The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1870-02-11
Macon tGa3 coarespondeoeesN Y. Times.
The Cotton Crop of 1870 I'M Georgia
!. Great Scarcity Of Labor. 3@

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think that tits nearly certain that
tho area of tho cotton crop of 1870
will not be larger than that of 1869,
andit'is very probable that it will not
be as large, first, from tho inability Of
tho planters to secure tho requisite
labor; and, second, because the pro-
vision crop will occupy more land
. this: than it did last year. I do not
think it any cxaggeration when
compute tho decrease in the available
laboring force for field work ut one
eighth of tho forco employed in 1869.
This is SO on plantations which have
been regularly worked since the war
by their present proprietors, and on
new places which the owners aro pre-
paring7to cultivate. I fear that it will
be found impossible to secure the
requisite force. A friend Of mine
who has recently acquired very
good plantation in one of the hest
counties in Southwestern Georgia,
and who went there last week for the
purpose Of making arrangements to
cultivatc'it this ycur, has just return
cd, being obliged to abandon the
project from his inability to engage
hands, and has rented his place to re-
ceive as sole consideration the repair
OF tho fcnccs and The care of the
premises. Although I believe that
the extent of land to be planted in
cotton this year will bo smaller than
it was last year, I think that if Provi-
dence sends propietious seasons the
crop in. the aggregate will not be less,
because l, believe that faith in improv.
ed preparation of the soil, the use of
1labor-saving machinery, moro careful
evlture of tho crop, and a liberal en-
ployment Of good fertilizers has
spread very widely during the year,
and willsbring abundant fruit this fall.
Where there was one man last year
who used two:horsc and subsoil plows,
or bought the commercial manurcs.
there arc Eve men who will do so this
year..
year ago thcro was very few-
not a dozen men in The whole State
whe- could be made to believe that by
any system of culture two and three
bales of cotton could be raised on an
acre of land. Now it is dcmonstrat-
cd that it can be done, and while it is
not expected that every body who
tries can raise that amount it is ex-
pected that q much larger average
yield can be obtained than that of for
mer years, and that tho only way to
attain it is by bottcr cultivation and
heavy manuring. Therefore, 1 am
led to believe that a fewer number of
acres will be made to produce a crop
equal to if not greater than that Of
1869. But it is idle to look for crops
Of 100000 of bales, like that of
1860. The laborers are not here to
GRe it, and, if they were, there is
certainly not the force to gather and
house it. Nor do tho cotton pro-
dacers desire to sec such an aggre-
gate crop, and for tho obvious reason
that were such one produced the
price would fall proportionally.
At the present rates for labor and
Of tho various article of prime ne
cessary to the husbandman, he can
not afford to grow cotton for less than
from 1S to 20 cents por pound.
When the price falls much below that
3he must abandon the use Of artificial
manures, which now cost from $50 to
$40 per ton; nndin proportion as their
use is abandoned tho amount of the
crop will bo diminished; for it is GER
tain that, except on the rich alluvial
lands, cotton raising without the stim-
mating manures would be very un-
rcmunerative operation.
60.
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