The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1877-08-24

The New Orleans Times of July 81
says: /" Recent reports from the coun.
try disclose the fact that throughout the
sugar and cotton growing areas Of Louis.
lana, there is great scarcity of labor,
very few planters having secured their
full complement Of hands. The search
ty is not so much immediate as pros
pective. experience demonstrating that
il requires smaller number Of men TO
plant and cultivate than it does 10 har-
vest. Both the sugar and cotton crops
have been 'laid by and the sugar plant
er now has little else TO do besides get
ting out his wood for the grinding sea
son and ovcrhauling his machinery. In
another month, however, cotton will
have fully matured, picking will com
mence, and during that season every
available man and boy will be brought
into requisition. II is estimated that on
nearly every plantation large amount
Of cotton Is permitted TO rot in the field,
for the simple reason that a sufficient
number of hands can not be
secured to pick it, II il estimated
that on some places 80 IS per cent. Of
the entire crop is lost in this way, par
ticularly II the yield be heavy. An av-
erage hand can pick during working
day 800 pounds Of seed cotton, yielding
100 pounds Of lint, which, at 10 cents a
pound, would be so. BY this ii will be
be seen that the addition Of 10 hands
during month, estimating their time
at 20 working days, would add $1,000
70 the gross earnings Of the year, and at
the same time involve no cost excepting
their wages. II il matter Of some
surprise that planters VINO have, Of
course. suffered this loss through a Sc
ries Of years, have made no effort to
remedy the evil when practical relief In
the premises Is within the reach Of all.
For several years the Western States
have been filled with crowds Of migra-
tory harvesters, who annually take off
the crops in that region, commencing
early in the season in Southern Illinois,
where the grain first ripens, and rs the
season advances, moving northward.
BY this process they find constant EN-
ploymcnt through the entire summer,
in the vicinity Of Caro- in
the latter part Of June, and ending their
labors far up in Wisconsin, Iowa or Min
nesota, some time in September. Usually
the men are energetic, industrious, and in
the main honest II IL estimated that
10, 900 or $1,000 farm laborers are en-
gagged in this occupation every year;
but suppose that just rs their season
terminated an effort were made to Sc
cure their services in the South. In
at the time when they are
idle, our cotton Is ready for picking.
Ten thousand of these men in our fields
would contribute TO the aggregate yield
4 100000 pounds Of cotton lint day,
or in two months 1855 bales. Dur
ing the succeeding two months they
could find constant employment in the
cane fields, and be prepared TO return
to their homes at Christmas, after seven
months Of nearly constant labor in the
field. There Is little question that TO
one Of this class no more varied, agree
able, nor remunerative thcater Of in
dustry could be presented. II is Ger
tainly one which would afford all the
Of travel enjoyed by the
average tourist, and effective assistance
to the planter at this critical time Of the
year would accomplish much toward
solving the labor problem, and render
ing the cultivation Of the soil certain
road TO wealth."
Daniel w. Voorhees, Is to lecture on