The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-01-26
THE FUTURE OF OUR sEA-coAsE
THE CULTIVATION OF LONG COTTON.
Men who have made Fortunes on the
Const-The Effects Of Emancipation
How to use the Hoe and Plough-Can
Money be made by Cultivating Long
Cotton.
TO THE EDIToR OF TIE HBws.

J.
ture of the Coast OF South Carolina" l should
be compelled to introduce the names of gen.
tlemen who are far from counting publicity;
but it is my purpose to prove my positions by
facts, and T cannot do this without giving
the authorities for the statements which I
make.
The late General Stephen Elliott succeeded
in producing as high as four bales OF cotton
to the hand on Paris Island. This cotton if
raised from the Fripp seed would have sold
at thirty-fve cents per pound in gold, which
would be equal to four hundred and twenty dol
lars to the hand. And this result was accom-
plished with not more than enc plough to FIVE
hands, if so much. There is another instance
in which SIX hundred pounds of cotton was
raised to the hand, when th& was but one
plough to ten hands, and this cotton was worth
seventy-fve centsa pound, or four hundred and
fifty dollars to the hand.
Mr.. William B. Means was, if anything, moro
successful as planter than General Elliott.
MI. John J. T. Pope, of st. Helena, raised as
much as three bales per hand, of cotton, worth
forty-Gve cents per pound, and made forty
bushels of corn to the acre. Here we have
again over S4OO to the hand.
Mr.. William a. Morecock, of Port Royal, il
an, not mistaken, also reached this high figure.
Mr.. james B. Seabrook, on cast-away land
at Hilton Head, made surprisingly large crops
of cotton, whilst his corn cribs were always
full and his cattle always fat. His crop of
1861 was appraised by experienced assesso RS
at tri6e under bale to the acre.
The Pocotaligo planters were second to none.
Among them we may mention MIR. Daniel
Hayward, one of our most practical planters
of rice and cotton. MIR. james Gresorie and
MIR. William Martin were also among the most
successful.
Now, how was their SUCCESS secured? We
answer, as planters is:-Not by superior work
alone, for some Of our incest workers make
small crops. 1t was by judicous tilth and high
manuring, and by beng always in time. The
maruring and moving off at the right time,
together with judgment in doing or not dong,
made the difference. But it may be said the
large fortunes of our sea-coast planters woro
inherited. think it will not be denied that
Captain William Seabrook amassed the most
of his wealth. Micah Jenkins, the elder grand
uncle, think, Of General Micah jenkins, be-
gan with one negro after the Revolutionary
War. He lived, it, mistake not, in great conf
fort, il not elegance, and died o man Of large
fortune.
MIR. Mungeon began with nothing. Mr.. Jas.
Kuk did the same. Captain Abraham Hugue-
hin began with a property by no means large.
He .was most accomplished planter in it's
every sense, lived in great af1uence, and died
very rich man. Captain William Pope began
with handsome property, but he increased It
ten-fold. MIR. Ephralm Baynard began with
his Rabbit Point place, and not over twenty
hands. He was worth about a million OF dol
lars before. the war. MIR. William Z. Baynard
began with about the sanle means, lived in
great comfort, and died man Of large wealth.
Mr. w. G. Baynard began with very slender
means. He died o man Of ample fortune. So
did Mr.. Ephraim Seabrook, Sr. Mr. Robert
Means began without large means. He died
the possessor of a large and valuc bic property.
MIR. Samuel Reid began with nothing. He died
with fine fortune. MIR. Burrell Sanders be-
gan with nothing, but he was man Of large
means before the war.
might go on recounting name after name,
and crop after crop, but have said enough to
prove that before the war seacoast planters
could and did make handsome fortunes.
1t may be said these fortunes were made
whilst the soil was fresh. Doubtless. Some
ofthese, however, we take it, did not exceed some
of the most recent crops cited. These men
had slaves. Granted. Slaves are not, however,
dvnitles. What they gave was work. And
an inferior amount OF work. with equal economy
on advanced price OF produce, will bring the
same result. TO say that we change our sys-
tenn Of labor is not to say it is lost.
Nor do fear the numerical superiority or
the coored people,; and, to my mind, Bishop
Buffers illustration Of the island on which
there were ten men and ten thousand fierce
wild beasts is, in this connection, very striking
There, he says, the preponderanco of men over
brute torce may be 30 great as to counterbal-
ance the gift of intellect, and tine wild beasts
eat the men. But porchance il there were as
many as fifty men, the gift of intellect would
set al naught tho numerical prcpondcrance OF
the beasts and destroy them. have been
more than once reminded OF this illustration
in comparing the condition OF the South with
the emancipated colonies Of the West Indies
The tremendous preponderance OF the blacks
in those islands makes the condition OF things
altogether different from what 1t IS IN the
South. There society puts OIL the complcXoA
of the black the preponderancc being at least
four to one in favor OF the black. In the South
ern States alone tlIu prcpoldcrance Is two to
one IN favor OF the white. In the whole coun-
try the prepondcraacc is eight 10 ono. Here,
too, the superior Intelligence OF the dominant
race, as we'll as The necessity OF labor 10 HE,
affords controlling influence. Here society
must put on the complexion OF the white. This
means labor, work, aud obedience Ill the long
run, TO law.
he results, therefore, following Wcst India
emancipation are by no means such a3 must
necessarily follow emancipation IN the South.
Now let us recall some changes which slave
society itself made in the labor OF the blacks.
l have seen vevy large house on the coast,
with immensely heavy stills and timber in it.
vet every portion thereof was cut and brought
out of the woods by hand. Rail fences, for miles
long, were headed out by negroes. But such
things had, before the war, long gone into dis
use. Man labor was not put to the discount OF
substituting it for that of beasts OF burthcn.
Abolishiug slavery necessarily makes some
serious changes III the economy of labor. The
free laborcr refuses, pcrchance, 10 do many
things which tue slave would do. Many intel
ligent masters rcirained from making some OF
these very exactlous. May not the blnck, now
that he is his own master, ask as muchI Ne
gro property is certainly dear to him. and he
must take care Of it. Is it cold. he refuses to
20 into tho rice bitches. Irishmen take his
place. Masters make often the same substltu-
ton for their slaves. When the foolish African
laborcr, however, refuses the usc OF the noe,
andrenders the FREQ use OF the plough icccs-
sary to sea island cotton culture, nc by 80
much maarlmits his Old master.
1t is true that for the present, hoo work
seems 10 be more or less necessary IL l::a cai-
tivation vi long staple cotton; but IL vii! not
be long before we sh Il learn system of
p,ou.hing adapted to our vans. PioushlhS'
even when best understood, is in its Infancy.
Ho who watches the elcam plough at Work,
across the water. carving live furrow5 firloon
inches deep. car form some idea IF what awaits