American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-05-22


is finally made to resemble Il ridge /
for sweet potatoes. We occasionally .
saw land prepared in this way for
corn in places that were wet, or sub F.
icct to overflow. With the cXcep-
ton of the surplus cotton seed that
was hauled on the land, we saw but
very few attempts to make the fields
more productive by the use of tertil- /
izers of any kind. We were pleased
to learn, however, that Il SubSoil at
tachment to a one horse plough, the
invention of Col. Murphcy, of Ala
bama, was being brought into use in
some districts, and that Peruvian
guano, and South Carolina phos-
pilates, were being experimental
with to considerable extent. We
also cOnverSed with several intelli-
gent planters, who expressed the
opinion that the great hope of South
ern agriculture lay i'll the introduce
ton of fertilizers, so that the yield Of
cotton to the acre could be doubled,
and the labor required no greater
than at present.
NEW CROPS IN TIE SOUTH.
There seemed to be. general de-
sire on the part of the planters with
whom we conversed, to aid i'll the
introduction of new crops. We
| learned that a greater number of
acres have been put in rice this sea-
son than formerly, and that its cul-
| ture has been introduced into sec
tons where it had not previously
| been grown. Many inquiries were
made in relation to the cultivation
of broom corn, and there seemed to
be disposition to test the adapta-
bility of the Southern soil and climate
to this remunerative crop. With
cheap railroad facilities, without
doubt the cultivation of fruits and
vegetables for the Northern market
could be made very profitable.
Heretofore the culture of cotton has
engaged almost the entire attention
of the planter, if we except the rails
ing of sufficient corn to feed the
labOrers on the plantations, or, pos
sibly, to fatten portion of the pork
that was needed. Indeed, in many
instances these articles were obtain
ed from the North, and the whole
attention was given to the one great
staple. Many now seem DESTROYS to
cultivate sufficient of food producing
crops for home consumption, and to
grow cotton as market crop.
HOGS AND OTHER ANIMALS.
The jolly porker and her numerous
progeny, that used to be so plentiful
on the sunny hillsides and shady
groves of the South, are now only
seen in favored locations, and then
, only in very small numbers. Men OF
every shade of politics, and who
. hold the most extreme views in poll.
ties, all united in the opinion that re.
construction had gone hard with the
: pig. Many that start out in the
, morning, in the bloom of health and
vigor of youth, fail to return to theil
wOnted haunts at nightfall; while
/ others, ''lie down to pleasant
Dreams" pass before morning into
the sleep that knows no waking
Even the strong arm of martial pow
er seems pOwerless to protect them
for we heard strange stories OF theil
mysterious disappearance in places
where the Tennessee militia and reg
ular army soldiers had been stationed
; In relation to other kinds of stock
the ease is not so bad. There arr
, less horses and mules in the countr,
. than before the war; but as tn
number of field hands is much les
= than formerly, their relative proper
= ton is, perhaps, fully equal to wha
, it was, so that no part of the countr
o is very deficient in animals for farm
work.
4 AREA IN CULTIVATION.
1 One is almost panied in passin
1 through this fertile, sunny region 70
e which God has done so much, to nC
: tice how little of it is improved b
r man. In many sections along tn
line of the railroad it is rare to fin
two consecutive miles of cleare
land the rest is covered by primevf
i forests, the luXuriance of who's
;, growth clearly points to the capabi
. tiles of the soil to produce abundant
~ almost every crop that may b
planted in it. In the vicinity c
:, towns the case was better, but eve
! here much of the best land is in tin
: Der, and vast tracts are now lon
= idle that were once under cultivs
T. ton. Many informed us that in til
= locations in which they lived bl
! about half the area of land was
= cultivation now, that was in cor
and cotton before the war.
.. THE LABOR QUESTION.
Il The great amount of land ono
N titled, but now unimproved, is chic
% ly due to the decrease in the numbt
d of plantation hands. Most esfimat
"a that the number of hands now {
/, work in the fields is but about ha
" what it was in 1860. The causes
: this dlminution of farm laborers ma
he accounted for about as follow
The women, as a rule, no longer W OF
D. out Of doors. Sickness, particular
re contagious diseases, contracted du
Dl ing and since the war, have carrie
III off large numbers of both sexe
ACIOh IVSS NV "'Io W COISlutIdO
- extent among them, and they are
ne some cases unable to employ comp
IT, tent physicians, and at other tim,
ie are iEciined to patronize ignoral
=, medicine men" of both the Viii
Vi and cOlOred faces. OF those who a
III well, many flock to the large town
Is while others seek employment {
III steamboats, and trains, or engage
y the construction or repairing of ra
Ill roads. Asa rule, they seem incline
T. to change their location even WHIT
ii the new place Offers no superior a
re yantages over the old one. Man
III represent them as doing better til
n season than they did last, and mo
as inclined 10 work steadily. Son
n work for wages, but the great
IS part, we should judge by what v
could learn, work the land and /
ceive part of the crop. The lar
in owner, in most cases, furnishes Il
lc tenn, farming utensils aud seed, al
ne receives from one half to two thir,
10 of tl:p s.yru and chiffon oftpr IL