The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-16
CHI "A RLE S TON
TUESDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY IS, 1865
Next Gear.

There are signs on he wharves and in
the streets and at the railroad depots that
there is to be this year large crop of cot
ton. The warehouses and storeroons are
piled up high with guauos. superphosp.'stes
and fertilizers of every description, and
the railroads are fairly staggering under
the load of their unsavory fertilizer busi-
ness Every farmer and planter has been
encouraged by the results of the opera
tions of the year. Wherever the caterpil-
lar did not make its appearance, the f!ec-
ters have made money, and the net profit
on the cotton crop of South Carolina, now
in the pockets of the producers. sould be
more than enough to pay of CIR whole
State debt of five million o. Gola.s- This is
making q good beginnipg-sLe 5atter be-
cause our people had almost made up our
minds ,hGs they were undone TO all eter-
nifty, and the Mica wbers of tee State had
well-nigh ceased to hope that something
would turn up. What we have made will
be taken care Of, not wasted. There is
abundant proof of this in tie way that the
farmers are going tc work.
Free negro labor is not yet reliable. II
is the best that we 6sye-ail that we have:
but the dim OF the planter now is to econo-
mize labor by limiting ihe area in cultiva
ton and to give the freedmen such money
wages or share il the profits Of the crop
rs will enable him to reject all but The
best hands There is no desire to rush
hcadicng from one extreme to the other,
and cultivate fifty acres instead Of five
thousand. Nor is there any idea of doub
Ing LIS s,rss.- in cultivation hl:ar.a- -catta2-
has sold for twenty-cight and thirty cents.
The plan is 10 till the land thoroughly and
to increase the crop by tie free use of fer
tilizecs, not by adding to the numner of
acres to be handled during the season.
The wisdom of this policy is very evil
dent. 1t costs no more to cultivate five
hundred acres, which will produce two
bales to The acre, than the samo area which
will produce one bale or half bale TO the
ucre. The only additional cost Of any con-
sequence is tha' of the fertilizers that may
be used, and this is as nothing in compari-
son with the increase of the crop. Last
year the quantity of fertilizers used in this
State was very small; but this year it prom
ises to be larger than in any year since or
before the war. The people have the
money. They know how well it pays to
invest that money in fcrtil!zing material;
and we may look forward to producing in
this State, with average seasons, at least
$50, 900 OF 100000 bales of cotton, to be
sent to market in the spring of 1870. And
there will be no commensurate Increase in
the cost of production. If, rs VIC believe,
the increase in the crop should be entirely
due to improved cultivation and Q plente-
Gus use of fertilizers, the net profits will
be enormously large. With cotton at TWEEN
ty cents, an increase OF fifty thousand bales
obtained in this manner should be an addi-
tiOn of at least th;se and half millions
Of dollars to the net income Of the State.
This is what We arc driving at. We G..
working, not for an increased acreage, not
for breaking Up Of new ground, not for
headiong plunge into huge farming ope-
,ations, bu. to cultivate thoroughly every
rood Of land, and TO encourage, strengthen
end quicken the soil, so as TO obtain from
one acre the ordinary product OF two.
This can be done, and, if there be any vir-
tue in industry and economy, coupled with
liberal use of the whole brood of fcrtil
izcrs, the crop OF this year will assuredjy
tell the tale.