THE SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
186 
0riginal Communications. 
Respect for Labor. 
“ And some with whom compared, your insect tribes 
Are but the beings of a summer’s day, 
Have held the scale of empire, rul’d the storm 
Of mighty war, then with unwearied hand, 
Disdaining little delicacies, seizerf 
Theploie., and greatly independent lived.” 
Thompson. 
Human nature, Mr. Editor, is so incredulous 
that we will not believe in the existence of any 
sentiment or emotion in an individual unless it 
be expressed and exhibited not only by words, 
but by some visible act. However trifling the 
act itself may be, it significant of the feeling 
expressed, it will prove, in many cases, a valu- 
able assistant in gaining the conviction of those 
whose belief we are soliciting. Hence its great 
use in oratory. The great orator, being asked 
three limes what he considered mo.st essential 
in his arc, is said to have replied each time, ac- 
tion. In fact, there is so much of the sensual 
in our constitution, that direct appeals to the 
senses, and especially to the sense of sight, often 
produce more lasting effects upon the feelings 
and Conduct ot men than any abstract reason- 
ing whatever. Action is the language of pas- 
sion and nature; in fine, “actions speak louder 
than words.’' Even the etiquette, which every 
man observes in his intercourse with the world, 
will demand this consistency, and regarded in 
a social point of view, our unbelief in a per- 
son’s professions is in a direct ratio to the in- 
consistency that exists between his words and 
actions. Hence, if we wish to elevate any 
profession or occupation of life, we will assur- 
edly fail unless we verify our expressions of 
respect by corresponding actions, lor if men ob- 
serve the inconsistency alluded to, they will 
doubt our own belie! in the respectability of the 
institution we are advocating. 
Unfortunately for Agriculture, its loudest 
and most conspicuous admirers are constantly 
lavishing upon it expressions of respect, while, 
at the same time, they disdain the idea of pro- 
ving their sincerity by any act whatever. They 
admire the profession but advise their sons to 
pursue another; they will verbally award even 
to manual labor, all the respect it merits, but 
cannot brook the thought of engaging in it 
themselves, though it be merely to encourage 
others in this most useful branch of honest in- 
dustry. 
Now, so long as this state of affairs contin- 
ues, it will be utterly impossible for Agricul- 
ture to assume that grade among the professions 
of life, which she so justly deserves. Manual 
labor must be respected, and it should be an ob- 
ject of importance with Agricultural Societies 
to introduce it among the higher classes, and 
thus by example remove the odium that is so 
unjustly and ungratefully thrown upon it. Nor 
would this procedure be without a precedent in 
the history of nations. We are informed that 
the Emperor ot China, to testify his respect lor 
agriculture by a visible 2LC\.,ploios once a year in 
the presence of his subjects. As a consequence 
too of the respect with w’hich manual labor is 
regarded in the Celestial Empire, we are told 
that the inhabitants (though considered by us 
barbarians,) have carried Agriculture and Hor- 
ticulture to the highest degree of perfection. 
Should not our Societies take a hint even from 
barbarians, and adopt some similar policy for 
elevating manual labor? Your correspondent 
feels unable to suggest any plan by which the 
desired object might be fully compassed, but 
believes that it would conduce to that end, if 
preference were given to individual manual la- 
bor, whenever premiums are awarded for the 
greatest amount of products grown upon a gi- 
ven quantity of land. All the competitors 
would then be on an equality — the rich and the 
poor upon the same footing; and the former, in 
contending for a prize, would not have the ad- 
vantage of bestowing upon one acre of land 
the time and labor that might be more profita- 
bly devoted to ten. Besides this, the legitimate 
object of agricultural emulation would be at- 
tained — not the largest amount of products 
from a given quantity of land, but the largest 
amount with the least expenditure of time, la- 
bor and capital. If some such system were 
adopted a great impulse would be given to the 
ambition of all classes as individuals, and ma- 
nual labor, being no longer considered the ex- 
clusive occupation of the lower orders, would 
escape the odium originating from that cause. 
The introduction of manual labor in schools 
was doubtless intended to obviate the evil in 
question, and to elevate Agriculture in respec- 
tability; but, from some cause, the system has, 
in many instances, failed to fulfil the expecta- 
tions of its friends. Some other plan more 
practicable should now be adopted by the So- 
cieties of the country, for the necessities cf the 
case are just as urgent and apparent now as 
they ever were. 
Besides what agriculture would gain in re- 
spectability by adopting the policy here sug- 
gested, might be mentioned other incidental ad- 
vantages not less important. We would cer- 
tainly be better acquainted with the manual 
operations of farming, and would be better 
qualified to accommodate ourselves to any re- 
volution that might occur in our institutions. 
If coming events cast their shadows before 
them, from present indications we have many 
reasons to believe that slavery, at no distant 
day, will migrate almost entirely to the West. 
When cotton shall be fai''ly introduced into 
Turkey, India and Texas, we will find the in- 
stitution not only unprofitable, (as it now is,) 
but burdensome, and past experience teaches 
us, that fanaticism will not be loth to avail it- 
self of any advantage which circumstances 
may throw in its way. A member of Congress 
recently stated in his speech that he voted for 
annexation under the hope that slavery would 
concentrate itself in Texas, and that being thus 
confined to one portion of the country, it would 
be more easily abolished. Whether this hope 
will ever be lealized is uncertain, but still these 
things are “portentous unto the climate that 
they point upon,” and prudence advises us to 
prepare for any change that may happen, so 
closely connected with the interest and welfare 
of the South. Very respectfully, yours, 
Carolinensis. 
Fairfield District, S. C., Oct., 1846. 
Mastoilou Cotton. 
Mb. Camak Having seen but little in the 
agricultural works of the country, in regard to 
this species of the cotton plant, which I think 
must, in a few years, supplant most of the other 
kinds now in cultivation ; I have thought a brief 
account of my experience in its cultivation 
might not be unacceptable to your readers. 
In the fall of 1844 I procured a few bolls of 
this cotton and planted in my garden the few 
seed from these bolls the next spring. The suc- 
ceeding summer being a very dry one, and the 
manure used being fresh from the stables, the 
product was not remarkably large. I succeed- 
ed, however, in obtaining from it seed enough, 
by using them very sparingly, to plant three 
acres this year. This crop, until the boll worm 
commenced its depredations, was as fine a pros- 
pect as I ever saw in this climate, notwithstand- 
ing it was injured by a lack of distance between 
the rows, having given it only four feet. The 
land was not very rich, yet it had been lightly 
manured. I am quite confident if it had not 
been attacked by the worm, that I should have 
gathered a bale of 450 to 500 pounds per acre. 
The planting and cultivation were such as farm- 
ers in this section of country usually practice. 
The weed of this species grows much larger and 
more luxuriantly than that of other kinds; and 
for that reison, if there were no others, it would 
seem to be preferable to other kinds for planting 
on old exhausted lands. The bolls are much 
larger than those of other kinds, nearly twice as 
large, and I think as numerous. My opinion, 
founded on my short experience in its cultivation, 
is, that this cotton, planted on land of any qual- 
ity, will give a larger yield than the most appro- 
ved kinds now in cultivation would if planted 
on the same land. The seed of the Mastodon 
do not appear to correspond with the size of the 
bolls, not being larger than those of other kinds, 
and the staple or lint is fully one quarter of an 
inch longer than that of the best Petty Gulf or 
Texian that I have seen, and its texture in soft- 
ness and fineness of appearance, very far excels 
either of those species. lam convinced by an 
experiment which! have just made, that a given 
weight of this cotton in the seed will yield a 
much larger weight of lint than the other kinds. 
But I will give the experiment itself, and your 
readers can form conclusions for themselves on 
this point. I selected from the patch after it had 
been twice picked over, one hundred bolls which 
I did not consider the very best, for the second 
picking had taken off the very best, and weighed 
them before the seed were fully dry. The weight 
of the hundred bolla was 28 ounces, just one 
and three quaiter pounds. I then had the seed 
carefully picked out, and the lint weighed llj 
ounces, which was a yield at the rate of 1 pound 
of lint from 2 pounds and 7 ounces (a little less 
than 2J pounds,) of seed cotton. 'The experi- 
ment was made under circumstances not the 
most favorable to show a large yield. The lint 
had become dry, but the seed were damp. Had 
the seed been perfectly dry the weight of lint 
from a given weight of seed cotton would have 
been proportionally greater. I then selected 
from one of Col. John B. Walker’s fields one 
hundred bolls, the best I could find, of the Petty 
Gulf kind. 'The weight of them in the seed 
was one pound and one ounce. The lint, after 
the seed were picked out, weighed five and one 
half ounces, which was a yield at the rate of 
one pound of lint from 3 pounds and ounces 
of seed cotton. 
According to this experiment, which I think 
was fairly made, one hundred pounds of tho 
Mastodon, in the seed, will yield forty-one lbs. 
of lint, while the same weight of the Petty Gulf, 
in the seed, will yield only thirty-two pound* 
and five ounces of lint, making a difference in 
favor of the Mastodon ef eight pounds and ele- 
ven ounces of lint in one hundred pounds of seed 
cotton. This, at 9 cents per lb., the price of 
common cotton in Augusta, gives a difference of 
78 cents in each 100 lbs. of seed cotton. 
Again ; taking the result of the above experi- 
ment for the basis of the calculation, 1,277 lbs. 
in the seed of the Petty Gulf, will make a bale 
of 400 lbs. Of the Mastodon, 975 lbs. will make 
a bale of the same weight, 400 lbs. Again, eve- 
ry 1,200 lbs. of Mastodon in the ieed will yield 
lint enough over what the same weight of the 
Petty Gulf will yield, to sell for ten dollars lack- 
ing a very few cents. Now, here is again in fa- 
vor of the Mastodon species over other kinds of 
very nearly ten dollars per bale of 400 lbs. 
Now, the farmer who makes an hundred bales 
of this weight would save very nearly one thou- 
sand dollars by cultivating the Mastodon. And 
then if the price of this species should continue 
as good as it was last winter, (15 to 17 centsper 
lb.,) it certainly is worth a lair trial by our farm- 
ers, no matter what the cost and trouble of pro- 
curing the seed may be. 
When I shall have gathered in the whole of 
ray crop, I intend to weigh the whole in the seed 
and then weigh the ginned cotton by the same 
weights. This may give a more sa tisfactory ex- 
periment of the yield from a given weight in tlie 
seed, than that made with the hundred bolls ; 
but I am of the opinion that the result will not 
differ very widely. 
The bolls of this cotton open very wide, and 
the cotton, though tolerably easy to be picked 
out, is not disposed to fall out, and will remain 
without wasting a considerable time in the 
patch. I am decidedly of the opinion that a 
hand can pick out one-fourth more in a day, 
than he can of other kinds. It is but right to 
mention too, that this cotton is perhaps a little 
later than those kinds which have been longer 
cultivated in this climate. I say perhaps, be- 
cause, having not known it to be planted so early 
as other kinds from a fear that a late spring frost 
might kill it, the lateness of its opening may be 
owing mainly to this cause. But however this 
may be, experienced farmers ihink that when it 
shall have become acclimated, it will not be later 
than the other kinds. 
These then, according to my experience, are 
the advantages of the Mastodon over other spe- 
cies. The weed grows much larger and branches 
more. The bolls are much larger and as nume- 
rou* or more so. ITie product in the seed, from 
the same kind of soil, will be larger, and the la- 
