The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-03-01

in the yield of cotton per acre Al, os..
the South since 1880, although tbsr.
has been an increase in ACREAGE !,
tempts TO explain the fac 5 by s sav;n..
that. as the falling off is creatcs, Is
those portions of the country whors
cotton is cultivated almost exeIusiva,s
by negro labor. the dccrease ii dina =
negro stupidity and Negro laz;.ass
rather than to other causes. This :
an easy and natural explanation. ana
no doubt sufficient 10 account for
portion of The loss. but it is absurd -
put it forward as the solo reasoa t,.
the important decrease which Ia.
taken place. When it is renem.
bercd that the vast bulk of cotton cul.
tiva'ion is almost exclusively in fba
hands of negroes, and that eot,on
plantations. cultivated exclusively by
white labor are the exceptions and
rarely met with, the fact that the da-
creased yield is more apparent in the
"black belt" ceases to have anv ereat
significance. Intelligent and scieu.
tiEc farming will. of course, have Il.
feet in the cotton field as well as else
where, but this species of farming il
exactly what has never prevailed n
the cultivation of cotton.ss Old and
well-known paths have been followed
and the rules of successful cotton
growing have passed from father ia
son, year after year, with fewsor a,,v
modern scientific innovations, and the
planters generaldependence has been
in favorable seasons and the natural
richness of the soil.
Fertilizers and all foods for the soil.
so necessary in the cultivation ~
poorer and less fertile regions, have
never been in general use in The cot
ton fields, and constant draft on Inc
life blood of the soil has been made
for years without returning any thing
TO it capable of replenislIing orrenew.
ing its vigor. This exhausting system
has grown more marked of late years
since the value of cotton-seed was dIs-
| covered. and now it can be faithfully
said that when the cotton picker has
gathered his crop he has exacted to the
utmost limit all that his soil will
yield, and has returned ab-
solutely nothing to 1T The
great richness and productiveuess
of the Southern cotton plantations
have enabled them to withstand HE
ruinous effects of this system for
long time, and hence their destructive
tendencies have been slow In making
themselves felt, but that the limit Of
natures endurance has been reached
is shown by the Cotton World referred
to above. The average yield of cotton
has Increased since 1880, but the Id.
crease has come from new ground.
while the old fields have shown
gradual and steady falling Of There
is world of serious warning to the
| cultivation of cotton in these figures
and it is plain that the point
has been reached when radical
change must be made and prel,er
remedies applied. Cd. welI-bealen
paths which lead only to desolasibn
and sterllity must be abandoned and
newer and more healihfll mcthods
adopted. 1t is useless to point out
the good of diversity of crops. iof
the average cotton planter will never
listen to such proposition, but he
may perhaps be persuaded to aso
common sense and prudence, and
abandon system of soil-robbing
when he finds that he is in dangerol
losing his all by his ilnprovidencc.