The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-06-09
OUR GROWING CROPS.
THE AREA PLANTED IN COTTON AND
CEREALS, AND THE PROSPECT.
HOW THE FREEDMEN ARE WORKING.
Reports from Barnwell, Edgefield, Ches'
ter. Chesterfield, Orangeburg
and Abbeville.

ter. Chester1eld, Orangebur8
and Abbeville.
The following crop accounts, for which we
are indebted to the attentive courtesy OF frends
OF TIE News in the interior, have been obtain
ed from competent and trustworthy sources,
and cannot fail to be Of interest to the mass Oh
our readers:
The following letter from our correspond
snt J., dated Midway, June z, shows the con-
dition and prospects of the crops in the east
ern section OF Bsrnwell County:
The planters in this district are just fairly
hecInn,ne to recover from their disasters and
despondency. Very few IN this section have
been exertlng themselves &c realize more nom
their lands than the necessar1es OF lie, ana
eonsequer tly they are in general not severely
embarrassed.
Il 10 getting to be not very easy thing TO
find ont from planter the exact proportlonate
amount Of his cotton and provision crops. Inc
reason ia very obvious. He knows that the
report that large cotton crop has been plant
ed will affect the market soon enough, not.
vithstanding it has long and trying xaunties
to run. AS far as l have been able to ascer-
tain, the propoutionate amount of provls1on
crops planted to cotton ls very nearly equal,
With the advantage q little in favor OF cotton.
The agreeable area planted compared with Last
wear ls larger in both corn and cotton, be-
Eeye to the extent OF at least one eighth. But,
from bid stands through the dying out o. t9e
cotton plant doubt II there will be two. thirds
Of the intended crop made. The crop was gem
orally replanted, but in many instances the
repiant died. Again by many 1t was repianted
late, and where the replant stands. dwarfed
throughout the season IN many places oy the
older stocks, and not having the benefit OF the
early workings. 1t ylelds but comparatively
do not replant at all, or, If the stand is too
bad, they plough up and plant de Rooo. Cot
ton is clean however, unusually 80, but small
for this time of the year.
With rare exceptions every planter has put
in enough OF provision crops for home con-
sumption. The stand OF corn ID generally
pretty good, bu, 1t has been very much re-
tarded 10 it's growth by the unfsvorable sea-
sons.
I can observe no change for the better in the
working Of the colored people. as compared
with last year. They are dong about as we'll
as every planter now expects them to do.
They will not hurt themselves by work.
1t is too soon to give anything but mere con-
jeclure of the yield of the crops. The caterpil,
Ian fy, il is SAID, has already been discovered
In this speiehborhood, and the mere mention
casts gloom over the hopes o. the planter.
But think that they are scared most too soon.
have herd 1t remarked by planter OF ex-
peIience and close observation, that 1t greatly
depends upon the state OF the weather, whether
the caterpillar will appear in such force as to
seriously injure the cotton crop; that cool
June and July, with frequent rainy soells, will
inevitably produce them IN such numbers as TO
cause immense destruction.
The following letter. dated June 8, from o
correspondent at Backville, shows the condi-
tion OF the crops in that vicinity
Crops in thIs vicinity and throughout the
DISTRICT are more backward than they have
beeu ut this season for many years. In con-
sequence Of the long cold spell, corn and cot
tor are small, aud the last named appears to
be extremely unhealthy. There has been
about as much land planted this year as was
planters. that with good seasons and no cat
erpilIar there will be as much cotton made IN
this district as was made last year, though
some people, judging by the quantity OF
commercial manure seen in the spring
at the Several rallroai depoIs. think
there will be more produced. DO not agree
with these last, for the reason that, whereas
the land ON which this manure is put will GER
tainly yield more. Still, to counterbaance
that, there is much more ground planted by
freedmen than ever before, and, OF course, all
such ground will tall Tar short Of the average
when planted under fne supervision OF Wmte
men.
Having no bureau, DO elections or rumors Of
elections in this distrlJt this year, the freed
men are attending more closely to the plough
and hoe than they have heretofore since the
"Union came In"
UTangeburH.
Our correspondent Paysan, writing from
Orangebure on the 4th instant. gives the fol-
lowing account of the condition Of affairs in
Orangeburg:
The long spell Of cool dry weather which We
have had, caused the inexperienced cotton
planters many fears % to the tate OF that plant.
The cool weather caused a great deal OF 1t TO
die out, and the result ls that the stand is not
ss pood ss II might have been. This deficiency,
though, will be more than couuterbalanoed in
the general yield for it is . fact, noted by old
experienced pllnters, when cotton receives O
back set In the spring. it natures bet
ter, and consequently yields more. Tne
high price Of the staple this spring, or
rather the fair price. did not, rs IN 66, deIude
planters ,nto the foolish idea Of planting this
crop almost to the exc uslon OF every other.
On the contrary, We believe less cotton has
been planted this season than any year since
the war. Farmers are beginning to resli2s
that 1t pays better to plant less in area and
make few acres yield more abundantly. In
view of this fact fertilizers are every ye ir more
extensively bought, and the purchases or these
this spring echpsed those Of any previous
year. "
More wheat was planted this year than at
any time since the war. The cool weather IN
jured this crop more than any other. Either
me soil or latltuds, or both, Of his portion Of
South Carolina do not suit this cereal, as very