Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1857-05-20

News article relating to the prevailing scarcity
Of provisions which contains some things to be re.
membered and acted on by farming friends
Our contemporary is quite severe the "pernicious
weed"-tobacco, which is constantly encroaching as
crop on lands that might be devoted with more
profit in the long to wheat. corn, and oats. But
it will do no good to scold Tobacco is tempting
mot edible but cheWible, If we may make a word
and it raises quite as much smoke in the world as
any thing else. 1t raises the dollars too and long
as it does that it will be cultivated. The same is
true to cotton. Tobacco might be dispensed with,
but it never will be; but we do not see how the
world could get along comfortably or even decently
without cotton. Commerce by its constant increase,
and by the almost constant expansion Of its domain
is adding year by year to the demand for these two
articles This demand will go on. Prices will al.
ternately rise and fall depending the quantities
produced and on the demand yet cotton and tohac-
CO as fixed facts" in political economy and in
the trade of nations is possible for any princ
pie any thing to be- Fortunate the peo
pie of the United States, and especially of the
Southern States in the fact that the produ-
GERS of the great bulk of these indispensable sta.
pies Tn this respect we have the advantage of the
rest of the world; ard by the of slave labor
shall only maintain but augment this advantage.
But is there not reason to apprehend that are
devoting too much labor to these crops and too it,
tie to grasses and the cereals? There is scarcity
of bread and meat for and of provender for
CATTLE snch as has not been felt in this country, so
far as recollect for the last twenty years.
We know that much allowance is to he made for the
short crop Of last year. for the late very hard winter
and for the blight and destruction effected by the
chinch bug and the worm; yet this docs not fully
count for the prevailing scarcity. Corn is bringing IS
per barrel, and in some localities more; while gen.
eral thing provender for horses and cattle is not to
be had at any price. Many persons are procuring
corn at Wilmington and Norfolk paying for it there
eighty to ninety cents per bushel and the hay crop
Of the Counties west Of this having been exhausted
large quantities of Northern hay being brought
in as the last means of sustaining cattle, and Of
keeping the horses with what can be spared
them in a condition to work the coming crop
And here is again demonstrated the importance and
the value of railroads-for WITHOUT them how could
this corn and hay be transported, at any thing like
living rates. from these distant points?
Cotton and tobacco will command the cash, but
without abundant supply of corn the country
cannot prosper. An agricultural people like ours,
who have to rely to any extent upon distant COM
munities for their breadstufs and for the means of
keeping their horses and stock of various kinds in
good order, are certainly not in way, by the dis
tribution which they have made of their labor, to
lay the foundations of permanent prosperity
That there are hundreds of persons in this State
now stinted, and suffering or less for bread
and meat, cannot be denied, d,-persons able and will
ling to work, but whose labor, with the present
scarcity and high prices will not bring enough for
comfortable subsistence. At such time as this
how sad the condition of the poor lone widow and
Norphan the day-laborer and the poor mechanic,
who toll from morning till night, and make just a
scanty support for their wives and children, and
thing more The wealthy and the well to.do in the
world can always live comfortably. They feel not
the cravings Of hunger, or the destitu,ion which
marks the very poor mans abode at time like this.
The difference with them is only in the amount of
their hundreds at the end of the year but they
feel for this dcsttution and contribute to relieve
mitigate its evils.
Let us have more breadstuts and less tobacco and
cotton in other words, let have more substan.
tal comfort, and less-a little less cash. There is
something like mania in the country for money
getting and for socks-for State stocks Bank stocks
! RAILROAD stocks, and the like This is all very vel
a within due bounds; but like the cotton and the to-
, fbacco culture, it may be carried too far.
6 But what shall I do?''-replies the farmer-"th tht
, cinch bug is now in my wheat, and is threatening
, my corn" True cnough-but then plant NOR,
. corn and plant peas. The chinch bug might al
, well destroy large crop small one; and happi
ly if the crop should escape this pernicous little in
sect your harvest will be abundant The Spring
, It is true is backward and unpropitioLs: but th
seasons be assured, will not fail Many hot days
genial showers in for us, and will visi
US between this and the first of August. Plant il
hope, cultivate industriously. and reap with joy
The gool Being who holds the seasons in His hand
e will not forget US, though may forget Him: $50
e he maketh his to rise the evil and on tn
s good, and sendeth rain on the just and the un
e just"
r ALARMING CR1ss.-The great scarcity of food 70
. stock in this section of country, the present time
:. has caused an alarm never known before, even b
II the oldest settlers and by the accounts read
s our exchanges from other regions judge that tn
It country at large is suffering from the same cause
4 While among our countymen at Court last week, W
= , learned that in one neighborhood some twenty fou
n head of cattle had died from s,arvatio L. One ger
n tleman informed that he had lost five cows hin
c self, another three and a great many were losin
= their stock daily for want of food. The most tr
fling straw either wheat, Oat, rye, cannot be ha
at any price, One of citizens, in order to say