Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-08-14
A New and Wonderful! Elind Oh
Cotton

Gustave Adolphus, q correspondent
of the Chronicle and Sentinel, who has
been Illuminating down in Southern
Georgia, and few miles beyond the
Florida line, tells wonderful story
about pew kind of cotton which le
thinks is destined to put all others to
flight and revolutionize the entire cot
ton culture:
I rode several miles over the line,
to see new specimen of cotton, and L
assure you of my establishment when
/ predict all entire revolution IN tho
present growth of that article, grow
ing out of this Asiatic species, now
being raised upon a small scale by Mr..
Myack Bellyminger, at Soap Floating
Springs, in Florida, six miles from the
Georgia line. Two years since Mr..
Hyack received, in a letter from his
brother-in-law, Mr.. Michael Grigie,
six seed. They were obtained in the
far-famed Cashmere Valley, i'll Central
Asia, two years since-this being the
third year of cultivation, resulting III
ten acres the present season. [ at once
suggested name, which was prompt
ed by it's similarity to our orange tree.
and the owner, Mr.. Hyack Bellyning-
er, being pleased with the same. it will
hereafter be known as the Asiatic
Orange Cotton. This cotton tree, hay
ing now its full growth, is about eight
feet high, and will abont match
in size at the butt end the
leg of an old fashioned split bot
tom chair, taperiDg gradually to the
top, and is of very enormous strength
and elasticity. and which enables it to
sustain the heavy weight Of fruitage
to which it is subjected Tt is planted
in hills, fifteen feet eaui- dstant, to
give room for Its spreading branches,
which run out on all sides six or seven
feet. The leaf is the only feature
closely resembling our common plant.
L must reserve, however, for another
letter much that I desire to say, and
speak only of the grown bolls. They
resemble very much in size and color,
a large green orange, only much
larger, and are attached to the limbs
by a strong stem, from one to two
inches in length. When open, it con-
tains at the base of the boil in small
cells, four or five seed, which might
be mistaken for small buck shot. The
lint, in picking, leaves the seed in the
bur, which, of course, avoids the ne
cessity of ginning, and is thrown, as
picked, into packing machies, SO that
each days gathering is compressed
into bales the same evening. When
within one OR two hundred yards of
this field 1 asked Mr.. NJ for a shot
gun to kill few white cranes, as it
seemed to me there was an uncommon
number of them perched about on
small trees. "You will not have anv
use for a gum" he replied. "What
you see is the few open bolls of cot
ton, and you arc not alone in
supposing them to be our beau
tiful coast Birds" and sure enough.
nearer observation proved him
correct. The cotton hung pendant
from the boil, three to four inches in
rolls, as large as full grown Bologna
sausage, five rolls to the boil. looked
III nmazement, aud could scarcely be-
li.ve in the reality of what I saw.
L asked how much cotton will these
ten acres produce. I was answered
promptly, one hundred bales, or a bale
to each row of fourteen stalks. This.
he continued, was the average produc-
ton last year. I continued by desiring
to know how much to the hand could |
De picked IN one day-and was inform |
ed for grown men $50 lbs. of lint |
<there being no seed, or one bale, was |
regarded an easy daily task, Now. |
gentlemen, if what have said is true'
are We not rapidly approaching q new
epoch in cotton culture Five years
viii suffice to spread universally over
the cotton area of the South this won
dsrfully productive species-and if it
should prove lasting and not subject
yes many new kinds have proven) to
deterloration, it would not be unrea-
sonanie TO estimate the American crop
o, !ooo at twenty millions of bales
WHICH could be more easily raised and
the present time. What miobtv
changes will necessarily follow. I leave
TOR solution to more fertile imagina-
hons than my own. One thing is Ger