The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-25
THE SEA ISLAND QUESTION.
Change from Sc" Island, to Upland
TO TIE EDITOR or THE NEWS.


proposed in my last article It shall be my CT
| fort 10 reach substantial conclusions rs con-
oisely rs possible, but 1t requires minute and
palnslaking investigation In all highly practl-
| cal subjects to make either ollr observations
safe or our deductions cogent and useful.
When say we can grow uplands compara-
lively as we'll as is done in the Interior 1t Is
| meant not only TINT VIC can do as ,rcli, but
| that we can do on an average better TO the
| acre. Why should not this be 80 If the up
| lands grow hcalthily with us at all? Our lands
are richer by 80 to 100 per cent. rs is proved
| by our capacity In corn and every other crop,
| save small grain, which docs not generally
grow hcalthily with us.
The presumption that the temperature, salt
| DIR or soil OF our section is unsuitable to up
land varieties of cotton is clearly without me-
rit The general temperature Is the same, IL
not better, than that of the most favored short
cotton regions. The fact of our soil being
sandy Is no hindrance 10 cotton growth, as Is
excmplificd by the fine growth of the sea
islands; besides which, it Is well known thai
some OF the bost upland sections OF our State
arc also sandy, rs Is the case with the Ailandalc
vicinity, in Barnwell District and the lower
part OF Edge1cd. The salt air or saline prop
| critics Of soil arc by no means rrcjudical 10
| growth Of uplands. It Is n well known fact
that large crops Of the same have been made
| on our reclaimed marshes, and this when these
lands would not mature the sea Islands so as
to escape the great injury from frost. AS TO the
flatncss of our soil, and in some Instances
luxuriancc of growth, deemed by some in
compatible with uplands, would cite the
tcctu t,,tnt1 1,Nff ffa,, Z
of the finest OF which arc rs level rs though
they were grndcd by rule, whilst some of these
very fields have to. be planted six feet each
way owing to the great laxuriance of growth.
So far as our coast Is concerned, the growth
of cotton for the most part is not excessive
1t Is blessed with remarkably cquablc tempcra-
turc and seasons. We have never known be-
fore 1867 and 1885, I'm the memory OF man,
those Overwhelming floods OF rain or extreme
yicissitudes Of season so frequent In the South
west. Exempt from nil possibility of frcshcts
and ovcrflows, we again have no striking peri
ouicitics always so Injurious and sometimes
destructive to slow growing crop like that of
cotton. IL Is TO this noxious popularity that
both the East and West Indies, as well as the
coast Of Africa, arc subjected, which necessari-
ly Involves expense and loss.
However we examine the condition of thinps
we lind 1t In the main with us most favor
aoie 10 the cotton growth. But no less I'M
portant question arises rs to our gathering sea-
son. may as well state here, as farther on,
that In this particular our coast at least Is I'M
surpassed, as Is fully borne out by what Is nc
cessary to the silky fibre of the sea islands
requiring, Us 1t does, so much nicer gathering
than any other variety Of cotton known.
Thus 1t appears, reasonably taken, If our soil
has superior fertility 1t has the adaptabilIty
otherwise tn grow largor orvI,s upieuus ~
the area than is done In the Interior. So much
ior The reasonable presumption; what of tho
actual facts so far ut our command? | have
previously dealt with the past, its attempts
and experiments, md have given the same, /
think, with candor and frankness. The expe-
rlmcnts of the day differ widely from the past.
The crop of upland reported in TIE NEWS as
made on Edslo Island, during the past season,
Is TO the point and striking. Here we have
300 pounds of lint to the acre gathered by The
LIST of November, whilst no more than fifty
pounds of sen islands to the acre was deemed
possible as the whole yield This, Too, in favor
of uplands being planted much later than the
sen islands, both on the same plantation and
both swept by worm. Surely nothing could
be more conclusive Us far rs II goes. We are
crcdlbly Informed OF another crop on Johns
Island pointing In the same direction, If not
extending TO the same degree.
have before me still more striking and
Interesting case, If possible, of crop raised
In st. Luke's on inferior lands and un-
der the most unfavorablc circumstances.
highly respectable and reliable overseer,
who managed with rcpute In this vicinity
before the wnr, Informs me that he Guilt
vatcd during the past season five acres Of
uplands under his own hand, having neither
plough or black lnbor at his disposal He
planted without manure Il common kind OF short
cotton late, and in the {" lists" (frsL chopping
together ofrows,) reports with emphasis stand
rs "badly missing" and the crop entirely eaten
out by worm, In his opinion sinking half of
the same. He makes $50 pounds of lint to the
acre, and does not think, in his Informed
Judgment, that the lands could have produced
over 40 pounds 10 the mere Of good ordinary
sea Island, say ut present market value TO cents
per pound.
know these fields, and think that II plant
ed without manure the estimate of forty
pounds Of sea Islands, supposing injury suffer-
ed from worms to be one-half, is too high for
the same. have no idea that more than slx-
ty pounds to the acre, without worm, could
have been safely calculated upon, and with q
late start, hurrledly planted, badly missing
stand, and chopped through already with
provision crops, think forty pounds to an
acre Is about all that could have been made.
This may have been what was meant, but as
my informant Is not within my reach whilst
write, have first given the statement as 1t
may possibly havo been intended. Ny infor-
caught by two good furrows OF tho plough,
carefully thrown together, as otherwise. His
opinions are not only valuable on account OF
bis entire reliability, but on account of his va
ried experiences, having been reared In Barn
well District, and tamilinr with tho cultivation
thereof; afterwards removing to the coast,
where he has hnd long and thorough trimming
and experience In the sea Island cultivation