The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-17
KING COTTON.
somc Sensible Talk for the Southern
Planters from Horace Greeley.
From the New York Tribune.


Hardly Southern paper reaches us but h1s
editorial comment OF sOme sort on the pros
pectiye crop of 1869. IL is generally conceded
that it will bo large If the season is at all favor
able, Some ed tors have the sagacity 10 see
that saying 80 much about great crop thus
wear will have bad effect on that part OF tho
crop OF 1868 which romans unsold.
Now, friends at the South, before your dou-
BILE ploughs have thrown all the ian into
ridges for cotton rows take time and give this
whole business Of agriculture sober secoud
thought. You have just come out OF great
war iu which you we're wOrsie |. The weakest
thing in the southern military service during
that war was its commisslriat. strictly agrI-
cultural people, having as much pelde OF acres
as any landed arlstocracy IN the world, we're
from the first, and IN all stages OF a four Years
strife weakened, hampered, thwarted. demo-
ralized. and finally defeated, for want OF bcet,
corn, wheat. hay and oats.
A great war is like o severe illness; 1t tries
th, constitution and uumasks the weakncss of
the system. The agricultural system OF the
South has been proved defective, because in a
pr0tracted fight the breach appeared there
first. Now what is the gre't charari erlsllc Of
planting? 1t is, and from Tho first has been,
the deriving of large income III clear money
from a broad surface. by the sale of vegetable
products A small planter is one whose ac-
count sales OF cotton or tobacco. rice or sugar,
do not figure up more than $4,000. The sales
OF the largo planters range all the way rom
$4,000 TO S100 600. A few a very few. Southern
proprietors received ovel S100, 900 from single
crop. That mode OF deriving IN inco ne may
have been cooue :tcd with the character and
status OF tue aborer; but such connection was
not inseparable. slave could cradle wheat
or falten hogs If ordered to just as We'll as he
could pick cotton or suckor tobacco. Slavery
had Inherent SINS nough without charging it
with biunders that were not. IN the nature o'
things. ln,eparable from unpai laoor. From
the ii .ne OF Pocahontas the Southern domain
was divided into large estates. Those whG
surveyed uni plotted it felt as Brutus did
about C@sar's body: LET us carve him as q
dish fit Tor the gods. not hew him like car
cass ior the hounds"
These broad areas were cleared and cropped
by soort-lovlug men, for whose ears the pay
ilg OF a ack OF fox hounds WAS sweetest
music. Put mau with those tastes at the
centre OF twelve hundrel acre act, and
what will he do He will have Us ew inside
fences as possible; he will maize his moueY on
q crop that will cost HIM the lca-t Time OF
planning or worry. He WI lsay. dun Uiuanus
mo. -"af,er Us tue d'luge." Talk TO him
OF rotation. fertilizers, boao: dust, the Iout o1
Tho sh cp having god beneath ii; he answer
YOU bv bias on his hunting horn. My n!g'
gers know how t., uaka cotton" These seven
Wei Is We're tlO u00n Ot tfuc progressive aSrt
Gu turc outh ut Mason and D KIN.
Ih. inducements that draw th' S )utherr
ugricuiluraiist toward cotton fields ore vcr.
great. Ho Is in debt. He waits carriage
Gorses to .uplace those which Bragg, OF john
stuu, or Leo broke dawn drasglps capnou. H,
Is iivlrg III cabin aud would like to do some
thing with those ghosily and backeneu culln'
ncy.stacks. Tuc saws Of his gin-5ta"d ART
hciit AID rusty. His ,ress ID rude and slow
His mules arr stiff ard his pIoughs wor':; l,ls
t"baccU sheds went for cImp tile,. We a,lui
| THAT II wGulL bo o hcn Oh your place II lut
cruld sell three huuurutl uulcs H. " Deem oe
at twn bits pound But let us reason ADM
/ il. You do not prcpu>o to niovo Wcst. Yor
| know of no good cotton Or oDacco ladL
thai is eh apcI thau your own plantation
Desi1es, YOU havo no money To 20 Oil. l
| you leave your children anything, il mus
be III tho acres over whIc you walk.
YOU drain tjIusc acres OF tho last ton oi
potash and phosphorus they contain, VI
lee vo to those WHO cu:ir alter you wide vast
bronn,-sedge and stultcd pines-a herit lgl
o. briers and guii'c5. aud r .ttrn lence.'
NJ, g,ntlcmcn you will be wiser alt
| moro pTuYldcat t..aL .lIat. You wi SEQ tina
While thcre is some nlnIn'y III coitpr and to
hacco. there il t. int tt'e t:ad,, wealth o: power
| little OF that which illkc5 nal!uiIs great All,
kn.ps th..m so The S,uih has never beol
sufficient, devo'ca To tue proinciiun Of artl
c rs OF rrimo necessity. flanK!Uid would b
better of If frost or worms shcud dcs. TO
cvcfy tobacco p ant Jiiat sp'ou lhls spriuG
| Cot,ou is q very important tcxLi.c; but nation