The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-16
G H A r T. E S TON
TUESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY is, 1869.
Next Yonr.
Aap %

There are signs on the wharves and in
the streets and at the railroad depots that
there is to be this year large crop of cot
ton. The warehouses and storerooms arc
piled up high with guanos, superphosphates
and fertilizers of every description, and
the railroads are fairly staggering under
the load of their unsavory fertilizer busi-
ness. Every farmer and planter has been
encouraged by the results of the opera
tions of the year. Wherever the caterpil-
lar did not make its appearance, the plan
ters have made money, and the net profit
on the cotton crop of South Carolina, now
in the pockets of the producers, would be
more than enough to pay off our whole
State dcbt of five million Of dollars. This is
making good beginning-the better be-
cause our people had almost made up our
minds that they were undone to all eter-
nifty, and the Mica wbers Of the State had
well-nigh ceased to hope that something
would turn up. What we have made will
be taken care Of not wasted. There is
abundant proof of this in the way that the
farmers are going to work.
Free negro labor is not yet reliable. 1t
is the best that we have-all that we have;
but the aim of the planter now is to econo-
mizc labor by limiting the area in cultiva-
ton and to give the freedmen such money
wages or share in the profits of the crop
as VIII enable him to reject Eli but the
best hands. There is no desire to rush
hcadlong from one extreme to the other,
and cultivate fifty acres instead Of five
thousand. Nor is there any idea of doub-
ans he cultivation because cotton
has. .a r entye ght and thirty cents,
th9 n'"n ia 70 III the land thoroughly ana
70 Increase tAa crop by the free use of fer}
ti'zers, not hy adding to the number Of
acres to be handled during the season.
The wisdom of this policy is very evi-
dent. 1t costs no more to cultivate 1--we
hundred acres, which will produce two
bales to the acre, than the same area which
will produce one bale or half bale to the
acre. The only additional cost Of any con
sequence is that Of the fertilizers that NAV
be used, and this is as nothing in compari-
son with the increase Of the crop. Last
year the quantity of fertilizers used in this
State was very small; but this year it prom
ises to be larger than in any year since or
before the war. The people have the
money. They know how well it pays to
invest that money in fertilizing material;
and we may look forward to producing in
this State, with average seasons, at least
250,OO0 or 100000 bales of cotton, to be
sent to market in the spring of 1870. And
there will be no commensurate increase in
the cost Of production. If, as we believe,
the increase in the crop should be entirely
due.to improved cultivation and plente-
GUS use of fertilizers, the net profits will
be enormously large. With cotton at twen-
ty cents, an increase Of fifty thousand bales
obtained in this manner should be an addi-
tion of at least three and a half millions
of dollars to the net income Of the State.
This is what we are driving at We are
working, not for an increased acreage, not
for breaking up of new ground. not for
headlong plunge into huge farming ope-
rations, but to cultivate thoroughly every
rood of land, and to encourage, strengthen
and quicken the soil, so as to obtain from
caa acre the ordinary product of two.
This can be done, and, if there be any vir-
tue in industry and economy, coupled with
q liberal use of the whole brood of fertil-
izers, the crop Of this year will assuredly
tell the tale.
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