Year: 1879

/ LETTER FROM NIssIssIPpI.
"Oh Dem Fields OBJ COttOn''-HOW


rhey are Grown and Harvested


-Better Grant Than Tilden-Rav


ages OF the yellow Jack.


Special Correspondence OF the Republican.


RIvERToN, Miss, Oct. 4, '79,


Ifthis portion of our country has
anything of beauty about it at any
season of the year, now is the time tor
the average North American to make
his observations. The results follow.
ing the continued efforts of the laborer,
assisted by nature, surely present an
appearance, very pleasing to the eye.
There is certainly nothing cultivated
in this country which so completely
captivates the eye Of the beholder as a
field of matured cotton. Its beautie.
have been written of, time out of mind
rehearsed and rehashed by writer's
whose command of language enabled
them to picture all, seemingly, that
would give any one an acurate idea Of
its appearance and still no one, feel
assured who has never seen u field
snow white with cotton, can give OF
form in his imagination a correct like.
ness Of it.


Not only is it pleasing to the eye but
it assures the owner that some day, in
the near future, he will be able to real.
ize from it in the shape Of solid curren-
oy, commodity not at all despised nor
Stunned by the members of the late
confederacy, residing in this locality.
The height of the cotton picking season
is at hand and every one is busy. Cot
ton picking usually commences about
the 10th of September and continues
until Christmas and sometimes later.
To gather crop of cotton it is neces-
sary to 90 over it at least three times.
To first gather the cotton next the
ground which opens first, next the mid
die crop and lastly the top which is
usually opened by frost. The average
yield is about one bale (450 pound
of lint or 1000 pounds of seed cetton)
to the acre.


A good cotton picker will average
about $50 pounds per days of clear cot
ton. Now take a planter who has 300
acres of cotton (and there are plenty Of
them)and you can very readily com
pute the amount and time necessary
for the gathering of the crop. The cot
ton picker receives COR his labor seven
ty-fve cents per hundred pounds or tif-
ty cents per hundred and his board.
After the picking comes the ginning
and bailing when the crop is ready for
the market. The harvest is a very
slow and tedious one but if the crop is
good it can but result profitably to the
economical planter.


There is no political excitement here
of any consequence and that only Of a
local nature. Very little is said Of the
coming Presidential campaign or the
probable candidates. OF course the
name of General Grant has anything
but pleasing odor for the olfactories
of the white people here; still prom.
inent citizen Of this county, and for
mer member of the State Legislature,
told me in communication few days
ago, that he would sooner vote for Gen.
Grant than for Tilden, and he believed
that this was the sentiment OF the ma
jority of the people in this portion of
the State.


The yellow fever contrives to have its
ravages carry dread, death and desola-
tion before it. Its principal operations
have been confined to Memphis, which
is certainly sadly stricken city. Not
only are its inhabitants dying, but
hundreds and thousands have left new
er to return permanently, and the city
will never probably secure its former
prestige as commercial mart. A few
small towns in its immediate vicinity
have suffered more or less, and one viii
lage in this county, Concordia, about
20 miles distant, is suffering terribly
now. Quite a number have died there
within the last two weeks, and last
night we got news of several new cases.
1t is liable to break out in our very
midst at any time, as we are not quar-
antined, and tramps from the infected
districts pass at pleasure and nndis-
turbed.


The weather too is as warm as July
which has tendency to greatly in
crease the ravages of the disease. A
hard freeze is the only remedy, the
sole antidote, the only thing that will
arrest its progress. A humane gen.
erous public have helped to alleviate the
suferings Of the afflicted but the prayer
of the people is that God hasten the
northern blast which shall sting the
venom that is laying waste these
stricken humbled districts.


SDTJn SnrTU