Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-09-17
UNINYESTED CAPITAL.

In no land under the sun, is there as much
uninvested capital as in the Southern States.
This may seem to be bold and extravagant
declaration which cannot be substantiated by
facts, but little reflection will convince any
one that it is truth easily demonstrated. 10
prove the declaration, attention is called to
the amount of farming lands lying uncultiva-
ted. Not more than one-fourth of the lands
in the Southern States are either planted or
sown in crops Of any kind. Much Of these
waste lands were once cultivated, but have,
for years, been turned out, and are now rem
dered useless for long period, by reason OF
the innumerable gullies that are washed in
them. The recuperative powers of the South
ern soil are unsurpassed, but scarcely any at
tention has been paid to this subject. In fact
all that could be done has been resorted to,
in order to prevent recuperation. The hills
have been permitted to wash into gullies, and
in washing away much of the bottom lands
has been almost hopelessly ruined. On these
old fields tax has to be paid. This is not all.
Some of the best lands in the South are lying
idle.
Southern planters generally think they
must own ten times as much land as they can
cultivate-in fact, ten times as much as they
intend to cultivate. In some sections of the
country there are great bodies of land, con-
tanning several thousand acres, upon which
there is not house or field. These lands
are Just SO much capital uninvestcd. The OBJ,
ject in owning these lands, is said to be the
timber. With the present fence laws, it is
absolutely necessary that each farmer have
some forest lands from which he can procure
rail timber; but some change should be made
in the laws respecting fences. 1t costs more
to fence field, than the field will sell for in
the market.
1t is mistaken policy for any man to buy
up large tracts of land to lie for years in an
uncultivated state. He might just as well
lock his money up in drawer and let it lie
there. The fact that land in the South is so
cheap, makes men careless about improving
it. Capital uninvested, especially when that
capital consists in land, is useless. 1t does
the owner no good, and it does the country
generally no good. All the land that is not
planted should be sown in grass and devoted
to pasture.
IMPROVING SEED WHEAT.-Sow none but
the largest and most perfect kernels. 1t has
been my practice for the last sixteen years to
run my wheat for seed over very coarse
seed screen, so as to SOW none but the very
largest kernels. By so doing have improv
ed my wheat so that have sold nearly all o.
nv wheat at home for seed. But in 1871 ]
hit upon a new plan. l had piece of Tread
we'll wheat that was injured by insects in the
previous fall and killed by insects in the win
ter, 80 that there were spots not worth cutting
After harvest observed few scattering heads
of unusual size. 1t occurred to me that there
was wheat that had withstood the rayages O.
the insects and the rigor Of the winter. | gath
cred enough to SOW one rod square, from which
l realized twenty pounds Of wheat of unusual
| ly large, even berry, which was at the ratio o
over fifty bushels per acre; last harvest hao
twenty bushels which weighed sixty-six pound:
to the bushel. 1T is nay opinion that we real
ize the best crops from the best and most per
feet seed in the vegetable as well as the ami
NAL kingdom. m.-Rral Ne,o YORKER