in public, told horrific stories of whippings and rapes of his slaves. Andrew Larson's landmark history of the area states that in 1857, the area was already taking on the "Dixie" nickname: Early challenges "[T]he harsh environment, the intense heat of summer, the continual toil, and the ravages of malaria . . . led some of the settlers to desert the place at the end of the first season." In the fall of 1858, it was reported "that of approximately 400 acres planted to cotton only 130 acres could be counted a success". Cultivation of cotton and food crops depended on irrigation, which was a collective activity. There were regular food shortages, including "the 'starving time' when many people were reduced to eating pigweed, alfalfa, and carrot top greens in lieu of a more substantial diet". But the sense of humor was not absent. George A. Hicks wrote a twelve stanza song which was a lament as well as wry comedy: I feel so weak and hungry now, I think I'm nearly dead. "Tis seven weeks next Sunday since I have tasted bread. Of carrot tops and lucern greens we have enough to eat -- But I'd like to change that diet off for buckwheat cakes and meat. Charles L. Walker, a Latter-day Saint hymnist, wrote a song titled "St. George and the Drag-on" with a chorus first line meant to inspire singing along: "Mesquite, soap root, prickly-pears and briars." This verse is the last: The sun is it so scorching hot, It makes the water siz, Sir. The reason why it is so hot, Is just because it is, Sir. The wind like fury here does blow, That when we plant or sow, Sir, We place one foot upon the seed, And hold it till it grows, Sir. The culture in the time, on a foundation of a shared religion, shared suffering and success, and even a collective economy for a time. A Mormon Pioneer in a neighboring area gave this expression: This was a challenging task, in significant isolation, in the deserts of southern Utah. This collective bond is a foundation of what is often called the "Spirit of Dixie". End of the Cotton Mission The Cotton Mission did not work out as well as Young had hoped. Yields in the test fields were not as high as expected, and economic viability of growing cotton was never achieved,