The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1869-02-24
Corn and COtton--Our Dam
ger.

| SSIs
We append from tho Charleston
Ne,os very excellent article
which urges upon the planters
tho necessity of "cultivating plen-
ty Of provisions first, and then u
moderate crop Of cotton" It's
suggestions our planters would do
wcll to heed and ponder, and then
reduce to practice. The effect Of
tho policy recommended is to fur
nish us with full supply Of bread
stutfs: at tho snmo time that it
does not diminish tho income from
| cotton. How hard it is to roalize
that "thc half is sometimes greater
than tho whole )" that the market
value of al article depends upon
it's scarcity that not the "books
Of tho sybil" merely, but all things
else increase in prico as they
diminish in number that cotton
is not exempt from the law which
governs all commodities. Read
the article 'ocekly and practice it's
suggestions daity:
Tho cotton crop of 1868 has
| been u God.send to tho South
We have money in abundance, our
credit is rapidly improving, the
chains arc brokon which bound
us, our future is bright with hopo.
And yet all this will bo al evil,
rather than good, if we do not
pcrscvtro in that wise agricultural
policy whose first fruits we now
enjoy.
Our danger is that the planters
may be tempted by high prices
tho result Of II moderate crop,
growing trade and reckless spccu-
ulation--to pitch huge crops Of
cotton. Each man who sold up.
land cotton ut Is or q or 20 cents
II pound, doubtless wished that he
had twenty bnIos instead Of ten,
or hundred in place of fifty
This feeling, however natural, wo
must conquer or be undonc.
We have made money by the
cotton crop Of 1868, because cot
ton was our first and principal
care. There had been two seasons
OF anxiety, disappointment and
loss, which forced the planter to
acknowledge that his only safety
lay in securing, at any cost, what
bread and meat he required. The
dGlIcst and most wrong-hcadctl
could sec this necessity, and, as II
consequence, the South produced
all the brcadstuils she needed, the
corn crop Of South Carolina alone
being 1000, 900 bushels more than
it was in 1867. Cotton was n So
condary consideration with tho
planter but the twO.an,l a-half
million OF bales which from tho
crop Of the year have still brought
us more money than four million
bales would have done at tho
prices before tho war. Had tho
whole strength Of the South been
directed to tho culture Of cotton,
the crop would havo been thrcc
million bales or more, and then
our fortunes would havo been
stakcd upon one cast Of tho die,
prices would have fallen and the
purchase Of Western grain would
have swallowed up tho greater
part Of the net proceeds Of our
cotton. AS it is, we havo been
independent Of outside help. Wc
have not eaten into tho morrow,
wo have not boon obliged to throw
our cotton upon tho market, and
We approach another season with
distcnded purses, and tho fairest
prospects Of success.
But tho lessons Of this year and
Of the years which have preceded
it will DO worse than thrown q.
way, if high prices induce our
planters to make cotton their king
and not thoir slavo. Tho first
labor, tho first thought, the first
pains, should ho given to wheat,
corn ard provisions and then,
and not bcforo, might the reign Of
cotton begin. We should have
tho best sced, 80 as to improve tho
staple fertilizers should be used
freely, so as to increase the yiold
per acre =; no more land should 10
planted than con DO cultivated
\ nv IL ,,I,, Il ,uoI