600 



THE f ARMEKS' KEGISTEK. 



ly be kept up for ever, but absolutely improved. 

 From rotation ol crops but little advantage is 

 gained lor cotton. Alter small grain, whether 

 Irom the exhausting naiure ol iliatctop, on light 

 lands, or because the siubble keeps the ground al- 

 ways rough and j)orous, cotton will not do well. 

 Alter corn it is difficult to tend, as liom our usual 

 manner ot cultivaiing corn, {.aass ii5 always lelt in 

 lull possession ol' the field, li dues best alter cot- 

 ton, or alier a two years' resi. Rest is the grand 

 restorer, and the rotation chiefly required in the 

 cultivation of cotton. 



It may not be out of place to state here, that in 

 the opinion of your committee no oiher kind of 

 labor can be profitably employed in ilie culture of 

 cotton, thans/aue labor in ihis country. The ex- 

 pense of machinery and carrying to niarkei, ren- 

 ders it unprofitable, with but one or two laborers, 

 which are all that one Iree laraily, can in general 

 supply, while it is almost impossible, to carry on 

 the steady and unvaried operations of a cotton 

 plantation, with such hirelings as can be obtained 

 here. An irresistible necessity must fix iheni in 

 the occupation. Whether that necessity be the 

 open and legalized slavery of this country, or the 

 ecjually imperative exigency which lorcesthe Irish 

 peasanr, and the Indian ryot, to labor without 

 ceasing, as the sole condition of existence, makes 

 but little difierence. It is said that Iree labor, by 

 which, no doubt, is meant such labor as this latter, 

 is tlte cheapest. It would seem, indeed, where 

 the labor of an able-bodied man can be command- 

 ed at any moment, lor a pittance that barely suf- 

 fices to keep soul and body together, that il would 

 cost less than to support the same man in sickness 

 as well as health, in good or bad seasons, to nur- 

 ture him when young, to support him when old, 

 and at all times to furnish him with good Ibod, 

 comlbrtable raiment, and salie medical assistance, 

 and to do likewise lor the leeble and decrepid of 

 his family. It is undoubtedly the case, so lar as 

 the agriculturist, only, is concerned. But what is 

 done by him lor his negro slaves, must be done to 

 some extent by the community at large, lor the 

 equally helplessyVee laborer. Poor laws and alms- 

 giving shift Irom the agricultural to the other 

 classes, the burden of keeping him alive, and sup- 

 porting his iamily, when his services are not need- 

 ed, or he is unable to render ihem, and it is only 

 inasmuch as he is worse lodged, clothed, and fed, 

 than the negro slave, or is cut oH by starvation or 

 disease, before he has ceased to be able to work, 

 that the cost of his labor, is in realiiy less than 

 that of the slave, to the community at large. 

 Let the philanthropists of other countries, enjoy 

 the advantages of such economy as this, and 

 thank God that they are not as other men. We 

 are content to follow the example of the ancient 

 patriarchs — to uphold the institutions regulated by 

 the inspired lawgiver of the old, and neither abo- 

 lished nor condemned, by the immaculate Author 

 of the New Testament ; well pleased to pay a 

 hieher price for our labor, if it goes to prolong the 

 lite, or increase the comiorts of that invaluable 

 class, which has exisied, and is destined to exist 

 - in all times and countries, whose lot It is, literally, 

 " to earn their bread by the sweat of their brow." 



Your committee cannot conclude these desul- 

 tory and incomplete remarks, without adding, 

 that with every care and attention, in the cultiva- 

 tion of cotton, after the adoption of every im- 



provement, and using the utmost economy in every 

 arrangement, there is no [jlanier in our section, il 

 there be any in the stale, who can make the legal 

 interest of 7 per cent, per annum, on Ins invest- 

 ments, by planting coiion, at present prices. 

 There are very lew of them, on our best lands, 

 who can realize this much, at 10 cents per lb. net, 

 and not many who can do it at 12 cents. If 

 prices do nut improve, most of us will become com- 

 pelled to abandon cotton. Il they lall lower, it 

 will be difficult to say who can plant, in this sec- 

 tion, at least. A very lew years more, will decide 

 our tiite. It will be the part of wisdom to go on, 

 and endeavor to perlect the art of planting, that 

 we may tje able, if it is possible, to compete with 

 richer soils, and more congenial climes ; but it 

 would be lolly, if we did not, at the same time, 

 look around us to see what our country is capable 

 of yielding, and encourage liberally every efiort 

 to develope our resources, diversily our produc- 

 tions, and introduce new staples. 



J. H. HAMflioND, Chairman. 



GUNNY BAGS AGAINST IvliKXUCKY BAGGING. — 



From the iVatchcz Free Trader. 



We noticed on Saturday last, ilie arrival at New 

 Orleans, of a vessel direct from Calcutta, with bags 

 enough to cover 300,000 bales of cotton. The 

 gunny bag is a strong fabric, of which large quan 

 titles are manuliietured in the East Indies, where 

 labor is very cheap. Large quantities of them are 

 carried to Calcutta, Irom as lar back in the interior 

 as Thibet. The new demand which has sprung up 

 lor them in the United States, growing out of the 

 high duty laid on loreign bagging, lor the protec- 

 tion of Kentucky hemp, will give a great impetus 

 to the East India manulacture, and we may 

 reasonably expect herealter to get a lull supply ol, 

 perhaps, an improved article, unless the tariff par- 

 ty in congress should seek still farther to oppress 

 the cotton planters, by laying a duty on gunny 

 bags. These bags, as the name implies, come 

 here in the shape of sacks, to avoid the duty laid 

 on roll bagging, and they are easily cut and sewed, 

 so as to make a neat and substantial envelope lor a 

 bale, capable, we believe, of resisting the boat- 

 hooks, quite as well as the ordinary hemp bag- 

 ging. They are decidedly cheaper. Let us sup- 

 pose five gunny bags to a bale, (each bag hold- 

 ing about 2.^ bushels,) at 12 cents each, would be 

 60 cents per bale. 



Kentucky bagging, at 30 cents, 6 yards to the 

 bale, would be igl.80 per bale ; being a difference 

 of iBl-20 per bale. 



Now, if the planter is so situated, as to be able 

 to adopt Mr. Joseph Dunbar'' s recommendation, 

 to substitute hoop-iron lor rope, there would be a 

 still greater saving. This iron can be had at 7 

 cents ; rope costs 12^ cents. Allowing eight 

 pounds to the bale, there would be a difference in 

 iavor of iron hoops, to say nothing of neatness 

 and durability, of 44 cents per bale. So that, ac- 

 cording to this calculation, if we substitute gunny 

 bags for hemp, and hoop-iron for rope, there will 

 be a savings to the planter, of §1-64 per bale — 

 a sum more than sufficient to cover the expenses 

 on a shipment of cotton to New Orleans, and its 

 sale in that market. 



