The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1881-08-21

THE DROUGHT AND A BOON IN TOBACCO-A
TALK ABOUT COTTON AND THE CULTURE OF
1T IN THE BORDER CORRESPONDING
ABOUT SOUTH BOSTON AND THE CARING
Toys-AN OLD sTORY-BsRNETT's POND
POLITICAL ITEMS.
Correspondence Of the Richmond Dispatchl
AUGUST 20, 1881.
Dry in this county, dry in Halifax county,
yery div on the South Dan part OF Hall
fax. very dry In Person county aud the ad-
Joining counties OF North Carolina, very
dry in ali this tobacco region and all the
adjoining cotton region. No wonder to-
bacco has gone booming and cotton is look
Ing up. And in short time 1t VIII come
to pass that fortunes are made or lost III
week.
In Person county day or two ago met
with well informed gentlemen from several
paris Of North Carolina, who assured me
that the cotton crop Of that State was cut
short by about one third. In speaking OF
the cotton crop these gentlemen (of whom
Professors Mills and Taylor, OF Wake For
ct College, were OF the number,) say that
we, of the border counties Of Virginia,
would do better TO give UP to great ex-
tent the culture Of tobacco aud try cotton.
| found that some parties had already begun
cess, DR.. J. w. Craddock, OF Black WAL
nut, Halifax county, has five acres in cot
ton /; Captain w. S. Belts, II the same neigh.
borhood, has twenty acres. DR.. Grad
dock and Captain Belts were really
" snthused" upon the subject, and
Professor Mills, although he was then
In attendance upon one OF those
aforesaid associations, found 1t pleasant
then and there TO form a pro tempore agrl-
cultural club and talk cotton. Wake county
1.-THE county In which Raleigh Is situated) is
reported TO have produced in 1880, In bales
OF 450 pounds each, 10, AL bales. Last year
abe produced 80, 600 bags (baIes), the average
value OF which, at ten cents per pound, was
S45, and the aggregate value g, 100000.
ais that better than tobacco 2" inquired
some one. In reply be brought out slip
| from the Dispatch, on which was an ex-
hibit Of the Danyille tobacco figures, and
| from this it appeared that the value OF all
the tobacco sold in Dauyille in one year
wes greater by ouly one third than the value
Of the cotton made in Wake county. "What
Is the yield per acre ?" 1t takes one
acre and seven eighths TO make one bale"
lis the cotton fertilizer as costly as the 10.
bac0o fertilzerY" Not so costly" Z" In
What condition . does the cotton leave
your lands ~ cit Is not 50 ex.
hsusliye as tobacco" Aud then Professor
Taylor put in The remark, "Wby don't
these people use the hillside trench, and
thus protect their lands from washing
Our lands, that were Just as rough as these,
have in this way been saved from ruin, and
are now In a fine state OF Improvement
| Question from several: " What is the value
| OF your cotton landss ?" Both: "They
range from S15 per acre TO S45." Question
| from several Aud 10 you really believe,
climate as well as soil considered, that cot
tor would be profitable crop for the PEG.
pie OF the border counties Of Virginia "
| Both: 81 We have not the slightest doubt OF
II, and you Ireierring TO the writer should
tell the people about Ii when you go home"
After this CLUB was dissolved ! went to
hunting up points on the subject. In
Hartford county "a bales we're obtained
| from 20 acres. Ia HarDelt county 1920
pounds u seed cotton were made from one
acre Of improved land. In Lenoir county
30 bales were gathered from SO acres OF
land on which no manure was used. In
Mecklenbuig county 5000 pounds Of seed.
cotton were obtained from o fcres OF one
| farm; 1000 per acre from 20 acres OF
another; 10 bales from 20 OF another %
bales OF 400 pounds each on IL acres 81
another. One farmer In Halifax county
IN. CT made 20 bales OF 40 pounds each from
Is scres another In the same county made
from a large aeFcage-an average OF from
!, ooe 70 1850 pounds q seduction per