The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1875-12-08
The Press and Banner.
~. \. LEE, Editor.
W ednesday, Dec. 6, 1875.
Ifow to Raise Cheap Cotton.

The December number of the SOuth-
crn C.ltirut0r has an excellent article
on this subject, in which, assuming
that the day for high-priced cotton has
passed, owing, among other causes, to
the increased production abroad
amounting since the war to some two
millions of bales, the editor urges that
the Only hope for the successful cultiva-
ton of the great staple in the future,
must depend upon reducing the cost OF
prodnction. and enters into a statement
Of the ways and means by which This
may brought about.
no the production Of cheap cotton, nc
| thinks three conditions are nvccs- -ary-
! the decrease Of the labor Of raising 1t
home raised provisions; no borrowed
capital. Labor can only be reduced by
a Dropcr rotation Of crops, better prep;s'
ration Of land, and substitution of ma
uurn for labor--in ether words, BY cult
waiting less land, and doing the WORK
more Thoroughly. BY raisingprovisions
at home, onc-half or tW"-tniruS oi tle
cost of feeding farm stack will be saved,
rs the small grains require but iit'lt
labor for their cultivation. BY the use
Of ones own capital we avoid the ruin
ors system of giving liens for money
borrowed at from Is to 30 per cent, alo
all the train Of attendant evils.
| A. thc writer remarks, it is the cost
of production compared with the seilliie'
price, which determines loss or plon|
and ii the price be only ten cents anu anu
| the cost be only five Genus; q iiahusoine
profit is realized. lie thus co'ciuocs
his art:clc:- -,
the cotton raiser is in diEilnlshln? us
cost-hc cannot force il up 10 his''
prices. We have indicated what appear
10 be the plain, practicab,e means .;ii ~
doing this, and, IN concl"sinh' ,nr w..
briefly rccaptulatc, reversing lhe oiuIi
! of discussion If a farmer has s'iiall
imeans, let him be content TO operate on
/ n small scalc-cuitivating such crops rs
require small outlay-maklng cottoi'
strictly surplus crop--raIslhS plofl-
sions of all kinds, and, II practicaolc;;
meat also-raising mules, horses, auu
other stock, adapted to his circuhl,
stanccs-planting his best lands, an"
manurinr these as highly as prudence
Will Justify, substituting fertillZers lor
labor whenever it can he safely dolie.
In usinr the term "lcrtiliZcrs,' we
won,d not be undestood as referring ia
coD,D,crciul only use the term III i'S
bruadcst sense, and include munurlai
Substances Of all kinds, the cost OF "hlch
will warrant their use. But 1t Is neccS-
sa,v to watch the expense account very
c,oscly-onc often thinks an artlcic 10
| be CHEAP when it is really very dear
The chcapr5t commercial lcrtlllAer,
(iudrinr from the cost per tom Is often
the dearest the biggest pile OF compost
* not ALWAYS the most valuable, when
the labor to gather up the material ana
surcad it i'm the fields is co,sidcred.
Every particle of manure about !arm
Should br saved when lracl!cahic, but
let il be done in the cheapest manner,
handled az Little as possible, ana trans
r,rrrd at once from the stable TO tne
furrow. Supplement- cheap i!omc,mauc
manure with best commercial lertili|crS,
using such quantities of the latter as
depth of soil and amount OF Vegetauie
matter in it will justify. Great Jung,
ment and cautiop are necessary 10 au)usl
these poinis, but when adjusted the beo'
results will surely follow.
renting land for so much cotton, at
first blush, appears to solve the veXeo
problem of costly labor. But aside from
the insuperable objections arising from
the landlord having to make advances
and run heavy risks, the mismanaEe
meut and deterioration of land undei
this system makes it by far the most
costly which can be pursued: No sys'
tenn which ignores the brains OF th'
landowner can ever succeed. Brain:
lake precedence of labor, manuresano
everything else; and cheap cotton cal
never be raised without it,