Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1874-03-07
The Cost Of Raising Cotton

The Cost Of Raising Cotton.
There is no problem in southern az
rculture more important than the cost
Of producing a bale Of cotton IN our
cotton climate without detrimeut to the
soil. A planter, writing over the sigma
ture Of King Cotton, who appears 10
understand what he i writing about IN
bis locality, sends 10 the Country Gen-
tlemau the following statements on the
subject
The secret in growing a large crop OF
cotton is No other than putting the SOL
in thorough order before planting, and
not have too much vegetable matter IN
it for this IS very detrimental 10 grow
ing a large crop. On these tT0 points
dereuds the planters success or talinre
incidental causes excepted. \ alree.
application OF stable manure In any
form is lot suitei to the cotton plant
but an occasional use Of No. l Peruvian
guano is beneficial, not only 70 tie cot,
ton plant, but where il Is used yoJ Will
have less Guack grass to coute-t with,
The practice Of a majority OF piante s
is to commerce bedding up two months
before the planting season, when the
soil is in miserable condition. Plartllg
is hurried through with, and no other
preparations made, which means CON
slant work and half a crop. The fall
IRE is attributed TO every cause mt the
right one, which is the planters own
neglect,
To answer the question as TO the
profit in growing cotton, l will give a
statement Of my last crop, raised pre-
vious to the war, on three hundred and
sevent7.fve acres. The total expense
OF growing this crop, being the net
cash paid ont, was 50, lSj. The whole
amount Of capital Invested was as fol-
lows
Estimated value Of plantation .,..... BY 200
Negroes ........ a@,ylD
Mules. machinery implements. etc. goa. 300
Total capital ......... 49, 900
The total product was 452 bales cot
ton, 1909 bushels sweet potatoes, and
1900 bushels corn. Nearly everything
needed by the hands for food was raised
Oh the plantationin abundance, except
ing meat. which makes up a large item
in cost. Clothing for hands was made
from cotton grown OF the plantation,
Nothing was sold but cotton,
Ion t4.s- crcD Melted ~. p-- h.. -Z r
-" bale -l.1 e. =. yer -a..-...... "r.h -
Estimated value O! -vs5- potatoes ~" NY
Cora ........-. ... s' 10.
G.-s- VI 4- n
Ls---. I-,- A.
The balance Is q fraction over Is per
cent. and this Is I per c=-t. les ,-anI
calculate thee wears on: Of eight, /
usually estimate nv planting 10 COS.
ne 81 u 81 rer acre, including inter.
es,. commissions Tor selling, &c,
The difference in cost. under the PIES
e-t g7sreu q growing cotton with hired
labor. o-cL. not 70 Re one .s-;E.-- more
than the wages paid ont but l viii ii.
mi. t.a. the same labor Is 10: rs rc1-
Guc.tve as formerly, when We e-'.-
q good hand as being able - cultivate
ten acres u cotton, and raise f--L fox
himself AM family, with the assistance
Of q half grown lad Q part OF tie sea-
son. To approximate the present value
Of labor, / will reduce this estimate TO
eight acres, and assuming that each
hand raises his own food as formerly,
excepting meat, the cost Of growing ten
acres will be
Wages to man. Y months. g.: s. per
month ......... ...,...... .rHG 90
Wages to boy, 6 months, at 5j......... ID o0
Gu4uJ.. .....,.,.. 10 N0
Meat .......-. 80 90
BaIlng, wear and tear, tc,.....n...... 40 90
Total. ........ .......... S22G 90
In q favorable season, ten acres will
produce eight TO nine thousand pounds
of lint cotton. Iwill here say to those
who think my figures. too large, that a
thousand pounds Of cotton are as easily
: grown on an acre Of good cotton soil as
5 thirty bushels Of wheat are III prime
wheat land. 1t is not every farmer who
/. can grow thirty bushels OF wheat to the
acre, but it is often surpassed by those
. who know how to DO it. l will average
l the crop at eight hundred pounds TO
the acre, and the market value ut eight
e cents per pound, which is very low for
: good cotton. The gross receipts OF
= Ten acres will be,...............,.... 500 90
i Deductlug COST. ......,.. Z2j %
t Balance. ......,. Slll 90
e which is the profit or interest on the
e capital invested. Whether it will pay,
4 / leave it to Mr.. Noel to decide, and to
n those strong advocates of small planta-
S tons and a mixed system of farming as
Y suitable for this section of the south.
:, They are in most cases Ignorant of the
wants of the planter and the misasmatic
e atmosph re of this section. 1t is true,
Is all the cereals can be grown here, but
lie even if they were as profitable for us to
y raise as cotton, still there are vital con,
p siderations to prevent the adoption Of
this system by the planting community,
le which I will not attempt to explain, as
" it involves too lengthy a communication.
:, Centennial Joking.
o. The New York Post lets off very good
- tbinos in the shane of letters which