Southern cultivator. (Augusta, Ga.) 1843-188?, December 01, 1870, Page 417, Image 7

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that we were told that the European war and the decline in gold brought down the price of cotton. I view it in a very different light. The high price of corn and meat brings down the price of cotton, and by way of experiment, let tfs all raise corn and meat sufficient for home consumption, bring com down to 35 or 50 cents per bushel and meat to sls or S2O jkt bbh, and there will be a great improvement in the price of cotton; and instead of millions bale*, we will make and realize just as much. I am in favor of immigration of any kind, not for the purpose as G. W. Gift would ’say, of ma king ten millions bales of cotton, but to eradicate from our midst a trifling, thieving, worthless and thriftless class, irreverently called the negro. In the January No. of Southern Cultivator, 1870, page 14, Mr. Ed. Young, of Lexington, Ga., gives some suggestions for a Planter’s Associa tion, which I for one would like to see occupy a conspicuous place in every No. of the Cultiva tor, and his views endorsed by correspondents until its importance was forced on the minds of the planters, and a move made to accomplish the desired association. T. J. JACKSON, M. D. Liberty, Amite Cos., Miss. COTTON SEED—HOLMES* vT" DICKSON, SIitIPSON AND OTHERS. Editors Southern Cultivator :—I received to-day the enclosed circular from Dr. Holmes, and to my surprise find in it an extract from a a private letter written some time ago. Had the Doctor published all I wrote him , I should have nothing to sajL (The following is the extract alluded to by Mr. R : “Col. Wm. F. Robert, of Graliamville, S. C., writes July 7th : “Planted the “Holmes’ Early Prolific” on the 20lAApril. I have never had, or seen such cottYc I;x its age. It is at least one foot taller than Dickson, and people say the best branched cotton they ever saw. It is over five feet high and covered with squares, blossoms and bolls. Some of the bolls are IT inches in diameter and 1| inches long.” He further adds that an old planter from Bluffton, Mr. J. Porch er, who, during the war, planted in Southwest ern Georgia, says he never saw such a prospect for cotton in his life, or anything approaching q —that I will be ahead of the caterpillar. This cotton was laid by on the 11th day of June.”) I stated to the Doctor I had laid by some of the Dickson on the 10th of June, because the SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. ground was a little drier than where his was planted. On the I.lth of June laid by his and some of the Dickson. The Holmes variety kept ahead of the Dickson varieties (Sparta, Oxford, and Simpson and Hunt) in growth. It was one stalk to the hill, 4 foot rows; all the Dickson varieties were 2, 8 and 4 stalks to the hill, fi, 7 to 10 inches apart. I wrote the Doctor his cot ton was only about 8 or 10 day* earlier in matu rity. It will now average over G feet high— some stalks 9or 10 fwt high. Sparta Dickson is in 4 feet of Holmes—Oxford Dickson in 3 feet. Holmes’ is the best branched cotton I ever saw, but not thickM/ trilled like the adjoining cot - ton. The two Dicksons both beat him, and the stalks only about two-thirds the height of Holmes, Simpson, in the same little patch of 0 acres, is more prolific unifcmnly, than any other of the Dickson varieties. All persons, up to the middle of July, supposed Holmes would beat, but by the 10th of August every one saw differently.— The weights correspond with the estimates. The bolls are even larger—much larger, than the Doctor has described them. Since the days of the old green seed cotton, 1 have never seen so much rotten cotton as in the Doctor’s. I send you two bolls, taken 7 feet at least above, the ground, where sun and air a plenty 4 reached them. Can you tell me the cause of the rot V Cotton pickers say they would as soon pick 3 bolls of the Dickson as one of the Holmes. Every one who has seen my little patch, has begged for a few of the Simpson— from 1 to 1 bushel of seed. The bolls on the limbs of the Holmes arc much farther apart than on the Dickson, and I so wrote the Doctor , and know he got my letter, for he replied to it: “ it would make double or half as much again as the Dickson.” A part of Sparta Dickson’s seed, 2 rows, came right between Holmes and Oxford Dickson.— The Sparta is 3 feet lower tfian Holmes, and about 1 foot lower than Oxford Dickson. It is much better fruited than Holmes, and consider ably better than the Oxford. Mr. Sparta Dick son has evidently managed to dwarf his stalks and increase the bearing. Simpson, though, is more uniformly prolific. It is to be hoped, for the public benefit, Simpson’s Prolific may soon be surpassed. W. F. ROBERT. Graliamville, 8. C., Oct. 1870. The two bolls sent appear to have been pierc ed by the Ml worm —if so, that would explain their rotting.—Eds. 80. Cult. 417