Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1878-05-16
Tile Cost of Gceson Culturc.

Onc good. active hanl can culture II acres
| in cotton Or 25 acres in corn, which may Le
| increased or diminished according to the
character Of tho soil. The length of'timc
required will lie about IL months for the
cotton, and months for the corn. Puttin.
$500 with ra.ions say3. lbs. Of bacon pcr
week and one peck Of meal, say 500, feed Of
the mule to plough at $40 and tho smith bill
ut 50, would make the whole cost Of cultiyat,
ing IL acres in cotton Sl53 If these IL
acres would yield only 400 pounds Of seed
cotton per acre, then the amount made would
be 500 in seed, or l,GO0 in lint. So the
expense ofmaking 600 Of lint will be $l53,
which, at S02 per hundred pounds. would
simply cover tho cost. But if the land should
make 600 pounds per acre, then the whole
yield would be 10000 lbs. in seed or 1000
pounds in lint, but as tho one hand conld not
pick over half tho crop, the cost Of picking
the balance, G,000 pnunds, would bO about
S27, making the cost $50, which. at d. per
hundred, will cover the amount, $3.50. So il
is evident expenses Of making 100 pounds
cannot be uniform rs to tho cost The
richer tho lands tho greater will be tho
for if only 200 pounds had been mado per
acre, then tho expenses would have run ur TO
$40, and ii the yield had bcen 1000 pounds,
tho cost would hayo been $3.50 rcr 100
pounds, tho cost Of the hired hand and the
feed of tho mule being the samo in both
cases. This plan ofcsimating tho cost will
hold in making corn, though less than that OF
cotton, rs the time Of working and gathering
the crop need not be oyc: months, instead
6 II.
From this vicw Of the subject, it is evident
there are bat fc% pursuits yielding such
heavy profits on the capital invested as n
well managed farm Oh productive lands In
the ono case, tho cotton at $03 just covers its
productive cost, leaving nothing to the owner
while in The other, tho 1000 pounds at 81
will bring $3.50, leaving q clear profit Of 5000,
which Is sixteen dollars and half per acrc
Hence, the answer rs to tho cost cannot bo
correctly mado, without taking into considc
Grafton the prodnctvcness Of tho soil, as we'll
rs the price of the hired labor. The expense
Of production is rarely ever looked to by
planters.
When farmor, at the end Of the year,
settles bis store account, pays his smith bill,
With that of his teacher, doctor and preacher,
which tax is generally in the rear, and ifany
thing 10 left from tho amount realized from
the sale Of his produce. that amount is called
tho profit; if it falls short, thon he has
made nothing. That is not correct estimate
of results, for the bills have no connection
with the cost Of planting, except tho smith
u
or$lOO00, wanting to ascertain tho result
OF tho years operation, takes an inventory of
tho unsold stock, tho amount of available
accounts, with the money on hand, after pay
ing lis store rent, his clerk hro, interest paid
on borrowed money, and othcr expenses in.
cident to his business, but docs not inclalo
the czpcnse Of supporting his family, which
might, if cxtrnva9nnt. absorb all tho profits,
thonlslll it might be 80 or 40 per cent. on tho
capital. Thrc arc largo number Of farm
ers, whose real estate with all tho working
valued at moro than $4,000, yet by tn cir
profits realized have raised, clothed and cdur
Gated from to 10 children, which to do this,
must mako profit of 80 or so per cent. on
tho capital. Yet many will say wo are making
nothing, cell out, movo to town or somo
country depot and play the merchant, to their
regret and ruin, proving tho truth Of the
sa'irical saying of Horace, that every man
praises tho occupation Of others moro than
his own, because ho realizes tho troubles of
bis own, but is signorant of tho other. II. /.
acDo'ceI, IN Southern Home.
<au------.
Tho largo md distinguished family Of which
General Wade Hampton Is so brllian! member
furnished 200 men to tho Confederate army.
Among them may bo named General Joseph il.
Johnston, Albert Sidney Johnston, Edward
johnston, D. ID. Ployd, JolIh " DfcckenrluBo,
John s. and William Preston, Of Virginia, with
Colonel II. Il. Preston, of tho same State. No
less than five Governors Of Virginia wcro Of
this famiy-Goyernors Mcdowell, Campbell,
James Preston and the two Floyds; ex.Govcrnors
Jacobs, of Kentucky, Gratz Brown, of Mis-.
souri,, and Weller, of California. Hons. Patrick
Henry, Thomas II. Benton, W. C.. Preston and
Ballard Preston were of them, with Professors
Holmes and Venabos, OF the University of Yr-
ginia, w. p. Johnston, Of Washington and Lee
University, and General II. J.. Gibson, member
Of Congress from Louisiana. Many mon who
wero distinguished both in tho civil and military
lifo Of The North during the war wcro a!so