The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-03-12

tares of the Labor of the Freedmen n
Certainty of the Crop-The Fascina-
ton Of Cotton Plnnting-What our
Soil can Do inducements to Immi-
gra.ts-A Bright Future.
&c. ". D." writes from Branchviile, s. c., to
the New York Tribune, presenting in striking
light some of the material advantages that
msy be expected from the business of cotton
planting. he says:
It is generally understood that tho plant does
not attain to perfection beyond the northern
limits of this State. True, it rs grown in Vir-
oinia, aud to q considerable extent in the east
ern parts of North Carolina, but the climate ia
those sections is unfriendly to the plant, and IL
it grows at al it is by violence done to its
nature. No one would wish to undertake the
business unless at points where his eHerts
would be seconded, both by the soil and the
climate. for he would aim at the very highest
results. and these canpot be attained where
the early frosts cut short the maturity OF the
bolls. & late fall carries Joy to the heart OF the
cotton planter; without it he knows too well
that bis harvest vii! be a short one. About
the 10Th of Octobe- the knen is sounded,
and the funeral OF the cotton plant lmme-
diately follows. Nature has, therefore, set
limit to it's successful production, which no
indusry or art can enlarge. Hence, he who
owns good cotton lands within that limit, is
a privileged perscs, for the staple will ever
enter largely into the commerce of the world,
and the best supplies will ever be furnished
by the Southern. States. Slave labor was, at
one time, thought necessary for itscutivation,
but it has now been ascertaned that the
freedman. who was born and educated in the
cotton flei5, is the very best cultiTator OF cot
ton. True, he ls by no means perfect, but he
'answers very well for the plouR L. end the hoe;
and if be don't work very we'll he does not
charge much forhis services, aDdthe employer
oupht not to ooGp plain. With such prices as
now obtain, the freedman VIII make enough Tor
himself and Ills employer 10 mako both of them
very comfortable, and that too. IL the space OF
only o. feE years. No people upon the earth
ever fourished to a greater extent than the
cotton planters asf South Carolina are now
doing. Many of them have surplus, which
they do not know what to do with, and even
the freedmen lwho work) have plenty Of money
for their uses-
DIV in it's climate. One great cauee OF this is,
That the planters.all look forward, with abso-
lutte certainty, toa harvest. They do not eI-
meet to ]ose their crops by storms or insects.
II the crop should not be a very large one no
one fears it will be diminished by causes like
these. For yearor two past, the sea islands
have had some trouble, but even there it is
unusual. In the upcount1y no one anticipates
any difficulty on thet score. The certainty OF
the crop is, of all things, the most encourag-
ing, an il tho size OF it is not equally so, it
culy proves that the planter has not under
stood or has neglected his business. Fertili-
zers and good cultivation are never employed
in .Yain; and when the crop is made it repre-
sorts gold.
Those who have boon in the habit OF culti-
f0r bra
ncss. They pursue t.as one Of their greatest
pleasures as toll and labor, but o. per-
sonal qualification. They enter upon it as
mon festival, continued delight, until the
TING Genes to carry it to market, and when the
price is high, the last act in tho drama 10 by
no means the least interesting.
In slnysry times some OF the b:st planters
have maee as many as eight 6ales 10 the hand:
This is rather unusual, but it was not at all
unusual tG make four, with an abundance OF
pr lyisions beside. The lint is not the only
production Of the cotton field. for
tI,e seed are also valuable, and will readily
twenty eents psr-bushel, II tho plant
er is unwise enough to sell them, for they can
not be excclled a5 manure, and should be
thirty bushels arc generally obtainod from
suffic!cncy olcotton 10 make ORIG Oh 1our nun
drcd pounds.
AS to the soil Of Souh Carolina. it has long
been tasked to it's utmost, but in many ocali-
ties il is better now than it ever was. 1t is not
pre ended that there is anything peculiar about
it, but, worn as it is, there are instances OF its
being made to produce during tho last year
bale 10 the acre. Fertilizers and good cultiya-
tion @ did iii this upon land that has been cultivated
for more than fifty years. Since the war plant
ers are aiming at these results very generally,
and ilpg to,N reach them. few years moro
of peace, and it will be the rule, not the e1ccp-
tion The Georgia people don't think much OF
such performance now, and they even talk Of
making five bales 10 the acre. Yankee inge-
nuily is provcrbial, aud we OF the South would
like TO have come of the best OF the Northern
people here among us, to sec whether they can
improve upon what we have been doing our
selves We had two very fatal years since the
because prices had receded far
below the paying point. Some few OF
the Northerners camo out and won't In
to the business, but they graduated too
soou-just about the time they thought
Ihey had learned that tho production of
cotton would never pay. just at the close
success, and then the very low price OF the
article capped the climax Of the argument
I.it won't pay" Things arc very different now
cotton does pay, think too, at o rate which
no other production can equal. Every one
who eau, is going into the business, which is
now thought worthy Of the highest grades OF
The difficulty will soon be to p1o-
cure tarms, at least in Mlrlboro' County.
River lands can be had very low, but the up
ands are rising in value every day. Ihosc VINO
,cu now do SO because they are tempted by
tho very high prices Which prevail; that
"a. $40 SIS, and $40 per acre. No selling
now to relieve extreme suffering OF land own
ars: that time has passed. by, a' wo hope, never
70 return. The people are fast adjusting
tLeir debtor aud credit relations to their
mutual satisfaction. So those who arc
not already dead are prepared to live: bright
and beautiful future has opened out before
.hem, and their lands will not be forcel upon
the market. II the good people OF the North
Hilfcome among them to settle down and
share their fortunes, room can be made for
such, and thcy will be received as friends.
Others of them will scarcely need to be lectur-
ed that where cotton grows it ought TO be
and where suitable WATERPROOF
pr can be found it ought to be so employed.
Others will find profitable locations for the
mechanic arts. In the little village where the
writer lives there is not White carpenter, nor
O. shoemaker, saddler, or timer, of any color,
and they are all very much wanted. The time
has come for us all 10 mix up"-we need each
others help, aud after SO much hard lighting
VIC should forget il all in universal hug, and
go right to work in building up our country
again upon the basis OF common interest and
q common glory.