The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1873-05-21

duction Of those crops most essen.
! tial to the comfort Of both man
and beast, which will consequent.
ly enable the farmer to keep the
proceeds Of his unGiminished cot.
ton crop at home. Thus it is, we
think, that the general introduc.
ton Of labor-savlng machinery in
South will prove Of most inesti-
mable advantage it will neccssa-
riIy enforce q diversified industry
and afford opportunity for the
development Of her many but now
latent resources. In the Southern
States the introduction Of labor
saving machinery has been slow,
nor is it L matter Of surprise that
such has been the case when we
contemplate the great clouds OF
depression and gloom which per.
vadcd the minds of Southern agri-
cuIturaIists as they gazcd upon
the shattered ruins Of the very
foundation upon which all their
hopes for prosperity were based:
and the effect upon the laborers,
the bulk OF which, us is Well-known,
was composed Of negroes, was no
less marked, bu: was Of an entire
ly opposite nature, producing the
widest enthusiasm. But time and
force of circumstances have, to 9
large extent, closed the chasm
thus formed between the own
crs Of the soil and tie la
borcrs and, as before stated, it
is gratifying to notice that 4
reaction has taken place, and that
Z general tendency towards i'm
provcment is manifest, that will
prove eminently saIutary and
beneficial. Upon almost every
farm, from the vcrdant mountain
slopes to the seaboard, may be
seen labor. saving machines Of some
sort. The innovation is iusidiouS
in its progress, like all other great
changes continually going on 4.
round us. both in nature and art,
but Of which we are scarcely 4.
ware. For Illustration, behold the
tiny spears Of wheat or grass, Just
pccping through the soil, we see
Ill the while, but cannot discover
the change that has taken place
from one day TO another. yet in 4
short space Of time appears the
golden waving grain in all its
beauty ready for the harvest. So
it is with the great agricultural
! progress Of the South. There are
those now living and witnessing
the operation Of the magnificent
cotton gin, propelled by steam,
turning out from eight to twelve
thousand pounds Of cotton per
day, who will tell you that in their
boyhood days it was customary
io:' the farmer TO fill his own rs
we'll rs his childrcn's shoes with
seed cotton requiring that each
one should finger pick the seed
from the lint, until the shoes were
emptied, as their winter evenings
task.
And without going further back
we learn that grain was harvested
with sickles or reaping hooks. by
which means it would be hard to
say how little could be done per-
day. Compare those primitive
methods with those Of the present
time and note the wonderful
change that has been wrought.
Now with a span Of horses and
a reaper or mower broad fields Of
grain are harvested per day.
In the cultivation Of cotton, as
before intimated, there are many
labor-saving machines in use-such
as fertilizer distributors, seed plant.
ers, sweeps, harrows, cultivators,
&C., by which one laborcr and
horse can cultivate sixty acres as
easily as lie could fifteen q few
years ago. Cotton seed planters
especially have been introduced
with great profit and saving Of la,
Dor. Under the old labor system
it was necessary to have four
hands and two horses employed
to make any hcadway in planting g
to say nothing Of the time occu-
pied in rolling seed. Now, as We
can attest from personal expert,
encc, one laborer and horse with
seed planter without any stop
page to roll or rub seed, performs
as much or more labor in the same
length of time and in q more sat.
isfactory manner. Most Of the
labor-savlng machinery used ~
cotton culture are automatic in
their character and are therefore
best adapted to Southern labor.
AS to the adaptability Of labor,
saving machinery to Southern Ia
Dor we think there can be no qucs.
ton. The brief history Of the ne
gro since his emancipation shows
that he is susceptible Of . much
higher degree Of mental develop
mcnt than he has had credit for ir
the past.
With proper treatment and pa
ticnt instruction he may become !
skiliful operator of all the labor
saving machinery necessary tt
! place Southern agriculture. sur