The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1879-11-26
THE M0RRIST0WN GAZETTE.
SOUTHERN FARM AND HONE.
Cotton Culture by northern Methods


some men from Kansas had made de
cided sensation IN the locality where
they had settled by their mode of rails
ing corn and cotton. | therefore visited
Major Young, near Columbus, Miss, to
get some points. The plantations Of
these Kansasians joins that of this gentle
man. The former are under his control
and that Of an associate. With great
liberality, Major Young has leased them
% acres for year, free of rent He
then rented them a number of acres
each, at the usual rent of such land
81 per acre, per annum. There are three
men, father, son and son-in-laW. The
father and sOn-in-laW have their wives
with them.
This year the son-in-law, Mr.. Evans, not
wishing to over-crop himself planted %
acres in corn, Is acres in cotton, and 81
acres Of oats. The usual plant Of a
corn, and they do not half till that He
planted his corn IN the latter part of
March. He began to plant cotton April
Nth. He was very late, starting disad-
vantageously in not having quite the
implements he wanted, and in having q
very late and wet spring. He cultivated
his corn and cotton with walking cult
vatOrs, and left the ground nearly level.
There was very severe drOuth, and he
made a bad mistake once in cultiyating
his corn too dCep-cutting of, the roots
next the side where he last worked it. !
heard several planters say that, at one
time, his corn was the most beautiful
looking crop they had ever seen; but the
six weeks drouth, and particularly the
fast working, injured it fearfully.
BY starting so late with his cotton, he
was injured greatly by the boll-worm,
and by the very wet August. He and
his father told me that each expect
ed to make about Il thousand dollars
clean money. They figured about this
way:
Twelve bales of cotton at $40 per bale,
$3.50; l POO bushels Of corn, at soc per
bushel, $500, and 250 bushels Of oats at
soc, Sl25, making a total of 81 20j.
Nothing is allowed for poultry, butter,
hogs, etc. The actual result will be
about as follows: Nine bales of cotton,
at $40 per bale 1850; 800 bushels Of corn,
1T SOC per bushel, $3.50, and $50 bushels
of oats at soc, so, making the total
S735. He had paid Sl5 for All work up
to October 9th; but as ne has worked
s )me outside, he will probably come out
about even. He says he sees his mistake,
and by another year, under the same con
ditiOns, could excel this years crops
But as he may not in a life time have
such a long dry spell, and need not start
50 late, he viii have far better chances.
He is greatly pleased and proposes to have
for next years crop 90 acres-38 acres in
cotton and y in corn. He says that he
can attend il. He intends to plant in
checks, and expects to raise a bale to an
acre. hope ne may but it looks too
However, one gentleman near
Miss, has raised from ? to . |
bales per acre by planting in checks, Dig |
ging holes and fertiliZing well, and Diling |
the clay about the base Of the stalk SO as
to keep down the grass. If Mr.. Evans |
should raise bale to the acre he viii get
a good deal of money.
His father-in-iaw, Mr.. Kilmer, had is |
acres of cotton, 22l Of corn and 3 Of oats. |
He and his young son titled these. The
father is considerably past hard work. |
They paid So for work. They Will make !
about the same crop rs the first men
toned gentleman I nearly forgot to
say that when their cotton was lust
fairly up they dragged it across the !
rows, much to the establishment of one |
planter, who said they would ruin it.
But this narrowing, almost every one
says, was beneficial as it made the |
earth very mellow for the tender roots |
Of the young cotton. These men pillow |
with big plow-I forget their favorite |
and use riding plows and walking Gull |
tivators These are being introduced
into the neighborhood where they live
and many people are watching them and
propose to initiate them. Indeed, | verify
believe that [ see the unmistakable signs
OF revolution in that cotton culture
Many people have been to see their work.
They all admire it; say it was never
equaled, and that they intend to initiate
it. Several, years ago, the late DIR. NJ.
l.. Dunlap of the Chicago Weekly Tri-
bune, when on a visit here, tOldme that
he thought level culture Of cotton, with
the Cultlyators in vogue in the prairies
west, would be better than the Southern
style. The work of these Kansas men is
a verifcation of his judgment.
Finding that they were 50 well pleased
in every way, | wanted to learn what
they thought of the country and what
aspects most struck them The old gen
tleman was a rapid and good talker, and
l had to take my notes very roughly,
but here are the most salient contrasts:
He likes the climate and soil better than
any country he has ever seen thinks il
a fine country for grass. rowing and
raising stock; thinks it a better corn
country than any other, and the corn is
better iii quality; thinks it better for
oats than any state except New York. /
told him that there had been over 100
bushels raised to the acre in Mississippi,
which rather staggered him. He thinks
1T delightful for breezes, and not as hot
as in more northern states likes the
nights in summer; climate all right no
insect pests except the boll-worm; no
hOuse-ilies here compared to the north:
hardly any mosquitoes here no feas no
flies to trouble stock no nets needed for
horses never has seen a fly vet on cow
when milking her thinks he can make
more off 10 acres here than so elsewhere
had had one chill; all the rest of the
family have been perfectly healthy
(He had many chills in the northwest
These, in a rough way, give his i'm
pressions, and are of interest to me par
as corroborative of what have
said about the country as to health, fer
tility of SOIL exemption from insects,
etc, in my letters and talks. These men
are delighted with their experience; with
the climate, soil and people. Seeing
they were so p easantly impressed with
everything, | told them they had better
go over to Starkville; so they, with the
Messrs. Young, went over, and saw grass
to their hearts content at the jersey
stock farm of Col. w B. Montgomery;
and now they add to their other favora-
bic impressions, that grass and thorough
bred stock can be raised.
| am looking to see good many poor
but industrious men come down and fol-
low the example of these Kansas emf
grants. I have not before advocated cot
ton-raising, but when it is such a success
as above, let Us have down here the DO e