The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1873-10-16
seulhern AgrleaIturo sIanderea.


That Southern agriculture is far short of
what it ought to be, is granted, but so is
agriculture everywhere; and so kas it been
always that we know Of What the agri-
culture of the prehistoric ancients may have
been, we know not, but it must not be sup
posed that it was rude and barbarous; on
the other hand, the probability is that hus-
bandry was once carried to a much higher
degree Of perfection than it now is; that
agriculture as it should be is one of the lost
arts There is lamentable slovenliness
among Southern farmers, as there was
among Southern planters, but we do not
like to hear them berated for faults of which
they are not guilty, and least of all to see
the Southern press echoing the SANDER. We
took occasion the other day to stick chunk
of fire to that wisp of hay that is ever and
anon fiouTished in our faces, and hardly day
passes but we have picked up Southern
hay" item; and probably not day but we
find some home paper copying that everlast-
ing story that the culture of hay is entirely
neglected in the South. Now here is another,
which has been inconsiderately repeated
again and again by city and country papers in
the South, ! and we suppose will continue to be
copied by men who were raised on Southern
plantations, and ought to know better-do
know better, but don't know what they
know; otO-wit, ''The cotton seed of the
South, which was once thrown away as
WORTHLESS, is now worth 50, 600, 900 per
year" What the cotton seed of the South,
is worth is immaterial, except that the more
there is of it the more it is worth, and that
its value is fixed and not affected by the
high or low prices of the staple; but with
recollections of Southern agriculture reach
ing back nearly forty years, we never knew
of cotton seed being thrown away, and
never heard Of it until they began 10 build
cotton seed oil mills. Did you, reader,
whoever you are, ever in your youthful days
assist in throwing cotton seed away? Don't
you know that it would require immense
labor to haul it off the plantation, and that
the labor would belgreatly enhanced by the
usual custom of placing the Clubhouse In
some central location2 Does not every
man who ever saw a cotton crop planted,
know that, by the fashion in which it is
done, the cotton seed is made to act a
very important part as a manure to the
young plant2 And that which remains
what becomes of it? What the stock eat,
is not thrown away. 1t is true it must be
keptout of the way of hogs, as it is delete
rious if not actually fatal to them unless
rotted and many were the planters who
used to haul the seed to wet places and
leaveit there to rot in order that the hogs
might afterwards feed on it. But there is
a vast amount beyond all this, which it is a
great mistake to suppose was thrown away.
Some of it was actually applied as manure,
but the bulk of it was left to decay on the
plantations. That was not thrown away.
All the essential ingredients returned to the
soil. whence they came. 1t is true the man
ner of administering the cotton seed admits
of great Improvement, and in the shape of
meal, when the oil has been expressed, it is
better adapted to- feeding or manuring pur-
poses; but better stick to the old way than
send it off the plantation for manufacture,
unless you bring it back again aud some
thing additional in the shape of fertilizers
to pay for the expense of double transpor-
tatiOn, and make up the loss of the portion
which never viii be brought back. But we
are getting beyond our limit, having pro-
posed not to write an agricultural lecture,
but to correct a grossly erroneous impress
sion as regards a matter of fact.-lM Mobile