54 
THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
From Ihe Soulhfrn Shield. 
Barbour County Agricultural Society. 
A meeting of the Barbour County Agricul- 
tural Society was held this day in the ; caclemy 
in this place. The Pre.sidenr, Col. John L. 
Hunter, in the Chair, and, in the absence ot the 
Secretary, Benj. Gardner was requested to act 
as Secretary. 
Col. Hunter, the chairman of the committee 
appointed at the last meeting, to prepare an Ad- 
dress to the President ol the State Agricultural 
Society, on the importance of adopting some ac- 
tive measures lor the promotion ot the interest 
of the cotton growing section, submitted the fol- 
lowing: - 
To the Holt. Henry \V. Collier, President of the 
State Agricultural Society of Alabama : 
Sir : —In obedience to a resolution of the Bar- 
bour County Agricultural Society, the under- 
signed have the honor to address you on the pre- 
sent condition and future prospects of the cotton 
planters, and through you, as an honorable me- 
dium, to communicate to them their views and 
sentiments on those interesting and important 
subjects. 
The cotton market, on which depends the 
prosperity of our southern country, threatens 
distress and ruin ; but a small further reduction 
in the price of our southern staple, and our com- 
munity will be driven to seek another culture, 
or have the mortification to behold their lands 
and negroes valueless and an expense on their 
hands. 
It is true that the abandonn>ent of the cotton 
culture, would eventuate finally in advancing 
the price, but in the interim the planter must 
endure heavy losses and great suffering. The 
time has passed away, when our people were 
buoyant with the hopes of the sudden accumu- 
lation of wealth, the mania for speculation in 
lands as well as in negroes has departed, leaving 
us to serious and sober refleciion, and we trust 
under Divine Providence, with future les- 
sons of experience and wisdom lor our further 
guidance, benefit and happiness. God in his 
wisdom afflicts mankind, but in his mercy 
points them to a remedy. The causes of our 
distressed condition are few, obvious and stri- 
king. « * * * * 
The chief and greatest source ot ihe evil lies 
notin legislation, but in a law of trade that can- 
not be regulated oy it. Every planter must 
know that supply and demand will regulate the 
price of cotton; and whileourpTnterscontinue 
to raise hundred^ ot thousands ol balesover and 
above the wants of the raanutacturers and their 
customers, the price must continue to decline 
until a ruinous business drives him from his 
folly of overproduction. The consumption for 
our cotton has increased, and will continue to 
increase, but the production outstrips it. 
A small crop would command as much, ifnot 
more, by the augmentation of the price, than a 
large one; besides he saves the expense (no 
small ilem)oIextra baggingand rope, and isable 
to devote his labor to'a larger provision crop — 
to the improvement of his land and stock and to 
other additional cultures more profitable than 
cotton where the climate is favorable, to wit: 
wheat, hemp, rice, sugar and tobacco. 
Tf’.e cotton planter has been stimulated by the 
former high prices he obtained for his coUtm 
until he has become so Infatuated with the 
cotton culture, as to direct all his energies and 
resources to it at the expense of everv other in- 
terest to the almost entire neglect of his means 
of comfort and independence on his plantation. 
Fortunately it is within his power to correct 
this evil; to arrest the downward tendency of 
the cotton market, and to avert the impending 
ruin. Independent ot the consideration of ad- 
vancing the price of cotton it is his true policy 
to cultivate a large provision crop that he may 
have an abundance in a nad season and to spare, 
and a greater abundance in a good one. He 
should calculate to have provisions to sell to 
those classes who do not cultivate the earth, 
and in this way, to pay all the incidental ex- 
penses ol his plantation. He will then have 
no more cotton in cultivation than he can com- 
fortably and neatly harvest by the 24th day of 
December; and in the months of January and 
February, generally cold and inclementand un- 
fit for ertton picking, he can more advantage- 
ously turn his attention and devote his labor to 
neees-sary repairs, to the improvement of his 
soil — to the improvement of his .stock — or, in 
other words, to go more upon farming, and deal 
more mercifully with his lands, his laborers 
and stock, and to receive from them a gratelul 
return, to make him comfortable and indepen 
dent on his plantation, as he ought to be. 
It is his policy to encourage the manufacture 
of cotton by using and consuming in his dress 
and in his household whatever articles can be 
made ol cotton. In the cotton region, it should 
be the pride of our ladies, who are always fore- 
most in every good word and work, to prohibit 
by their use, precept and example, the use of 
any article not made of cotton, where the cotton 
fabiic can be made to answer their purpose — 
the silks should give way to the fine chintzes, 
muslins and calicoes, so well calculated to add 
to their personal comfort and beauty. It has 
been stated in a late periodical that cotton ap- 
plied to the use of matresse.*, comforts and blank- 
ets for the consumpt.on ol the southern States, 
containing five millions ot population, would 
amount to more than 200,000 bale.?. 
Another still larger source of consumption 
W'ould be found in using cotton cotton-bagging 
for wrappers for o ir bales. We do not know 
that cotton is more impervious to water than 
hemp and it w'ould be vvell to give it a lair trial. 
Our Slate Legislatures should not be back- 
ward in such times as these to develope the re- 
sources (.f their respective Sia'es and call forth 
their energies and direct their citizens to an ad- 
vantageous division of labor from the culture of 
cotton. 
Alabama abounds, in some districts in coal 
mines and marble quarries, which might turnish 
a large portion ot laborers now in the culture 
of cotton, with more profitable employment. 
In conclusion we beg leave to recommend a 
convention of the cotton planters ol the southern 
States, to be held at some central situation at 
as early a day as practicable, to devise and con- 
cert measures for their own safety and relief, 
and we w'ould rely on their intelligence, good 
sense and honesty, in carryingout the decisions 
of that con vention. Should a large portion ot 
our planters, however, persist in their lolly, not- 
withstanding the admonitions of their experi- 
ence. and the action of the convention, to plant 
a largs cotton crop, the market will continue to 
decline, and render the culture unprofitable and 
expensive; but such planters will stand in no 
enviable position in point of interest, and will 
reap the harvest due their folly. We would 
mo.st respectfully solicit your co-oneration and 
action in accomplishing the objects so desirable 
which have called I'orth this communication. 
We have the honor to be, wvith profound re- 
spect, your obd’t. serv’ts., 
John L. Hunter, 1 
J. A. Calhoun, > Committee. 
R. C. Shorter, ) 
Col. McDonald, from the committee appoint- 
ed to address the planters of Barbour County 
upon the propriety and necessity of greaily re- 
ducing their cotton crop, presented the follow'- 
ing: " 
To the President of the Barbour County .Agricultural 
Society : 
Sir; — Having been appointed a committee 
to address the farmers of Barbour County on 
the present state of the cot on marker, we enter 
on the duty assigned us with a knowledge ot the 
difficultv of persuading the cultivators of the 
soil to change their system. 
From the extreme low price of the great south- 
ern staple, at the present time, it is obvious that 
a change must take place, and the sooner it is 
commenced the better. When we look abroad, 
over the world, we see an increased accumula- 
tion of cotton to an ext-snt heretofore unknown. 
it appears, from the latest accounts trum Liver- 
pool, that ihe slock on hanri amounted to 750,- 
000 bales, which was an increase on the stock 
at the corresponding period in 1844, of 100,000 
bales, and the price, a penny lower than it was 
at the same time last year. Large stocks, in 
Europe and in this country, indicate low prices, 
for sometime to come: lor when the immense 
crop of 1844 reaches England, there will, in all 
probability, be an increase on ihe present stock, 
of 100,000 bales, and a corresponding reduction 
on the price. An inquiry naturally arises, 
what is to be done? The answer is at hand. 
Let us greatly reduce our cotton crops, which 
will enable us to prepare for market a better ar- 
ticle~ii will also enable us to improve ourfarms 
and thereby prornole our happiness and comfort. 
Let us, at ihe same time, greatly increase our 
provi'ion crops, making a large supply of pro- 
visions of every kind. We would also recom- 
mend that a portion of the labor now employed 
in the cultivation and preparation of cotton, be 
turned into other channels — the raising of rice 
and tobacco, as well as the growing of wool. 
We believe that these would be much more 
profitable than cotton at the present prices. 
Thus, fellow-citizens, have we thrown loge- 
gether, a few hasty thoughts f r your cori.?idera- 
tion. ' A. McDonald. 
J. G. Shorter. 
J. Buford. 
Col. McDonald, also, made the lolicwing re- 
port in relation to some seeds, which had been 
forwarded to the Society; 
To the President of the Agricultural Society : 
Sir: — On the 19th of last March, I received, 
by the kindness ol Mr. Woods, from the Hon. 
H. L. Elsworth, the following seeds, which were 
sent to the So iely by the Hon. Mr. Belser, viz: 
Tne bassana beet, the rnulticauli rye, from 
France, the white fiint wheat, t* e calico corn, 
the Calcutta flax seed, ilie pole bean, the twin 
corn, the rnulticauli rye, of the United States, 
and the white prolific bunch bean. I irnme- 
dicTiely turned over the seeds to the President of 
the Society, keeping a few ot each kind t-i sow 
and plant. On the 27ih of March, I planted and 
•sowed them in my garden, ha ving some fears, 
however, that tlie rye and wheat might not ma- 
ture, sowed at that season ot the year, but fear- 
ing that they would be rlestroyed by the weavcl, 
1 thought it be.?t to ri-k it. AH the seeds came 
up except the beet, and on the 24th ol June, 
when i left home, ihey all promised well, but 
on my return on the 20ih of September, the 
g.ardener stated that the rye and wheat did not 
come to mriturity. 1 only planted two grain«of 
the calico corn, it too. was entirely destroyed 
by the weavel. 1 have saved some of the twin 
corn, the proli.fic bunch bean, a few of the flax 
seed, and a fevy of jihe pole bean, which I now 
present to the Society A. McDonald. 
Mr. G. W. Pournell became a member ot the 
Society, and expressed a desire that the interest 
of the mechanic would hereafter receive some 
consideration. Being a blacksui ith. he called 
attention to some .specimen plows of his own 
manufacture, which he had brought for the in- 
spection of the meeiir.g. Tiiey were much ad- 
mired by the planters present, being considered 
fully as good as those brought from a distance, 
if not something better. 
Mr. Cargilealso directed the attention of the 
meeting to some brogans ol his own manufac- 
ture, which were stout, .strong and well made. 
The Society then proceeded to the election 
of its officers for the current year, which result- 
ed as follows : 
Alex, McDonald, President. 
J. M. Raiford, fst Vice President. 
Wm. DeWitt, 2d do. 
T. Flournoy, Treasurer. 
A McGehee, Recording Secretary. 
B. Gardner, Corresponding do. 
E.x'ecutive Committee. 
Wm. S. Paullin. J. G. Shorter. 
J. Buford. Wm. Abney. 
T. Cargile. 
