Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1870-05-13
Our South Carolina Correspondence.
DarliD stOn-A fleets of the War-AgricuI-
surc-EertIiizerH-CO We. Corn, &c,
DARLINGTON, S. c., May 10Th, 1870.


Dear journal This is one of the pretty
little villages You find dotted through
South Carolina and before the war vas
noted for its open hospitality and high
tonod society. The war has lett it like
thousands OF our Southern villages, in
iured and crippled, but enough Of tic old
leaven is left 10 lcaven and purify the
lump so that when you meet heightened
gentlemen and refined and iutelljgen, Ia
dies you feel that it must have been de-
lightful place in former days.
The Court House is still in ruins bat an
effort is being made to erect a new one
and laborers ale engaged removing the
debris left by the fire, cleaning ont the
foundations and otherwise preparing for
the new construction. The country around
this place is fiat and has been i'll cultiva-
ton for many years, but the means for
fertilizing are abundant and only need
some of the Edgecombe and Wayne en-
lightenment and energt to bring them on
to the fields and cause them to ''reioice
and blossom us the rose. Mari is abund-
ant in all the region, much, and in fact all
the material used, which has brought the
worn out fields Of North Carolina to be
the most certain cotton lauds in the whole
South. The energy to develop seems to be
dormant, or nearly SO, and where you see
an attempt at composing 1t is done in such
blind hap hazard way that the results are
uncertain and rather discouraging. The
introduction Of agricultural societies, the
formation of farmers clubs, the appoint
ment of committees of intelligent men to
visit the North Carolina cotton section and
see the results of composing on lands ex-
actly like those around Darlington, will
~~o~~rl:l- ~na--lta eiI4AiInr to thn~o ycr
have seen II your own State, and this will
again become rich and flOurishing sec
ton.
While speaking of manuring let me call
your attention to the ruinous extent to
which the introduction of foreign manip-
ulated manures has been carried the pres
ent season. An intelligent gentleman of
| this place estimates that at least 1000
| four thousand tons of manures have been
received in the county, being distributed
| from Florence, Doves, Darlington, Tim
monsville, and a few other points near,
such as Lynchburg, Sumter and Efingham.
At an average calculation of seventy five
1870 dollars per ton including freights.
| this would amount to three hundred
thousand dollars ($300,OO0). There are
| few parties in the United States who are
so sangulne as to estimate the price of
| cotton on She plantations at over twelve
| and One-half cents (124 cents) per pound
| for the coming crop if it should prove to
| be an average. If this calculation is cor
rect it will take sic thousand bales to pay
for the manure imported. Think of it !
Under an intelligent direction from
an agricultural society, the value of
these six thousand bales expended in
composing would have effected equal re-
| suits and the money would be at home
It is not our purpose to say one word more
| than is necessary to awaken an interest on
| this subject.
Kindred to this is another matter which
is Of such vital interest that we cannot re-
frain from again calling it up to the public
attention. From the Roanoke to the San
tee the country is one vast cotton field
Some corn has been planted in bottoms
''too wet for cotton" and some on fields
''too poor for cotton" Occasionally fer
mer has planted enough to make provis-
ions for ''his own family" The ''too wet
for cotton" may turn out too wet for corn,
and the "too poor for cotton" we feel
sure will be too poor for corn. With the
fate Of the cotton raisers of British India
who raised no provisions in 1868 and
starved at the rate of 10000 in one district
in 1869, before their eyes, our cotton plan
ters are repeating the experiment. Raise
the voice of the JOURNAL again as you have
done heretofore, and urge that more grain
be planted, even now, before it is finally
too late. In TRANSIT.