The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1854-09-08
THE GREAT CALAMITY.

New York Tribune. 1t presents rather a
gloomy picture:
ave shall probably have rain soon, but 10
little purpose. 1t will be too late for Corn
too late for Potatoes; too late for Garden
Vegetables; too late for Buckwheat II will
help Turnips, where there are any, be useful
to Cabbage, and may give us late and scanty
supply of Fall Feed; but il cannot ensure US
tolerable product of Butter and Cheese; il
cannot give US more than half crop of Corn,
nor even so large yield of Potatoes. in
spite of the bounteous harvest in Wisconsin
and part of Iowa, in Texas and most of the
cotton-growing region, and of the moderate
yield in Southern Ohio, Northern Indiana and
Northern Illinois, we shall have the shortest
crop of Indian Corn grown in the country
this century with two exceptions. The first
was that of 1916, caused by the extraordina-
| ry cold of the entire season-for there was
snow in June nearly all over New England
and frost in every month of the year; the
second was that of 1886, caused by the wet,
cold and backward Spring. But IN both of
these years, though corn was more deficient
than now, Grass was good and Potatoes bet
ter than this year. We doubt whether the ag-
gregate of loss in either year was greater than
that which now confrOnts us.
We estimate the total corn crop of the
United States for this year at less than two
bushels per acre. There are thousands on
thousands of acres that will not yield five
bushels-many, in fact, that will never be
harvested at all. One heavy, general, soak
ing rain on the LIST of August would have
added ut least One Hundred Millions Of DOL
lars to the aggregate value of our crop for
the current year. The total deficiency of
the Corn crop cannot fall below Two Hun
dred Millions OF bushels, worth One Hun.
dred Million of Dollars-for much of our
Corn is usually worth seventy.fve cents to a
dollar per bushel on the farm where it is
grown and the loss on Roots, Grass and
Vegetables cannot fall below another equal
amount. In other words, the Harvest of this
year will be worth to the country Two Hun
dred Millions of Dollars less than we had
reason to suppose it would be one month ago.
This loss will not all fall on the farmers; they
will be partially compensated for deficiency
of yield by enhancement of price; but that
merely shifts part of the burden from their
shoulders to Others. The aggregate loss is
quite as severe as if fire, food, or some other
terrible calamity had swept property worth
Two Hundred Millions of Dollars completely
out of existence.
The magnitude of the loss can only be ap-
preciated upon reflection and comparison.
The total cost of the Mexican War was CON-
putcd by Mr.. Corwin, when the Secretary of
the Treasury, at Two Hundred and Fourteen
Millions; but that was spread over several
years of general prosperity, while Sixty Mil
lions of it by means of National Debt, was
cast upon the future. The Great Fire in our
City in December, 1895, was generally held
to have contributed to our season of disaster
and bankruptcy which commenced the next
year. The excessive importations of 1867
and in 1886, were undoubtedly most infuen-
tial in bringing on the tremendous CONNER
ca Revision which so speedily followed; yet
it may be well questioned whether the Short
Crops of 1916 and SO were not the deeper
and truer causes of those seasons of calamity.
Not that the heavy importations were other
than the most untimely and injurious; but
their i'll effects were greatly intensified by the
coincident deficiency of our Harvests. Such
importations must have caused trouble any,
how, but no such sweeping devastations as
were actually experienced, because of the
large demands to meet the cost Of goods oc-
curing simultaneously WIN our extreme in
ability to pay. We needed all the food we
produced, and had but few Millions worth
of cotton and other non edible products
wherewith to pay for One Hundred and Fifty
Millions worth of European Metals, Wares
and Fabrics imported that year. And it will
be found equally impossible this year to pay
for all the goods already received from Eu-
rope or now on the way. The means of pay
ing for them do not exist, and they must ell
Their be held over for better times, re-export-
ed ruinously sacrificed, or sold to consumers
who will never pay for them"
SALES OF Dry GooDs.-On Thursday, nj
New York, about 100000 worth of dry
goods were sold at auction. Coffin & Hay
dock sold $500 pieces of merino cloths and
cashmeres. The lower grades of merinoes
showed decline of to 10 cents per yard,
from the previous sales, but the medium and
better qualities brought about previous rates,
and some desirable lots showed slight i'm
provement. The merinoes sold at SIT to
$l.l9, averaging about Is; and the cashmeres
at as cents a IS, averaging 60.
tR- Advices from Barbados to the 10th
of August state that Cholera scarcely exists
as an epidemic, though cases had occurred up
to the last day or two. The total deaths of
cholera on the Island were $4,000. The
number of deaths of military was 355.
The reported existence Of cholera at Gren-
ada is fully confirmed; to August 4th, the
deaths amounted to three thousand, being
nearly one-tenth of the population. AT the
latest dates it was on the decrease.
AT st. Lucia the cholera and deaths reach
ed $50.
CHARLESTON, So. Gave copy the fol-
lowing item about Yellow Fever at Charles
ton, from the Courier of the 9Th:
OFFICE OF Cry REGISTER,