New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-09-02

lsFalA tnS Ne~ sofh 1fipunS'
The S1soat CALAMITY V--0....

oyate the heavy atmosphere. We have days OF
murky haze, almost of cloudness; but never
one little drop Of rain. Not since Jnne. to the
best Of our remembrance, have we had any
thing worthy to be called rain, though Two or
three petty showers afforded some fieeting re-
freshment to plants early in July. Springs that
never failed before are now at their last gasp
many have been utterly dry for weeks. Since
the great rain which closed the month of April,
we have had nothing calculated to affect the
sources of springs These, we think, have not
been 50 low hereabout in thirty years as they
are now.
We shall probably have rain soon, but to
little purpose. 1t will be too late for Corn too
late for Potatoes; too late for Garden Vegta- |
bles too late for Buckwheat 1t will help Tur-
nips, where there are any, be useful to Cab
bage, and may give US late land scanty sup
ply Of Fall Feed but it cannot ensure us toll
cradle product of Butter and Cheese it 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 this country this century with two ex-
! ceptlons. The first was that Of 1916, caused by
the extraordinary cold of the entire season
for there was snow in June nearly all over New
England and frost in every month the second
was that of 1886, produced 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 better than
this year. We doubt whether the aggregate of
| loss in either year was greater than that which
now confronts u.s.
We estimate the total Corn crop of the United
States for this year at less than two-thirds Of
an average, or not above fifteen 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, soaking rain on the 1st Of
August would have added at least one hun
bred millions of dollars to the aggregate
value of our crop for the current year.
The total deficiency of the Corn crop can
not fall below two hundred millions of bush
4 els worth one hundred millions of dollars; for
much of our Corn is usually worth seventy five
cents to dollar per bushel on the farm where
it is grown; and the loss on Roots, Grass and
Vegetables can not fall below another equal
amount In other words, the harvest of this
year will be worth to the country two hundred
millions of dollars less than we had reason to
suppose it would be one little 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 mil
lions of dollars completely out of existence
The magnitude of the loss can only be appre.
ciated upon reflection and comparison. The
total cost of the Mexican War was computed By
, Mr. Corwin, when Secretary Of the Treasury
at two hundred and fourteen millions; but thai
was spread over several years of general pro
sperty, while sixty millions of it, by means of
national debt, was cast upon the future. Tit
great fire in our city in Dec. 1885 was generally
held to have sensbly contributed to the season
of disaster and bankruptcy which commenced
the next year. The excessive importations o
. 1916-17 and 1886, were undoubtedly most in
, fuential in bringing on the tremendous CONNER
cial revulsion which SO speedily followed; yet i
) may be well questioned whether the short crop
of 1916 SO were not the deeper and truer caus
e of those seasons Of calamity. Not that tn
1 heavy importations were other than most un
. timely and injurious; but their ill effects wer
greatly intensified by the coincdent defcienc
of our harvssts. Such importations must bav
o caused trouble any how, but no such sweepin
, devastations as were actually experienced, be
cause of the large demands to meet the cost {
goods occurring simultaneously with our es
>, IRENE inability to pay, We needed all the foo
we produced, and had but few millions wort
{, of cotton and other non-edible products where
d with to pay for over one hundred and fft
! millions worth of European metals, wares an
fabrics imported that year. And it will
found equally impossible this year to pay ft
a all the goods already received from Europe, {
;, now on the way The means of paying for the
i. do not exist, and they must either be held ovt
for better times, re-exported, rulnously sacr
: feed, or sold to consumers who will never pa
y for them. ..5=....
1t In the face of this heavy visitation-of Prov
l. dence, as many will say, though it might
more instructive to call it visitation of IN
providence, brought upon us by our wretcht
Sc system of semi barbarian civilization, witho1
ID half blowing Soils just about half tiling, Al
not at all draining or irrigating them-the di
tilleries are still devouring something like o.
n million bushels of grain per day, converting t
Mt staff of life into a deadly and crime incitil
of poison. Dear as food now is it is likely to
h dearer, while millions worth per week is tran
- formed into the most demoniao and mischit
" making fluid that ever insulted the bounty
he Heaven. But for this, we should even yet ha
MT bread enough and to spare, and might pt
en- Europe promptly for all the imports we actual
be need. How long shall this fearful waste al
Nv devastation-this sacrifice of the sustenance
IN the poor to bloodier idol than Moloch--be pl
n tected and encouraged by law?
ALABAMA ITEMs.-In speaking of the Paci