The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-04-29
Improved Cotton Culture.

\
TEN of cotton culture to make cotton an
eminent success 10 che American CG:son
Statos-it must come. In the dsys oi
siaverY the old svstem worked we'll
| enough, perhaps, but those days are OF
tho past-the days Of the present are
something entirely different, 80 far as re-
iatos TO labor at least.
The improved system must consist of
better culture, greater economy In agri-
cultural processes, q general practice OF
enriching lands by the application Of sa..
tilizing agents, the introduction Of labor
saving implements, and thorough adam.
tation to the changed condition Of affairs
generally. He believes this new system
Is coming; slowly, as mist be admitted.
.ut surely. Already il is beginning 20
show itself here and there at isolated
points, where it is yielding valuable
fruits. The planters are becoming
reused to the necessities of the case, aud
already O largo proportion of them have
taken at least one stop In tho right direc.
tion--they are using Fertilizers and the
comparative value Of these, with mode of
application, and results upon different
soils, are more eagerly canvassed than
ever before. It is but fair TO eny that
pecuniary inability has proved n bar to
improvement dictated by the deliberate
Judgment Of many planters.
This writer also refers TO the efforts of
Mr. David Dickson, of Georgia, as an
illustration of what may be done by q
system Of improved cotton culture. He
ssys Mr. Dickson has produced tho most
successful results in growing corn, cotton,
oats, potatoes. &C., on @ larger scale for.
sne last twenty years, Of any one in this
vicinity. He originated tho mode which
he has 80 successfully pursued and which
Is now generally followed. Il Is pecu.
liar only in the fact that he gives more
distance, both to corn and cotton. than
was formerly given; that he has used
more manures, ploughed deeper in the
preparation of tho ground, cultivated
shallower, and with moro care for the
young plant, especially, than our plant.
ers generally have done. It is but Just
to him TO add that these results we're ob,
tanned with more satisfaction to himself
and laborers than is often found on other
plantations. He uses Peruvian gueno,
bono dust, plaste: md salt, combined or
mixed, under his own watchful eye, with
such. domestic menures "a can be eco.
nomicaliy raised and applied.
Dir. Dickson pulverizes tho soil thor.
oughly in preparation for cotton, and
manures an acre (when expecting the
best results) with 160 pounds guano, 240
pounds dissolved bones, 100 pounds salt
and 100 pounds plaster, thoroughly
mixed, costing about SIC; the mixture,
deposited In an eight.iLch furrow, 10
covered with @ long scooter running
deeply on each side, leaving rich and
mellow seed-bed. He cultivates cleanly
with sweeps and uses tho hce once or
twice. His crops are remarkably reli.
able, the most destructive casualties caus.
ing only partial failures; and though he
often eufers from worms or drought, he
rarely gets less than bale per acre, and
oftener obtains nearly two.
Our writer goes on to state that large
results in cotton have undoubtedly beud
obtained from poor soils by liberal up.
Piication OF fertilizers. An instance Is
reported from Onsiow County, N. O., of
O product of 2,700 pounds of seed cotton.
or about 800 pounds of lint from one acre.
The cotton was cultivated in the usual
way, the land highly manured with a
compost manure containing large per-
centsge os stable manu7a. Other cases
arc reported from the "Old North State"
A. B. Davis, Of Carteret County. pro.
dnce6 from an acre Of land 1890 pounds
OF seed cotton, using for manure fish
only, which he caught himself. Calvin
Tucker, of Pitt County, also produced
from one acre $500 pounds Of seed cot
ton, using barnyard manure, shell lime
and. ieached ashes. J. r.. Penysop, of
Wayne County, produced from one acre
1900 pounds Of eeed cotton, using with
barnyard manure cotton seed and Beugh's
superphosphate of lime. Il. w. Pellet
tier, of Lenoir County, produced from
one acre 22,96l pounds of seed cotton.
The mode of cultivation in these cases
was not unusual, the increased Weld
being mainly due to the fertilizers used.
Ehe eeas0n was an unfhvOrable one, and
the yield would have been much larger
IN good season. Ingtances are given OF
similar increases of production In other
farm crops, as the cereals and roots.
The labor question is one still perpiex-
inr- the planter more CT iess-how ehall
ne employ his labor to make it work 60
the best advantage Of all concerned |?
We have before Us q report from Mr.. B.
r. Ward, of Georgia, on that subject,
which is worthy Of careful consideration.
He says:
'I began operations by hiring NY
!aborers (aIl negroes) at $;i20 year for
mon and $76 for women and bows. sup.
plying them with rationa, Some worked
as Weii as l wished; about one-third
would not WORK unless I was present, and
then not cheerfliiy or we'll. I lost nv
proviaions Of corn and meat, and Inade
about enough cotton to pay them their
wages in full. settled with them fair.
ly; ell egere satisfied, and wanted to s.ay
another year. They were allworked to.
gethas. eeleseeseeaa .0TT soT Iii The next crop
those with families who worked well. ana
turned of the drones. ] kept married
men altogether. had great many ap.
plications to hire, which gave mo choice
OF ine iaDorers around and u get IN many
~ wanted to work my land. I then
divided them into squads or families. or
les them ts- fe selections of their own co.
workers. measured off to each suuad a
portion of land, and gave mule to each
two workers. gave them one-half the
corn end fodder, peas, potatoes, sorghum,
melons, and half the dried peaches. and
oae.third OF the cotton. I fed the plough
stock, and they fed themselves and found
their own clothing. They went to work
very earnestly. The heads of SQUADS
wero good, practical farmers. had rent.
ed o yortion of the land to white labor.
~. and was coon enabled 10 get up a
god etate of excitement and ambition, to
exeoi in the quantity Of crops to be made.
The iiegtos worked well and made good
crops, Some made 300 or 4UO bushels OF
(, corn to. the hand, and some from thres 10
| Eve bales of cotton per capita, besides
large quantities Of potatoes, AMI about