The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1874-08-20
A New and Wonderful Kind of Cotton.

Gustavo Adolphus, a correspondent Of the
! Chronicle and Sentinel, who has been rumina-
ting down in Southern Georgia and few miles
! beyond the Florida line, tells wonderful story
about new kind of cotton, which he thinks is
destined to put all others to flight and revolu
tionize the entire cotton culture
rode several miles over the line, to see g
new specimen Of cotton, and assure you of my
astonishment when predict an entire reyolu
ton in the present growth of that article, grow
ing out of this Asiatc species, now being raised
at Soap Floating Springs, in Florida, six miles
from the Georgia line Two years since, Mr..
Hyack received, in letter from his brothcr-in-
law, Mr. ALicheal Griggie six seed. They were
obtained in the far-famed Cashmere Valley, in
Central Asia, two years since-this being the
third year of cultivation, resulting in ten acres
the present season. lat once suggested name,
which was prompted by its similarity to our
orange tree, and the owner, Mr.. Hyack Belly
minger being please with the same it will
hereafter be known as the Asiatic orange cotton.
This cotton tree, having now its full growth, is
about eight feet high and will about match its
size at the butt end with the leg of an old-f fash
ioncd spit-bottom chair, tapering gradually to
the top, and is of very enormous strength and
elasticity, and which enables it to sustain the
heavy weight ffrultage to which it is objected.
1t is planted in hills fifteen feet equidlstant, 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. I must reserve, however, for another
letter, much that desire to say, and speak only
CT 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
tNt pph N
When open, it contains 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 necessity of ginning, and is
thrown, as picked, into packing machines, so
that each days gathering is compressed into
bales the same evening. When within 100 or
200 yards of this field I asked A[r. NJ for a
shotgun to kill one or two white cranes, as 1t
seemed to me there was IN uncommon number
of them perched about on small trees. "You
will not have any use fer q gum" he replied.
"What you see is the few open bolls of cotton,
and YOU are not alone in supposing them to be
our beautiful 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 tull-groWn
Bologna sausage five rolls to the boil Hooked
in amazement, and could scarcely believe in the
reality of what | saw.
l asked how much cotton will these ten acres
produce. was answered promptly, 100 bales,
or bale to each row Of fourteen stalks. This,
he continued was the average production last
year. 1 continued by desiring to know how
much to the hand could be picked in one day,
and was informed for grown men $50 pounds
of lint, there being no seed, or one bale, was
regarded ali easy daily task. Now, gentlemen,
if what 1 have said is true, are we not rapidly
approaching new epoch in cotton culture, F.?
Five years will suffice to spread universally
over the cotton area of the South this wonder
fully productive species, and if it should prove
lasting and not subject las many new kinds
have proven) to detcrioration it would not be
unreasonable to estimate the American crop of
1880 at II, 900 bales, which could be more
easily raised and saved than crop of 3,00O,O
at the present time. What mighty changes
will necessarily follow, leave for solution to
more fertile imaginations than my own. One
thing is certain-the poor will rejoice over all
the earth, when full suit of cotton clothes can
be had at fifty cents. This will be one result
and babies can come along without apprehen-
sion as to scarcity of material to wrap them