The Hickman courier., 1874-03-07
The Cost Of Raising Cotton.


The Cost Of Raising Cotton.
There is no problem in southern ag
riculture more important than the cost |
of producing bale of cotton In our |
cotton climate without detriment to the |
soil. A planter. writing over the sigma A..
ture of King Cotton" who appears to |
understand what he writing about In |
his locality, sends to the Country Gen |
tleman the following statements on the
subject
The secret in growing large crop of |
cotton is no other than putting the soil |
in thorough order before planting, and
not have too much vegetable matter in
it; for this is very detrimental to grow
ing a large crop. On these two points
depends the planters success or failure,
incidental cause excepted. \ direct
application of stable manure In any
form is not suited to the cotton plant (;
but an occasional use of No. l Peruvian
guano is beneficial, not only to the cot
ton plant, but where it IS used you will
have less quack grass to conterd with. |
The practice of majority of planters
is to commence bedding up two months
before the planting season, when the
soil is in miserable condition. Plarting
is hurried through with, and no other
preparations made, which means con-
slant work and half a crop. The fail
ure is attributed to every cause but the
right one, which is the planters own
neglect.
To answer the question as to the
profit in growing cotton, will give a
statement of my last crop, raised pre-
vious to the war, on three hundred aud
seventy -Nsns.cres. The total expense
,of dis =s[op, being the net
amount 8 capital Invested was as fol-
| lows
Estimated value of plantation. S3s, 700
Mules Miles machinery implements, etc. 500
Total capital. SIC, 400
The total product was 452 bales cot
ton, 500 bushels sweet potatoes, and
/ l. 300 bushels corn. Nearly everything
needed by the hands for food was raised
on the piantationin abundance, except
ing meat, which makes up large item
| in cost. Clothing for hands was made
from cotton grown on the plantation.
Nothing was sold but cotton.
100 bales crop netted 91sc per lb. 81, ,592 80
| $50 bales sold at Sc per lb.......... 9676 so
Estimated value OF sweet potatoes. 600 90
| Corn. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. o9o W
Gross receipts. s...-...-.........Sl5,4 4S7 80 80
| Deduct costs Observation-Disclosures. 3,lo5 OU
Balance. ce..................s SO, 1872 80
The balance is a fraction over 16 per
cent, and this is per cent: less than ]
calculate three years out of eight. j
usually estimate my planting to cost
me S25 to $50 per acre, including inter
est, commissions for selling, etc.
The difference in cost, under the pres
ent system of growing cotton with hired
labor, ought not to be one farthing more
than the wages paid out but will ad.
NIT that the same labor is not as pro
ductive as formerly, when we estimated
a good hand as being able to cultivate
ten acres of cotton, and raise food fol
himself and family, with the assistance
of half grown lad part of the sea
son. To approximate the present value
of labor, l will reduce this estimate tc
eight acres, aud assuming that eact
hand raises his own food as formerly
excepting meat, the cost of growing tel
acres will be-
Wsges to man, u months, AZ IS per
Wages to boy, months, at S5..-...... - OK
Guano. Observation-Disclosures. 50 y,
Baling, wear and tesr. etc..-........... 40 O'
Total. ...--.-----.-.-.--- SZzo "
In a favorable season, ten acres viii
produce eight to nine Thousand pounds
of lint cotton. L will here say to those
who think my figures too large, that (
thousand pounds of cotton are as easily
wheat land. It Is not every ~ farmer arm T Il VII 81
can grow thirty bushels of wheat to tn,
acre, but it is often surpassed by thos,
who know how to do it. / will averag,
the crop at eight hundred pounds Il
the acre, and the market value at eight
cents per pound, which is very low fol
good cotton. The gross receipts of
Ten acres Will be..................S 500 OK
Deducting cost. Observation-Disclosures. 226 OF
Balance. Observation-Disclosures. S414 OF
which is the profit or interest on the
capital invested. Whether it will gay,
/ leave it to Mr.. Noel to decide, and to
those strong advocates of small planta.
tions and a mixed system of farming as
suitable for this section of the south
They are in most cases ignorant of the
wants of the planter and the misasmatic
atmosph re of this section. 1t is true,
all the cereals can be grown here, but
even If they were as profitable for us to
raise as cotton, still there are vital con-
siderations to prevent the adoption of
this system by the planting community,
which / will not attempt to explain, as
1t involves too lengthy a communication.
Centennial Joking.