The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1902-03-13
LETTER FROM GEORGIA.
T Correspondence of The Journal.

we will speak briefly of the cotton crop,
the State of Georgia ranking second IN
the United States in the product OF that
article. 1t is the great money crop OF
the south. In the coming month OF
March the cotton planter begins his
labors, and it may be interesting to fol
low the growth of the cotton plant. The
large tracts of land have been cut of
their timber, the stumpage removed
and the ground ploughed and narrowed
until it is in a very inviting condition
With plows the workmen break up the
ground into rows, from three to three
and half feet apart, and are followed
soon after by the cotton planter and
fertilizer, which is a patented machine
of many makes. With few exceptions
the distribution of the guano and cot
ton seed is entirely by machine and the
planting of a large tract is quickly done.
AS soon as the phosphate and seed have
been distributed in the long burrows,
the earth is turned back lightly and the
seed left to the care of the warm earth
and rains which do so much to regulate
the size of the crop. After a short
period the cotton makes 1t appearance,
when it is culled out with hoe, only
two or three stalks being left III the
drill some two feet or more apart. The
plants are then barred off F" in the
stiff lands" which is done by the use
of a pillow passing along beside the cot
ton plant and removing some of the
dirt from the plant: while i'll the sandy
lands they are sided up, the earth
being crowded up around the roots of
the plant The crew of planters work
over these plants twice during the sea
son blowing ont the sweeps three times.
The last blowing is done in August,
when the cotton bolls begin to open
and the cotton from then on is ready
for picking. The picking usually re-
quireS several weeks, according to the
rapidty of the opening bolls, but with
the usual planting, which occurs III the
last of March or the first of April, Au
Gust and September see the gathering
of the crop. The cotton grows ON a
bush from twenty inches to four feet III
height. according to surrounding condi-
tions. the plant having a stalky appear
ance with small leaves.
Nearly all cotton pickers are negroes
and they earn on an average fifty cents
per hundred weight Of the cotton when |
picked with seed In the seed cotton |
there is about thirty-three pounds of |
lint to each hundred, after the ginning.
The picking is a most interesting sight.
Georgia s total cotton acreage is some
thing over ,2S7, al acres. The aver
age yield to the acre is some 600 pounds
Of seed cotton. Experiments have
been tried in this State by the Govern
ment in the raising of Egyptian cotton,
with good success but it requires more
labor than the common cotton Of the
south. The great waste of the fertility
VI the southern soil in the raising of the
cotton plant is due to the fact that after
5he cotton has been picked the plant
lies and Withers up and the land is left
oare to be washed and leached by Win
.er rains. which withdraw some of its
)est elements. The sale of lint is not
.he only profit derived from the cotton
;rop, but various uses are made of the
seed, for food for stock, for Oil, and for
tertilizer The cotton leaf when on the
green stalk is about the size of large
land six or seven inches III length, and
very soft, much like the mullen leaf III
,oftness, but smooth and i'll shape re-
,embling the maple leaf. y peculiar
feature about the cotton blossom is that
With its opening in the morning, 1t is
beautiful white, turning to pink at noon
lime and becoming very red with the
setting of the sun The following day
he blossom has withered and fallen
rom the plant, having had but one day
If life. On an average OF six weeks
following the falling of the blossom,
5he cotton boil is ready for picking.
One day recently our party were led
10 a negro burying ground, OF colored
cemetery, for the lines here are drawn,
even in the burying Of the dead; and a
most interesting sight was presented to
The eye of the northerner. Very few
Of the graves are marked with head
stones. Some have wooden slabs, but
the majority no marking at all. A
great fad prevails of decorating the
graves with bits of crockery-Mare and |
on some of the graves were found the
greatest imaginable collection of old |
earthware pitchers, broken tea-pots,
toothpick holders, colored glasses, plates, |
and anything of that nature having d |
bright appearance Many of the graves
have decorations of oyster shells, and !
some few were completely covered with !
bits of decoration collected from the |
hotel dump.
Goats are very numerous here. lhey
practically live on nothing and give good
returns in milk to their owners. Some
very good stock farms are to be found
IN, tbo yinjpity Of Thpmn SVj llp and some