The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-03-30


A HoPERUL VIEW OF COTTON. =
How Money Can Be Made at Epen 81 Cent
a Pound, 9ys Raising Your Oyr Graz
. und Iaooisions.i q s,sssy ~ y. ~
Thelast number of the Financial iChroni
Gle, under date of March II, contains th,
following interesting article on the "Cos
of Cotton Production y '',-'' a.''''
"Facts bearing upon the industrial con
dition of the South have an increased inter
est, since it has become apparent that oul
= Government is to leave the cotton States
for the future, free to regulate their own
affairs. This, for obvious reasons, was nec-
essalily condition precedent to any gene
ral prosperity in that section. Until, in
fact, this freedom everywhere exists, and is
used and not abused, large party in the
Nosth will bslisse the South. anly deair.a it,
sstbat it may iII-treat its labor c,&s .sevoiu-
tionize governments, and live in anarchy
Capital cannot freely flow South until, by
experiment it is proved that no such dis
position exists-that life, property, individ-
ual rights, and liberty of opinion even, are
just as sacred there as 10 the North. To
our own satisfaction this has been already
proved; but it cannot be denied that doubt
with regard to it widely PREVAILS the result
of causes We need net dwell upon) which
nothing but the experiment will remove.
We hail, therefore, as the most promising
Indication of the times, the disposition our
government is showing to interfere no longer
in the affairs of any State. Z. s.. asr'. .... ID.
At the present moment, -also, every con-
dition in the South appears to be favorable
for its growth and development. In an arti-
ole on cotton manufactures (Chronicle,
February 24), We stated facts which showed
the Important position that section holds on
that question. But our object at this time
was to speak especially of the planting in
terest which has grown into a new life of
late years. The wasteful system Of the past,
had become almost proverbial. With cot
ton at 30 cents a pound, the general res
ponse was, there was no money in it and,
when it had fallen to 20 cents, tho absolute bsssf}dte
bankruptcy of the whole p,hiarnnfting interest
ras' of course, t.s,oxpected result. And to
many these descending prices have proved
very dl'astESus. In fact, it is through these
disasters and tho enforced economy since
tS75 tut better basis has been reached.
With the exception of a class of farmers,
which have settled in the northern portion
of the South Atlantic States, very few plan
ters have made money until within the last
two years. But the turning point has real
ly come, and the result Of the last cotton
crop is less debt than ever before. In fact,
the year has proved that cotton can be rails
cd pro6tably in the Southern States at pres
ent prices.
In proof Of this last statement, cne illus
tration is as good as Thousand. A friend
who has a plantation in south western Geor-
gia gives us the result of his years work.
He does not live on or near his plantation,
but runs it with an overseer; of course a
very expensive and prodigal way. What
New England farm would pay expenses
were the owner to live in Boston and let
his labor work it? Our Georgia friend
says that the total cotton crop he raised the
past season was 163 bales, weighing when
sold S2,175 pounds He sold early in the
season, and therefore did not get by 14c 99
ID what he could have realized later. But
after paying all the expenses Of sale, COM
missions, etc., the net proceeds of his crop
were S7,S29.50, or about 94c per pound
The total cash expenses for the year, of
every kind and description, including taxes,
five hundred dollars for overseer's wages,
labor, &C., amounted to S5,113. TO this
should be added ten per cent. on $4,000,
the value. 6f ttst"tnules employed on the
plantation-as experience shows that per
centage about covers the wear-mf ing the
total cost of the crop s5,313. This divided
by pounds sold gives 6GOc. as the actual
cost of the cotton per pound, leaving the
net profit 2-9Oc per pound, or total profit
$3.50 so. Had the crop been sold later,
bo rroEt youIJ hoyo boan obont 000