The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-07
TIE sEA.IsLAHD QUESTION.
The Contemplated Change from Sea
Isia nds to Uplnnls In the Long Cot
ton Sections.

ton EecttOnS.
To- TIE EDITOR or THE NEWS.
A change in the agricultural pursuits OF u
people is u matter OF grave moment, and no
slight or incidental causes should move
thereto.
On the other hand, to persist in q losing
business, il WORSE than idle. II becomes
duty under such circumstances bravCly 10 nc
ccrt The necessities of the case, and embrace
the new field Of industry with 4 manly cohii-
dencc in Onrsclvcsto wiring from The occasion
an honest subsistence, II not riches and
honor.
Our, c0ast, ut least, pcrchancc in The memo
ry Of few still living, made npid and conf
plcto change from indigo - long cotton, SO
that the indigo watts, wcro we watcrcd onr
horses In boyhood and marvclled over, were
the everyday business resort OF Our grand
fathers.
so again the inland swainps were entirely
deserted in the rice culture, and river plan
tat!ons substituted Ut an enormous outlay
in reducing TO cultivation the tangled bog
prairics-whcther we regard the wide and eX-
iensire cannls, the thcading quarter drainage,
the treacherOns tidal banks, calling for ITO
little engineering skill, and Immense and con-
tinuous labor in construction. Improvement
aud repair.
The change from indigo to cotton heard,
in youth, discussed before tho st. Hcleua Is-
| land Agricultural; Society by those familiar
with the management and profits of each
crop. The Wholesome economy Of the change
| was entirely indorsed by the informed dcba-
| tors Of the question.
The great success in the change OF rice
fields is known TO all. Yet in its incipiency
what II huge venture was Il. 1t is now coll
| templatcd TO substitute upland for sea islands.
Shall VIC do 1t, and to what extent? This is
worth considering. In thus doing. we must
| consult tho past rs well rs the present.
This subject is not new. 1t was gravcly
mootcd, and, indeed, tried. TO some extent, In
Lower ST. Luke's some thirty years ago. Lc-
| licvc the experiment WAS made here, and then
all along the coast 1t was not continued.
The low price of Ecu slunds had induced the
| abandonment thereof; there were not n few
potent reasons Tor resumlng its cultivation.
| They, amongst others, were these:
| The plantations OH tho coast nj the time
were crowded with lnborcrs, (Floritia bcin.
then but little better than an Indian wild J
/ The sea island cultivation Involving n small
acreage, in comparison with uplands, IL was
found necessary, in adopting the Inter, either
! 10 increase the area by purchasing lnnds or by
planting the fields over without following.
The first was not feasible, for there were little
or NO lands I'm market, md those that were
could not be had ut prices bearing any proper
relation to the value OF lands In the interior
Then, IT tho upland system Of cultivation
practiccd ut the time, with shovel. plough, Re-
was introduced on our fields, taking up from
year to yoar our loose, friablc soil, r1,pid I'M.
| povcrishmcnt was sure to ensuc, besides ca,ls
Ing the lnnds TO sob I'm wet seasons, and thus
| stripping the plants OF their fruit. The chill.
| walton adapted to sea Islands was doubtless
l found not suitable to uplands, for have hcer
Uniformed by highly Intelligent and prac.
| tfcai planter, Iho moved from the coas!
| to Saunlcrsyillc, Ca, not long before The
war, that hqshnd u small piece OF upland
/ cotton worked there by one of his cOasI
t',Vcn in tho moot approved inu, conni ~, ,in
| and found TO his surprise that It was an utter
| failure In comparison with the cotton worked
| In the usual manner. IL IL more than pro.
bable our planters made the same mistake in
/ supposln.5 what twas sauce for tho goose
was sauce for the gandcr.n 30 this as it may,
In the meantime sen Islands rose In market
value. Tho common class OF nplnnds then
planted could have no comparison In product
iveness to improved varieties Of short cotton
since introduced, indeed had little advantage
In this regard over certain productive varie-
tics of sea Islands then planted-the 'Littlo
Black, and others. Aany productive and finer
selections Of sea Islands, OF high market value,
were also introduced ut or about this time.
Then, too, the system of manuring began to be
more generally practIccd. SO sea island cul-
turc took q new Impetus and grew apace with
tho fertilization OF tho soil, which became n
| subject OF great interest, AM found n moro
careful development, OIL the whole, on Edisto
Island, though possibly carried by individuals
elsewhere to q greater extent than was prac-
! ticcd even on this once favored and beautiful
island, so well known IN tho gardcn-spot OF the
Stale.
Notwithstanding this recurrence TO sea
| Islands might seem to Indicate its greater
| adaptabllity and proftablcness, in the opinion
OF the oldcn time planters, which, doubtless,
was the case In thoir situation, yet nm re-
minded OF the oft-rcpeatcd romark of the
upland planters Of our district, who could raise
either variety on their lands. They used 10
say that whenever coast negroes aro cold ut
the courthouse upland planters nearly always
bid them Off over tho hoads of tho coast
planters. The opinions of these men were
worth far moro than the asking, and l re-
gnrdcd their Views In this direction ns of great
favor ut the time. With this brief outline of
past experiment and opinion, what of the facts
OF the day3 Do tliey Justify the changer Our
circumstances differ much In material particu-
lars from the past.
We no longer have troops of slay,s on our
backs, nor aro VIC forsooLh any longer on
theirs. Our fields arc wide open before us,
labor comparatively scarce, our lands ut
merely nominal value, upauds greatly out
rank us in comparatively market values, and
there Is no possible chance, for years ut least,
of realIzing anything like tho production de-
mandcd in this great staple. Fertilizers may
enhance the production, bnt the cotton, after
oil. hAs TO bo picked, 30 that the available
amount OF labor In gathering the crop must,
to q great extent, limit the practical amount of