The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-07-14
Tobacco Culture IN Upper South Car
OlIna.

Max well, on his plantation; 0ii '';iiio
Creek in Pickcns county, near Ocouec
county. The failures in consequence Of
tho recent war, as well as the revenue
troubles, stopped his operations i'll this
line, and the factory liza, long since been
/ destroyed We think Mai Maxwell
now residing in icndlc,onJ the best an-
thority in experience in the culture Of
| tobacco in upper South Carolina. and
would bn glad 10 hear from him on tie
| subject. being IL near ucighbor 10 the
Majo at that tirn", was induced 20 culti-
vutc the weed in a small way, and in tho
| meantime watched very closely his su-
| pcrintendcnt's, Mr. ID Lester, "a Vir-
GINA tobaccOnistj manner III dealing
| with and ciiltivating the crop, De. This
experience, added To what | have since
seen and closely observed in North Car
| Olina, Virginia and many Of the more
| Northern States, makes me think know
| something about the culture of tDhacco
| That tobacco Is "A crop that can be sue
| ccssfully AMI prOii'ably grown in upper
| south Carolina is no question to-day.
| Mr.. Mnxwc!Is tobaccO Was sought after
III preference 10 the bc~L brands then in
| the market III hiscommunity. lie grew
| several varieties, including the fine
| Spanish sc1ar and smoking tobacco ~
! well as tho chewing varieties Tobacco
| ~ also II very profitable crop III the more
mountainous and colder regions Of our
state. n well a. to cultivate on now
ground, that have Just been cleared In
| the latter case tobarro il the only paving
crop that can lr grown. Tobacco is the
| only thing That We can mend the missing
| nils III our cotton rows with, the shape
| or the bulk Of the stalks being similar to
| those Of cotton and by setting out to-
bacco plants in The missing hill, in our
| cotton fields, any farmer could make
| enough tobacco for his own use and in
| many instances have considerable
| amount for sale nj Il very trifling cost, IA
IT. costs no more t. cultivate the cotton
| With fell row than TO cultivate it with
. the missing hills While ii ~ truc that
| tobacco is II very profitable crop when
properly managed, should hc rather
| slow in advising the farmers OF Anderson
| to abandon cotton for tobacco TO any con
| siderable extent in order to diversity
| their crops. The reasons are as follows ::
First. Iihcr" is considerable art in curing
| and handling tobacco that can only he
| learned by experience. Second. In order
| To cure large crop of tobacco, it is ncccs-
| sary to have Il barn built for tho purpose.
| Third. There is not enough difference in
thc Two crops Ill favor OF the tobacco to
justify tho necessary expense Of barns
| and skilled hands IL show us how 10
manage the tobacco crop. Fourth. II
does not give relief from that injudici0us
practice Of continued cicun culture of
hocd crops that causes our cotton lands to
waste and wash so badly that wc can see
on every sidc. Fifth. Tobacco is a strong
feeder, and cXhaustS tho land more rap
idly than cotton. The proof of this ex-
| liaiisting power is that there is thousands
OF tracts of barren lands in Northern
North Carolina and middle Virginia that
Dear witness to that effect. | have seen
hundreds of aclcs of beautiful lying cot
ton lands in one body in Virginia which,
was told by their owners, used to be
very fertile, but now they would scarcely
phy FOR cilltivating them, and the greater
portion OF them were thrown out This
| condition Of their lands, they say, was
brought about by the continuous cult
VntioE of tobacco. The proof Of this YOU
may ace in the number of old tlilapidated
tobacco barns to be found on all sides.
TO look ut these dilapidatcd tobacco barns
anu the beautiful lying, once fertile, but
now barren. lands before you, and to
think that man has chcwcd and spit out
upon the ground in waste, burnt and
pulled out upon the air in wastc-in the
way OF luNury-the fertility OF these
bca'itilul lands is enough to make one
shuddcr and wish he had never indulged
in the weod However,, man will Iso the
weed, anu will have ii at almost any
price or sacrifice. l predict for Bun
combc, y. c., the same condition rs that
OF Northern North Carolina and middle
Nirginin, if they persist as they are in tho
continuous cultivation OF clean crops in
tobacco. The cry of these farmers who
own these barren tracts of land in North
Carolina and Virginia to-day is not
whetlnr tobacco is a nloncycd or seem
inBly paying crop or not, but 1t is II sim
liar cry to that Of the owners of the barren
lands of South Carolina, viz: What
shall We do 10 renOvatc our worn out
lands = The only difference in the two
States is that Virginia has ruined her
lands ny tho continuous culture of to-
bacco without y proper rotation, and
South Carolina has ruined, and il still
running, her land by the continuous cml-
tivation Of cotton and other hocd crops
without tho proper rotation.
Tnking this view of tho subject, |
would suggest that tobacco is rot tho
crop TO introduce in any considerable cx-
tont in order to diversity our crops and
bring in money in the Spring and sum
iner, Sc., but the crops that will bring in
money ut the above stated times, and, mt
the saino time, improve our lands, are the
small grains, grasses and stock raising
and their sources, such rs wool. mutton,
butter, mich cows, beeves, hay, &c
know of some farmers in this county
whose income from tho above source il
much larger than their cotton crop.
which insures that the lands are all tho
time improving from the manure from
III small grain and tho grasses. We hear
great deal about tho prosperity and
good farming of the New England as
well as n number of the Northern States
a trip through these States will show to
the Iioso observer that tho secret of their
success and Improvement does not lie in
continuous clean culture of the ono crop,
aS Is our practice, but it is in the Judi
couS diversifyinE of their crops, in
which the grasses take prominent part.
on will FIND the Rbominablo "dry land
llitches' noticeablv absent, not because
they would not be of use if they done ns
wo uo-continuc ycnr after year in tho
hocd crops, which makes our land so
opon and loose that oven our bcs. modo
of ''guard drains" cannot keep them
from washing-but 1hc small fbros or
the small grain and grass crops keeps
thcm differently loose and porous, aud at
the same timo keeps them from washing,
and tho shade that tho land gets in these
rotations is very beneficial to the soil.
In conclusion, would say to tho far
mers of Anderson that you have rs good
q country as that of New England. and
that there is no good reason why our
farms should not bc as rich and produc-
tiy @ and profitable to us MS theirs are
am very sure If wc would do ns thoy do
practice less of the ''skinning farming
and rotate our crops-ail would improve
and when we have done our full duty i'm
Wis iiiO tiiN ohi iltDlc tcIlli III ONCE nS n
farmer has expired, we can console our
selves with the good conscience of know
ing that tho ''world is better of by our
having lived In it, j. G. S.
There were about 500 delegates to
the international Sunday School Cen.
vcntion, held last week ut Toronto, Can
ada. The United States was we'll repre-
sentcd, and delegates were present from
Kentucky, Georgia. North Carolina, Mis-
sissippi, South Carolina, West Virginia
and Virginia. Gov. Colquitt, OF Georgia,
who presided at the last Convention, was
present with large party. and made n