The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1869-05-05

former the population is 80 dense tha
a famine is threatened whenever toe
much labor is diverted from the pro
duction Of food. The manufacturing
world, old aud new, thus anxiously
looks to the Southern States of thi.
Cnion as the chief source for tho sup
ply of cotton. New Eugland states
manship has reduced this supply one.
half, and trebled the price. Let Us
look at some facts, and see to what
conclusions they will lead.
In 1860 (see abstract census, p. l3l,
there were 3,950,OOO slaves in the
Southern States; l,l50,oOo being in
Mary land, Virginia, North Carolina,
Kentucky and Missouri. This left
$500, 900 in tho cotton States. One
half of these, or 100000, were be-
tween the ages of 10 and 60; and no
planter will say that he ever had more
than half his negroes in the cotton
field. From this 100000 must be
deducted, house servants, mechanics,
and negroes in cities, towns, &s., not
engaged in producing cotton. 1t is
not probable, therefore, that we over
had 100000 slaves thus employed.
If they averaged four bales to the
hand-men and women, old and young
the production would be about as
much as the large crop of 1860. This
was under system of labor thorough
ly trained and under the most indus
trious and energetic management
Then there we're few idlers and no
paupers. How is it now? Not more
than half the 100000 former slaves
can now be found in the field. Thous-
ands have sought the haunts of cities
and towns and the females seldom
work.
Iti is at least pretty certain that not
more than 100000 negroes can be
counted, to-day, rs field hands, and
the general estimate does not exceed
two and half bales to the hand. Put
it at three, the crop would then be
100000 bales. Add 100000 for
the production of white labor, and we
have a crop Of 100000. Can it ex-
coed 100000 balcs7 I confess it
does not seem that the present labor
system Of the South can reach that
figure, save in an extraordinary sea-
son. It may bo done; perhaps 4,000,.
900 bales may be reached if we neg
lect food: but would not that be pay
ing rather dearly for tho extra mil
lion bales? Year by year, food is
steadily advancing in price. There
arc thousands here who remember
when they could buy corn at twenty
to thirty cents and wheat at fifty cents
per bushel, and pork at tfour or five
cents per pound or twelve dollars per
barrel. What are the prices now :
Double and treble what they were
years ago. There is powerful agen-
cy producing this. From 1910 to
1850, the increase of our country
population was about thirty per cent,
that Of the cities upwards of eighty
per cent. In 1900 our city popula-
tion was one in eleven of the whole
population. In 1860 it was one in
nearly every FIVE. In other words,
our food producers are rapidly becom-
ing less numerous as compared with
the whole population, and hence the
opinion that food will not fall much in
prices. Great Britain slaughtered
one million less hogs last winter than
the winter before and tho Northo Q ).
tern States 800, 900 less. In 1868 the
corn crop was sixty millions of bush.
els less than the crop of 1860, eight
years ago, Remember, too, that every
year we are receiving about $50, 200
souls from Europe, who seldom pro-
duce food the year they arrive, but
are constant consumers. Does this
look like fall in the price of food
With facts like these, can our people
think it best to raise four million bales
of cotton and buy their food from the
Northwest7 A small crop of cotton
will bring more money than large
one. The FIVE million bales Of 1860,
at ten cents pound, brought but
$3.50, 100000. The crop Of 1868,
estimated at 100000 bales, at an
average of rs cents, will bring $287,
100000. 1t is then evident that a
half crop will bring more money
than a very large one. The truth
is, if the South will raise food
in abundance for all her wants, she
cannot exceed three millions bales
The labor is not here. The present
cotton producers are generally trained
hands. When these pass away, their
successors will be less numerous and
still less reliable. Skill and improv.
ed machinery may cultivate more
land, but human fingers alone car
gather the crop. Hence tho conclu-
sion that with an abundance Of food
the South cannot possibly raise cotton
enough to put the price under twenty
cents for some years.
If, in addition to oil this, she will
also enter largely into manufacturing
all the shirting, sheeting, &oo she
needs, che will save an immense prof,
now paid out to New England OF
these fabrics. In 1860 the Southern
States spun one-third of all the cot.
ton warns mad in the tshn1a IIn;on