The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1889-11-15

LlNT. st7l
SrARrASBuRa, November 3.---The progress
and inventive thought is noticeable among |
the farmers Of this county, who are as push |
ing and thoughtful as any in The agricultural
world. OF this class there is one who has |
recently created considerable comment by q |
discovery which, if effectively carried out,
will be one of the most valuable to the coun-
try ut large that has been made in the last
quarter of century. His name is Mr..
Todc Ferguson, a well-knOwn farmer of the
county. He has discovered-or perhaps in
vented would be- the better cxprcssion-a
new staple. 1t is, in n word, cotton seed
without the lint His process has been tested
and has been found satisfactory. 1t has
been manipulated by the deterioration of
the amount of lint to the multiplication of
the seed. This has been accomplished by
the gradual, careful and critical breeding of
the plant. l use the word breeding ad-
| yisedly.
The results obtained by Mr.. Ferguson
| have been through scientific breeding.
There arc male and female cotton plants
the male being designated, he thinks, by tire
| red stalks. The seeds are vari-colored, the
shades being generally blue, green and
| white, and of course cannot be distinctively
specified. Given this fact Mr.. Ferguson
GommrSsHai nSanis sons snd time ago to pick out the
nesm themplanted another patch separately.
When this crop was ready for picking the
male plants were again selected and their
production of seeds planted separately again.
This process of selecting male plants was
kept up until at last the lint refuses to ger
inmate and nothing is left in the bols save
large amount of seeds. The amount of
seed contained i'm the boil is more than equal
to the weight of the lint and seed found in
the average sized boil of cotton.
Mr.. Ferguson believes that he can produce
four hundred bushels of seed to the acre by
this new discovery where only thirty-fve
bushels are now gathered with the lint. He
has been very careful, in producing the re-
suits given above, to obliterate all vestiges of
lint from boil of cotton, and has succeeded
in most remarkable manner.
While coming here yesterday over the
Port Royal and Western Carolina Railroad
met Col. I. j. Moore, one of the distinguished
farmers of this section, and ut my request
he showed me boil with the seed. 1t has
the appearance, both on the exterior and in
the interior, of a regular boil of cotton after
the lint has been picked out The seed are a
little larger than the common cotton seed,
and are perfectly free from any scmblance
of lint. The bolls are filled with these seed,
which are as numerous rs Okra seed in n
pod Of okra. Ii is also valuable point in
this new discovery that the bolls grow in
greater profusion than usual.
Col. Moore prcfaced his exhibition of the
discovery by warning not to publish his name
in connection with this article, but the force
with which hc emphasized his belief in the
discovery made by Mr.. Ferguson induces me
to give him credit for this letter. lie said
that he had seen Ma. Ferguson's patch OF
cotton seed plants and could testify tC
. the genuincncss of the discovery. Mr.. Fer.
guson, it is understood, has unlimited faith in
his discovery and is still assured of still bet
ter results.
l examined the composition Of the seed
The hull contained II full amount of sub
stance exactly similar to that found in cot
, ton seed now used in the oil mills. II i,
thought that this new staple will pan out il
such manner by .judicious cultivation that
it will superccdc to great degree the pres
ent king. 1t will supply the demands for
,, the oil mills anl enrich the farmers. 1t will
if Mr.. Fergusons calculations are correct
, low makes only ffty-assuming that on,
eighty dollars will be obtained from fou
cents per bushei that Being the sG present 50 pric
| The new staple viii, therefore, net the farme,
u fifty dollars in clear money, if the cost o
production should even reach thirty dollars
The vast good that may result from Mr. Fer
guson's invention will be better imagined
!, than described The figures l have giver
! above are not my own, but were named Ia
me by prominent fsSmer, and arc giver
q here for all they may be worth.-E. p. Mex.
n Neps and Courier.