The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-02-02

| LII tu6 yOdr loOU, tu0 WUruls uduo gLCa dP
pearance in my crop late in September and did
| me some injury. There was not one to be
heard OF iu any other direction around me.
NJ crop differed from those around me in one
m ii erial particular. It was utterly destroyed
| by very severe hail storm on the 9th day OF
May; it had to be planted oil over, and there
was not one original plant in ten Thousand
backward and suffered besides this SO
much after coming up from the "leaf
bug" that it was truly problematical, up to
| the Sth OF July, whether it could make
ANYTHING at all. The season, however, was
good, and when the plant escaped 1t leapeu
| into growth and fruited beyond all expecta-
| ton, producing crop which think my lac-
| tors books will show was very nearly paS 10
the hand. 1t was, however, far beblnd other
crops in maturity, and the crop OF eaterplllaIs,
| 40 to speak, though growing slowly from the
season beng unpropitious to them, had MADE
at late period sufficient headway 10 40 me ~ 70
| Jury. My crop alone was found IN tne conai,
ton to sustain Or grow them WitH 1acuity: Aii
others were far too ma ure. Now, had the
season been such as to deyelope these worms
early in the growth OF the plant, it could
| scarcely havo made ten pounds to the whole
crop, or, indeed pod OF cotton. an impor-
| tant reflection arises here, impressiug us with
the fact that late crops, though not really pIo-
ducing the worm, yet in reality may nurture
persisted for want Of food.
It is true that great exciting causes
might produce and develop them without the
| coincidence of succulent crop to nour1sh
| them, but, being at first few in numbers, they
| would coIle on slowly. and, perchance, with q
| hot and dry summer the first brood would not
appear in the crops at all, and even with wet
August it could scarcely appear before Octo-
| ber-too late to do serious injury.
Bear it III mind that these insects are Matched
and grown. The hatchIng depends on tho
season; the growing on the crop as well as the
season. If The plant is very mature when the
| worms are first hatched in any appreela6le
numbers, the brood of caterpillars fails tor
| want of proper nourishment. II, on the con-
trary, the crop is in o favorable condition to
feed the tender young worms III their differ
ent broods, the hatchlng, whatever it may be,
is carried through the worm state Without ap-
preciable diminution towards another brood,
while under other circumstances there would
have been large diminution. Such diml-
mutton at the first produces very appreclaoie
effect when the producing moths at the most
are few, (but few having escaped the vlcissl-
tudes OF the year.) When they become ex-
ceedncly numerous, however, even though
they should lose three-fourths OF each brood,
enough ale still accumulated to destroy the
crops.
With the two past years VIC nave found it I'M
possible to make our crops grow OH we nave
had no spring, and just such seasons as our
past experience would have warranted US in
prounonncins beforehand as best adapted to
tha production Of the worm. The statement
about the eggs being found in the pltt OF the
stalk is ridiculous and impossible, for the little
moth that lays the egg is too feeble, and
has nothing wherewith to pierce the WOOD of
the stalk
COCOON. f;,,al,- nj, cpuio1 SnrlnD
and well prepared fields, wc might reasonably
expect a respite from the cotton worm, or,
speaking more strictly, have no ground Tor
supposlng otherwise.
Major John Jenkins, of Edisto, informs me
that his cotton planted on what IS known as
salt or reclaimed marsh land entirely escaped
the ravages Of the worm, both III G7 and 'Go,
tho worms proving very destructive on the
high lands immediately contiguous.
ibis would seem to indicate the free use OF
salt as q preventative, but whatever good r.ay
be effected by such use, it should be rem en-
bered that we cannot reach by an artlncial
supply OF salt without destroying vegetation.
such saline condition CT the SOIL as that OF
the salt m arsh land, and thus, without consld-
ering cost Of largo application OF SAT-, we We
must confess our incapaclty to approximate to
the properties OF the salt marsh without rcr-
derlns it unfit for all vegetation.
have observed myself the singular eXemp-
ton from the ravaSes OF tho worm experienced
in '66, 67 and '6S, in a cotton Fl Id disposed to
rust. The soil Of this ticld has medium yell
low SANDY loan, having nodules oi ferruSinous
SAND scattered over the surface, mixed with
the soil. 80
In 1866 there was no appearance OF caterpillar
at all in the part Uf this planted field. In 1867
one cocoon and one worm was alone seen. In
1868, the whole field being planted, the worms
1id 1i1 some slight damage, scarcely apptoclabie.
This field natures very early, and in Ordinary
seasons, without manure, would probably rust
badly.
lands exempted from injury for two years, when
tho fields around were ravaSed by the worm.
In another, in lands having iron largely lncor'
porated with It,, tho same entire exemption Is
afforded in two consecutive years, and very
nearly the same in the third, whilst the other
fields were eaten up. :,
| think, however, have known ''salt land
cotton eaton, and so. also, that grown on
land disposed to rust, but nevor TO tue same
extent as on other lauds.
This article is q summary OF the very pest 10,
formation can give upon this subject would
be happy to answer any inquiry ln connection
with tlls matter, and will thankfully receive
information from any one who will communl-
cato with me through The NEWS office, or otn-
erwise. think it impossible to destroy THESE
insects. Thero may be wholesome results
reached by every effort towards promoting the
en,v growth OF the plant. Ny advice is not to
rian' too soon, bus simply in time. Cotton
well put in, from tho 1st to 10Th OF April, is
abundautly IN time. i have yet to learn any All
vantage from earlier planting: s ,o,p
P. 81 propose, at my leisure, to examine
for your columns the following subjects:
1. The method of cultivating long cotton.
and how fur We may vary from the old approved
plan with safety.
2. A careful review OF every mercantile ma
nure sold in the United States; what each Gr-
ticlo promises for itself; its constituent ele-
menis; its relation to the constituents OF plants
cultivated, and it's relation to tue many home
made lnanures hitherto usod with marked su:-
cess; iis price, and it's relative economy IL dls'
uibution in the fields.
8. Price of cotton, and its relative injury to
painters when compared With disaster arising
from natur ] causes.
4 Wealth of planter and spinner compared;
showing how III. producer has fallen short OF
the manufacturer IN profit.
5. The necessity of cotton boarl, and
its organization. -,
6. Tue area Of long cotton planted, and the
necessary reduction uf crop OF lS69 owing TO
planters being Obliged to resort to the two
day system" for want OF .pital.
Z. The necessity of the long cotton crop TO
Charleston, Sc.
s. The economy of growing grain crops and
raising cattle in relation to price O. cotton as
enabling the producer to hold against buyer,
equal, III some Instances, to halt q crop OF
cotton.
9. The growth of manufactures at the South,
tl,af ~ n