gotten, at second
hand, in this State, for thcro Is a pro-
verbal and disgraccful slovenlinoss,
caught from tho ncgroe, and apparent
ly mcurable, In South Carolina, with
regard to everything Of tho kind. If
it be remembered that the varieties of
several fruits, arc hno'vn to DO but tm-
proreme"ts upon ono original variety
d"e to careful cuNivation, this suqpcse
tion of ours will have its weight.
Wo published, in this paper fort.
night ago, an account Of tho Poeler
Cotton, which sells for forty-6vo cents,
when ours brings twenty-five. 1t Is
Louisiana variety but throo yoars old,
occidontly observed by a Mr.. Peol in
few stalks, tho sccds of which lie took
pains to preserve, and this year p1ant-
cd his whole plantation with the va
rioty, with the gratifying result of
selling his crop at forty-cight cents
pound.
The Echols Cotton Is another very
prolific variety in great demand in
Georgia, whore it was introduced and
perhaps discovered by tho Honorable
hchols, ox-mcmber of Congress.
We sec it stated in tho Charleston
Mercury, that bale of tho Zippofah
or Hcporah variety, which has boen
cultivated with wonderful success at
Aiken in this State, and which We
have soon and suspect to be identical
with tho Echols cotton, sold, last week,
in New York, for ono hundred and
eighty dollars. Think of getting one
hundred and eighty, instead Of ninety
dollars, for each balo Of cotton. ana
you will begin to perceive that we
arc calling attention to most impor-
tant subject. 2evae s'i G
las any ono over attempted to in
troduco into Fairfield District the |
Egyptian Cotton : 1t sells readily at
sixty cents. Have they ever triod to
introduce the Florida cotton : 1tE
sells at from forty TO- sisty csness and |
has almost driven the Sea leland cot
ton to the wall, by bringing down its
price SO low, that though it cannot be
cq"allod in quality of staple, it is +
hardly profitable to plant it. s.. SIS