The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-05-15
THE COTTON CROP.
It's Beauty, Value and influence in the
Land Of Dixie.
Especial Correspondence


ATLANTA, May 1O.-The cotton crop is
PLANTED" All over the bright sunny land
of Dixie the plant that pours millions OF
dollars from Europe into America every
year is bursting through the soft loamy
soil in long throws Of pale sea green.
Millions Of freemeu, white and colored,
have been busy at work in the fields from
Jan / preparing the land for the recep-
ton Of the precious seed. They will be
buster still blowing, chopping and thin
ming from now until the middle Of Sep
TENDER
While putting in this crop these southern
men, white and black, are working more
wisely than they know Albeit the school
master is among them, teaching them by
degrees 10 become students of the whole
industrial world and to look beyond the
farm and plantation for their inspirations,
with the hope of ere long sharing in
greater degree the prosperity Of the most
progressive section of the country. Slowly
but surely they will discover that Now
they are unconsciously, while making the
cotton crops" raising a much more valu-
able crop of men and women for their
native land, bringing up boys and girls
who will yet make their mark on the des-
TIMES of this continent.
These are the thoughts that occupy the
thinking man as he contemplates the broad
acres of this beautiful section Of our
country and studies its people and their in
dustries
'Do You find that school education has
impaired the usefulness of the negroes rs
field hands," / asked an aged white man
planter who made last year hundred
balls of cotton on the COOsa river bottom
lands.
"Not at all" was the prompt answer
'Fducation never injured anybody yet.
They work better for IT,"
1T requires more concentrated effort,
more continuous labor, 10 make a cotton
crop than any other. The work is begun
in January by clearing the land Of all the
weeds of the previous year. In February
the plows are run through thelight loans,
throwing up the beds, which are opened
again by the plows in March and April to
receive the seed As soon as it is up
the plOws run through the rows again,
throwing the soil from the young plants
The hoes follow quickly, chopping it into
hills, in which only two or three plants are
left Icing "thinned out" with the fingers
Again the plows throw up the soil against
these hills or plants, and to keep them free
from grass, weeds, purslane and morning
glories The hoes are kept constantly chop
ping until the crop is laid by some time in
September.
Then the picking" begins, which is
kept MP until the next January. Thou
sands of women, boys and girls are in the
fields during the picking season. They go
out in gangs from the towns and villages,
starting in the early dawn in the planta-
ton wagons which the planters send in for
them.
From the month of June, when the en-
srald green, deltoid leaves of the young
cotton plant wave in the breeze, and all
through the bright, golden days Of the
southern summer, when it faunts its
wealth of pale yellow, rosy red and royal
purple flowers in the sunshine, and in Sep
TENDER 10 minQle these floral first cousins
Of the marshmallow with the snowy fleece
OF the opening bolls, it is a beauty and a
Joy never 10 be forgotten by those who
have seen IT, Then during the last three
months of the year it is scarcely less beau
tiful with it's snowy feeces inviting the
fingers of the busy pickers and the pen
oil Of the artist 10 reap harvest from its
glory.
The increase in the production Of this
great staple since free labor has been sub
stituted for that OF slaves is phenomenal.
Last year the total number Of bales sent
from tho fields TO the markets reached the
unprecedented figure of s,652,5 79 the value
of which was S429 10, S73. Two-thirds OF
this crop was sent 70 Europe, the balance
fed our own cotton mills, the largest guam
titv going of course TO New England. 1t is
safe to say that over $500, 900, 900 of Euro
pean money was paid TO America for her
part of the cotton crop of 1901 The In
mans say that the crop for the year ending
September. 1892, will probably amount TO
100000 bales.
The bulk Of this crop is made In the
black belt, rs it is called, because popu-
lated mostly by negroes. They own com
Daratiyely little OF the land. Most Of the
Great plantations are held by the children
of the former proprietors, but many north
ern and northwestern men also own large
plantations. One man in Mississippi
could not learn his name-plants 10000
acres every year in cotton. These acres are
worked. rs all the large plantations are, by
colored people who are paid a percentage on
,ba cron or in wages. just as they choose.
l.. V. BATTEY.