The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-03-14

long rows of figures, 1t is because believe
that mistakes are sometimes made by those
who view subject in the concrete, as well as
by those who consider 1t in the abstract,
PLANNING IN aEoRGIA.
A Later Season fhGn Usunl-The Far
mers Returning TO Old Customs-A
smull Cotton Crop robabIe-Home-
Raised Meat-sheep Raising-Poverty
and .Dullness Of Business.
The slrewd and well informed Georgia cor
respondent of the New York Times, writing
from Fort Valley, Houston County, under date
6f the goth ult., says:
I The heavy rains during the past fortnight
f.haye- so saturated the ground, swelled the
rivers and streams. and injured the roads as to
interrupt completely all farming operations.
| The consequence Is that planting this year.wiH
1 be later than usual. Very few have been so
the fall, and since Christmas, what with, the
| unperfopmed work Of picking the cotton crop,
Eand the difficulty in hiring laborers, and in
ducing them, when hired. to go to work, the
preparation Of the soil for the crops is 10 very
great extent still to be dene.
THE FARMERS MOVING BACKWARD.
The great discouragement-the ruling low
| price OF cOttsp land the severe monetary de-
preston which has followed, have tended In no
| small degree to make farmers abandon the lK-
| proved system OF agriculture, which they were
generally beginning to adopt and not only have
| they resolved not TO use any commercial me-
| nurps this year, but they have also given up
! the use of the subsoil plough and the careful
preparation OF the ground, which In 1870 con-
| tributed quite as pnch, In my opinion, to the
abundant yield as the fertilizers WHICH they
| used so literally. 1t necessarily Involves con-
siderable labor, trouble and expense, and o
very large increase Of mule power to subsol
the corn and cstLoI land even partially.
| This labor and expense many cannot afford.
Even though satisfied of its advantages, they
are unable 10 do It. Just as consumptive
pauper, whose physician recommends him to
spend the winter IN Madeira, may be satisfied
that residence Ii Funchal would restore his
health, but he is obliged, er ascess,tate rel, to
make up bis mind TO die In the poorhouse.
Then, again, others who were induced to try
the fertilizers and subsoiling last year, In the
belief that they would make big crop and be-
come rich by the sale of their cotton, have
found that they made the crop, but are poor,
and now attribute oil the blame to the ey-
pensye fertilizers and preparation OF The sell.
and are determined to return to the "old way"
ing that s.more money Is to be made at II" thcn
in the new way Of coorse, the iallscy Of this
reasoning Is apparent, and can be exposed bY
any one who Will take time to think cooiiy;
bat it is not the less true that there are very
many who are trying to make themselves De-
lleve that they are wise IN returning TO the
scooter plough, and In refusing to return to
the earth o single particle Of the fertilizing
properties Of which it has been deprived oy
stlccession of crOpS. go
THE PROBABLE COTTON YIELD.
: Ali this together, late season, imperfect
ploughing, no subsoiling and no manure, VIII
necessarily diminish materially the agreeable
Weld. The number OF acres planted may be
equal to that Of last year, land the amount OF
labor may be the same, but the crops Will be
smaller and less remunerative. MY ooserva.
| tion and information confirm me In the belief
that the cotton area will be from third TO
Lulf less than that of 1870, and 1t is amoderate
calculation that the cotton crop OF Georgia,
even ifthe season is prop'tious, will be. at
least q third less than this year. Ny own
opinion Is that the lIse Of fertilizers and sub
soil pfoughs doubled the natural production
in 1870. Curtail the area OF this year, use no
manure and scratch the ground, and lt Is easy
to see what the result must be. Here ana
there find planter who has bought. good
mannres. and is determined to subsoil every
acre he plants, but the votarles Of Improve
ment are 'lke angels visits, few and iar be-
tween"
HoMs.RAIsED MEAT.
Since the war, raising hogs enough to pro-
vide meat for the plantations has been almost
entirely given up as Impossible. MOI one IN a
hundred has raised his own meat since 1863
The reason generally given was that the q als.
to.rsiss hogs prodtably. Hired in majority
of cases iOr q share OF the crop, and TO pay
for their own provisions, some oil them dlmin-
ished their expenses by killing planters hogs
wherever found. 1t has been the practice Of
planters to allow their lrogs to range In their
woods and upcu)tivated lands, and they are
seldom taken up and counted until the time
those who desired TO steal had every opportll-
nifty to supply their larders without having
any butchefs bill to pay. Now that money
has become SO scarce that PROVISIONS cannot
be bought IN tie Western markets, and now
that factors and com mission merchants can no
longer make advances even at Two ana nall
per cent month, the only thing TO be done IS
ioraise meat at home, and already l'1na many
of my acuua,ntances taking steps to 40 so. IL
will DC an immense saving, and WILL cost but
little trouble.
SHEEP RAISING.
lind also q growing desire in middle and
northern Georgia TO try sheep raising as an
Industry. / am sure It will be- immensely
profitable, both in meat and wool. There are
thousands aud thousands Of acres of iand ltnfH
for cultivation in field crops which would give
abundant pasture Tor sheep, aud which coi!d
be thus so enriched, as in many counties III
England, as to he soon as fertile land us any
In the State. The attention OF aSrfcultnrlSgs
has been recently drawn to this subject by
eminent writer's, and steps are being taken H. 10
introduce improved bresds oil sheep. Inc
mefInO seems the favorlte.
BUSINESS wRETcHED.Y DULL.
never remember business SO dull and trade
so slack al 1t is now. Every one Is complain
ing. There is little or no travel The drum
msrs are in despair. The most artistic
display of The most tempting samples produces
no effect but gruf announcement that there
Is no moneyto buy goods. The qnack doctors
and itinerant venders OF patent panaceas, VINO
geaerally find crowds OF gulls who are ready 10
sugnd their last fractional shinplaster to pay
sone swindling ''pai4,klller." Guaranteed 10
cure cramp.coc, draw teeth, eradicate Sent
and remove bunions at one application, or
1.-THE money will be refunded" are dlsconso-
late. and are changing their quarters nysterl-
.ously, leaving their hotel bills ana accounts
Eor printing 10 worse. condition than the pur-
chasers oi their nostrums: Even circus, WIN
q balloon attachment and an elephant, tormer-
II the property of the Ilnaum of Muscat, fills
TO draw. Even the negroes are poor. But tne
n,ost uphappy of all are the travelling agents