Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1872-09-12
agricultural department.
From the Southern Cultivator for September.
THOUGHTS FOR THE MONTH.

Cotton picking is the work OF the present
month on Southern farm. Starting as soon
as the cotton begins to open and keeping we'll
up with it, is the farmers true policy. 1st.
Because the days are now long and favorable
to the work. End. The cotton will be cleaner
and command Il higher price. 3rd. 1t gives
an opportunity to sell early, should prices rule
high. 4th. 1t gives longer time to gin and
pack-this heavy work, therefore, can bedone
at intervals greatly to the advantage Of the
mules. 9TH. 1t enables the farmer to close up
the years operations promptly and to begin
the work of the new year with decks cleared
and everything ready for action.
Cotton picked in the forenoon should be
summed before being packed away in bulk
this is a matter often neglected, but very i'm
portant. Begin with the second picking over
to put aside cotton from which to save seed.
We trust that greatly increased attention will
be given to this important matter. We recog-
nize the influence Of parent on offspring, in
the case of horses, cows and other stock. We
select seed corn, save turnip seed from good
bulbs and cabbage seed from good heads ; why
should cotton prove an exception? Nonsense,
says one, it is all in the land-any kind of
cotton seed will make good cotton on good
land. Now there is just enough truth in this
statement to mislead Good land and poor
seed may make better cotton than poor land
and good seed but how if good land and
good seed are both brought together? The
'runt" on generous diet, may outstrip the
strong and vigorous poorly fed, but place both
OH good and full rations and which will take
the lead? With many plants, getting seed oc-
casionally from some distant locality whose
climate is not widely different, increases their
productiveness. Is this true in the case of
cotton? In the matter of stock, we think it
desirable to "mix" the blood occasionally, pro-
curing males from distant focks. May it not
be we'll to mix foreign seed with the home
raised every now and then, that they may
mix? These are points certainly worthy of
attention and Investigation. 1t will be no.
ticed that we do not ggestimportation from
locality with widely different climate.
Where plant is transferred from its original
habitation to poin1 whose climate is not con-
genial, its vigor is often diminished and it
must pass through the slow process of accli-
nation. In such cases home raised seed is
generally best. The varieties of maize for in
stance, which have long been cultivated with
US, succeed much better than those brought
from far northern or southern latitudes. For
instance seed of the large Caragua corn from
South America, sent out by the agricultural
department last year made fine stalk and
bloomed, but with us, under favorable condi-
tions, did not mature single grain. So also
the "Peach Blow" productive and highly
1,o l,o1 iof, pf Trich in tho north
ern States, is wholly unproductive here, off,
times not producing the seed put in the
ground. On the other hand gentleman in
forms US that by planting the same variety of
potatoes, from home grown seed, through a
period Of ten or twelve years it has very de-
cidedly improved in every respect
Holding or Selling COtton.-Attention has
been very strongly turned of late by Commo-
dore Maury and others to scheme whereby
the producer may be enabled to fix the price
of cotton, instead of leaving the matter in the
hands of the purchaser We have had occa-
sion heretofore to speak in commendation Of
the scheme, the essential feature Of which is
the obtaining of early, full and reliable infor-
nation of the extent of the cotton crop of this
and foreign countries, so that the farmer may
Judge for himself whether production falls be-
low, approaches or exceeds consumption, and
whether therefore prices must rule eventually
high or low. Unfortunately, ignorance on
these points is not the only difficulty. Anoth-
er difficulty lies back of that, and for practical
purposes, one even more important We al
lude to the inability of the farmer himself, or
of his commission merchant to hold his cotton
long enough against the powerful moneyed
combinations Of spectators and manufactu-
ress. Take a commercial centre like New
Orleans, the largest and wealthiest in the
South-there is not banking capital enough in
that city to "carry," for any protracted period,
half of the cotton which finds its way there
If the planter must have money at once, the
only resort is to throw his cotton upon the
market, and let the speculator or manufactu-
rer pay what he will for it. The remedy We
beg to suggest, is thatthe farmers Of the South
should practice stricter economy and sell y-denial,
and get year ahead in money matters, so as
to be in position, themselves, to hold their
cotton. Holding cotton for little while and
in the meantime, borrowing money at high
rates, to be able to do so, is very apt to termi-
nate disastrously holding over for whole
year, if necessary, when the price is below
what supply and demand warrants, would
make the farmer master Of the situation.
When labor becomes dearer, through strikes
or otherwise, the price of iron and other man.
ufactured articles 60 up promptly, because
large capitalists own the works, and can hold
back their wares from the market. But labor
q" well as everything else used in making
cotton may become dearer, and yet the price
may not rise, because the poor farmer, out OF
money and pressed by creditors, must sell his
cotton at once. Let not few, but the bulk
of cotton planters get year ahead in money
matters, and they could then fix the price of
cotton quite as easily as the manufacturer does
that of his products. A limited number have
always held cotton over, and as rule these
have sold at better prices by so doing, but the
matter cannot be controlled by a few The
great majority must not only know-by the
means proposed by Commodore Maury or
something similar-that the supply is behind
the demand, and that prices must, therefore,
rise, but in addition to this knowledge, must
have the ability to hold their cotton until a
reasonable price can be had for it. AS a
people we are poor-let us realize it, and live
according. Poverty is badge Of honor to
the Southern man-it is an evidence that he
did not run the "blockade;" that he did not
fatten in the commissary department; that he
did not grow rich at the expense Of the widow
and orphan-no blood money taints hlm-no
properly stolen at the close Of the war or
boug from others who did steal it under
cover of military authority, has found its way
into his Golfers. Let those who have done
these thinps wear m,rnle and fine linen and