The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1896-10-28
Cotton Seeds Worth Many.
Thousand Dollars.

South Georgia Planters Seek
to Exterminate a Marvel
Gus African Cotton Plant
If an imaginative novelist, 10 writing
a romance Of unknown Africa. should
year ago have incorporated in bis story
the statement that cotton grew there to
height of twenty feet and that 'aere
was from four to six pounds of the
aeecy staple to each stalk, the entire
South would have risen up aud called
him the .omapcer of the age. bat now
they are quite willing to accept almost
any cotton story that can be told. And
thereby hangs tale.
A cotton planter BY the name of
Jackson. living just outside Of Atlanta.
Ga. was introduced to ao African ex-
.plorer little over two years ago. The
| returned traveller told Rim of .he euor-
NOUS height to which cotton grew 10
Central Africa. Il reached as high as
twenty feet, aud the stalks were pecu-
liar 10 that they we're bare Of leaves
when the mstured cotton was ready for
gathering. It differed from the ordi-
nary cotton plan: also in the fac. that
it did not require as good land as its
civilized prototype. but would grow 10
the NEST barren regions and give an
enormous crop. Before parting he
gave Jackson some seeds of the Afri
can product which be bad brought With
him.
That was two years ago Last week
a committee representing the planters
of South Georgia called ou Jackson
prepared to offer him $18. 900 for the
twenty bushels of seed Of the new cot
ton which be has as the result of the
seasons crop And the peculiar
par. of the story is that they
did not want the seed for planting pur-
poses, but if the purchase could be
oonsammated they intended burning
every seed.
What elapsed in the course Of the
two years does not seem remarkable it
is the beginning and the resul: that is
startling Jackson believed the trav.
eler's tale and planted the seed The
first crop was small, but it more than
fulfilled his aoticipatious He carefully
treasured the seed from the crop, and
last year planted it on the west hills of
his plantations. As every one familiar
With cottoc culture knows. this part Of
the land is the poorest in the world for
raising the staple. and unless it is very
heavily fereilizsd an attempt to raise
anything there is time and money use
lessly expended. But jackson wanted
to give it the severess possible test. so
be planted the crop on the west bills OF
his lands and did not add a pound Of
fertilizer to enrich the earth. Tae re-
suit vas marvellous. SINE of the
stalks grew to seven feet, aod the aver
age height Of al f,them was very
close to that figure The number of
bolls on the stalks we're in proportion
to the other s:upendous measurements
As high as twenty bolls to single
stalk were counted On the ordinary
cotton stalk four bolls is considered
good yield The product CT .ae Afri-
cau seed is equal to the b5st grade of
the staple known. jackson has been
offered ten cents a poucd for his en-
tire crop of the ew cotton, but be is
holding it for rise. Que of the pc.
cuiarities of this cotton is the fact that
the stalks are leahess. When the stalk
grows % leaves begin to sprout oo it,
aud after they have grown out for some
distance the fruit comes out from the
stem of the leaf. After the fruit has
partially matured the leaves drop of,
eaviug the stalk perfectly barren ex-
cept the bells aod bursting fruit
The news Of Jackson's 6nd soon be-
came noised about. and letters asking
what Price the seed could be purchased
for began to pour in Tie New Or
leans Cotton Exchange wired jackson
that they would take bis entire lot of
seed at his own price He sent them
sample stalk and fixed hia price at
| $500 per bushel. He has about
twenty bushels, and the South Georgia
farmers went the New Orleans Ex-
change one better and offered $4,000
for the entire lot. They claim that un
less it is destroyed cotton will soon be-
come drug 90 the market aud ou ac-
couut of overpyoduction they will not
be able to make living Jackson
does not feel inclioed to sell the seed to
be destroyed. He argues that if the
farmers will plant it they will be able
to raise larger crops on less ground,
and the omission of fertilizers will be a
big saving in the seasons expenses
Again, it can be planted on the poor
e -.o,od md n %