The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-12-03

| Dor. WITH such u spirit us this
animating and melting our farmers,
the situation speedily Improved, and
under the influence of tho genial
sunshine, and gentle showers which
succeeded TO the previous heavy
beating rains, the cotton now frcod
from grass, grew off rapidly and
lux'triantly, and in n remarkably
short time had attained u fine
growth, and was well limbed and
we'll fruilod, and promised u heavy
yield; and expectation ran high.
Up to this time, tho middle Of Au-
gust, the Cotton prospect was very
il"ttcring; but rainy spell then
set in. which continued for over two
weeks, and caused the cotton to
stop growing, to turn yellow, to
rust, md cast n grcnt doal of it's
fruit. From what ( have observed,
L think the middle Of August should
be taken us the date Of maturity for
this crop. Cotton has made almost
nothing since then. The cattcrpil
Nr, which has swept ovor the cotton
fields has prevented the maturing of
bolls coming since that date, though
this dread enemy Of the cotton pian.
ter came very late, yet it did much
damage. l. examined " cotton field
to test what amount of cotton tno
worm woull destroy. From five
to eight bol.s to the stalk, / found
would be prevented from maturing
! by their ravagos. But notwit!l-
standing I'LL the difficulties which
have environea the plant, about two
thirds of u crop will be made. We
have had very fine weather so far
for nicEing, anl us all tho folds arc
yet white with the tlcocy staple
"thc snow of southern summers" y"
tho yiold may yob oxooed oxpccta,
ton. l have seen some fields Of
very fine cotton, but these wero
pet patches highly manured and
woll cultivated, and cannot be taken
as IN average Of the general CROP.
l WAS very much pleased with IL
field of cotton of three acres L saw
the other day. It was Of the Boy,l's
prolific variety, and was decidedly
the best fruitcd cotton to it's size l
have soeh this season It was on
very poor sandy land, WAS planted
very close, and was not moro than
eighteen inches in height, bnt full
from bottom to top with clusters of
Well-maturod bolls and open cotton
This patch will make at least Il bale
to tho acre. "a bale to the acre"
should he the motto Of every Pa
tron of this Grange hereafter. Lot
every farmer, remembering the diff
Guilty of obtaining labor this year,
profit by the lesson, anl contract
his farm; and Selecting tho best
land nearest his dwelling, strive by
u judicious and liberal Use of fertill-
zcrs to bring it up to the capacity of
producing bale of cotton or 80
buahcla Of corn or sm*ll grain to
the acre. Every one will admit that
this is the right principle but very
few are praotieing 1t. 1t Ia difficult
for our farmers to overcome their
fondness for extensive farms, their
love for hundreds of acres of Bumblo
Bee Cotton and fino corn, rather
than for twcntios and fftics IF acrcs
Of tho samo staples making the
snmo yield. But nolcns volcns, the
farmers are gradually being forced
to the policy Of small farms by the
growing scarcity and ineliicicncy
of labor. This is the most vital
and important problem Of the day
hoW are zoe to'seture efficient lub2r
for the culhUntion Of our lunds ?
after q practical trial for eight gears
Of free negro tabor we orc forced to
The oQnclQsion that 1t Is q complete
failure, though it has boen testod
in q thousand different ways
Things have got to such u pass, that
If tho farmer gets negro laborcrs
he hos to employ them on their
own torlns; and SEQ his land, his
fences and farm generally, go to
ruin day by day under thoir manip-
ulations, while he is powerloss to
qsqrqte and to enforce Il better
economy. Look at tho condition OF
things that has been produced by
the present system of free negro
lab1r. Real estate has deprecated
iii valuo more than one hundred pei
cent; The lands have been washed
and torn, and scanned with gullies
and almost exhausted of fertility
under tho ruinous "croppins" and
"tenant aystems," whep i,o lnhor is
expended save in the planting, cult
Ivation md gathering Of tho crops
The fencing has fallen into decay
tantt rut.oir iluv. +-vrrgtirety tftsztp
peared, and that remaining is no