The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-22
THE NEXT COTTON CROP.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE NEWS.

BARNwELL, February 1S.-It appears to me,
with all Difference, that in recent cditoria !.
amongst other things, prophesying o large
crop OF cotton for the present year, you are
possibly wrong in fact and have Inadvertently
done an injury to the planter.
The belief OF a large crop in 1869, entertained
atpurchasing centres. .wilcertalnly dcpress the
price of the portion of the crop OF 1853 rem ain
ing unsold. The portion of that crop now on
hand in our ports ls chiefly held on account of
the producer, and is pretty correct exponent
of his net profits on tho transactions OF the
past year. He needs all he can get for it to
bring him even with tho losses of the two pre-
vious years.
1t is true fertilizers and improved implc-
ments are being largely introduced upon the
plantations. Will they largely increase the
crop of 1863? think not. Neither fertilizers
or nipple nents can pick cotton; this must be
done with the fingers Of tho laboror; and it is
only the amount picked, Whatever may be made,
that will he sent 10 market. Now, three crops
with free negro laborers have settled the fact
that, while in some kinds of labor the old slave
task may be readily obtained and passably
done, there are others in which no amount Of
persuasion or pay Gun keep them steadily up
to the old standard. And this very thing of
cotton pic ing is one. lam persuaded that the
general experience Of the country ls, that from
a half to three-ffths OF the amount of cotton
picked during Season in former times, is all
that you can now safely calculate upon from
an average gang. Experience has also shown
an increasing indisposltion, on the part OF tho
FREQ negro, to put his women in the field as
regular contract laborers. Nocessity--the
broad and meat issuc-alone will make him d.
it; and with tho first glcam Of prosperity he
wIlhdraws them. This year hc is, and in every
succeeding prosperous ycar he will be, able TO
Indulge his feeling il this matter. lie has
not, however, the same objection to his women
engaging in casual dly-labor; ;ud in the cot
ton picking season daY wages promptly paid
in cash have heretofore brough. them freely
into the iield, though after they are there tho
amount picked by them per hand bears tho
scmc rolatlvc proportion to the slave standard
as that OF the contract laborcrs.
1t is in view Of these two facts that planters
are taking so freely of fertilizers, and looking
so anxiously for improved implements. Thoy
have becn compelled to indulge the llborer's
views as to his women; aud they seek, with di-
minshed force, to make crop by impro we'd
cultivation, which all the negroes on the PLAN
tation may be able to gather-not exceeding
tLres-ffths of what the Same number OF hands
would formerly have picked.
am strongly impressed with the idea that
the number uf pounds of cotton made in the
South will not vary materially FROM the crops
of the last two years, until immigration puts
more laborers in the cotton field. Nor do
see anything to regret in The fact. Ho do not
produce cotton with philaEthropic considera-
tions Of the consumers purse. The present
short crop, in the practical monopoly that we
cujoy, notwitllstandi lg oil that has been done
and said to the contrary, ncs Us nearly as
much as the largest Of SLAVE times; and
the pinch is upon those who, by bringing
about the change in our labor, put up the price.
With such labor as VIZ have, aud until we
can get more, may VIC not, on diminish %!
areas and with improved culture, make all The
cotton that our ''fol .ow-citi2ens" and their
families can conveniently pick with tie implc-
meuts Gol gave them; and fguano aud patent
plouyhs make the crop large enough to annoy
them III the handling, VIC can dhect portion
of our attention to the cereals and grasses
which, machines will harvest.
Low MIDDLING