The Yazoo Democrat., 1858-09-25
q SHORT CROP"

There is much good sense in the follow
ing from the Savannah RepvblscaR. 1t is
applicable to other crops besides cotton:
After country pedagogue had hammered
away for few years at our juvenile ideas
to enable order to take the place of native
chaos, we were advanced to reading book
containing fable about man whose occu'
patton was that of shepherd, and who,
every day he went out to mind his flock,
was in the habit Of alarming his neighbos
with the cry of "wolfr After being de-
ceived several times, the neighbors refused
to believe that the cry was true, and conse
quently when the wolf came, as he did at
last, nobody would listen to the cry, and the
unfortunate shepherd had to suffer the con-
sequences of his frequent deceptions. 1t
may sound somewhat strange to have so old
and familiar fable rehearsed to readers as
intelligent as we Aatter ourselves are those
of the Republican, but the application Of it
to the never falling cry of short crop, is SO
pertinent that we cannot forego its introduc"
ton.
We had hoped that season like the
present, would have silenced the cry, at least
for time; but we perceive that it is always
on the tip of planters tongue, and slips
out on the first opportunity So often has
it been uttered, that like the cry of wolf,
nobody pays any attention to it. When was
ever full crop made ? We have no recol-
lection of so auspicious an event.
The cry is always short crop, until those
who are not actually present to see the dam
age complained of will not believe it exists
In the last month the prospect has doubtless
materially changed for the worse, but we
can hardly believe any planter of Georgia
will be short of last years product. What
is the standard of the crop? If planter
puts in seed for one hundred bales with the
same force and no better advantages than
produced him eighty bales the year previous,
and makes less than hundred bales, he
calls this crop short, The year which has
Just closed was called a short egop year, aud
yet the receipts are over 100000 bales
in exceos of the previous year.
Last spring, when the prospect was so fine
that none could find it in his heart to grum'
BILE, it was thought unadvisable by many to
give the truth to the world, as it might
affect the price. Now, however, when the
prospect does not appear so aattering, the
country rings with the cries OF short crop,
and they are so we'll substantated that the
New York market advanced 3c day lefore
yesterday on the siren 9Th of it.
We do not wish to be understood as being
in any way nimical to the interests of our
planters, for we are TOO closely identified 10
do anything to their injury but we would
talk honestly with them, and have them see
the bad effect of always crying wolf" Nor
do we mean to insinuate that there is any
intention to deceive. From seed time till
harvest the planters mind is crowded with
apprehensions, which the slightest mishap
to tue crop will magnify into its utter ruin.
He never believes it made until it has been
gathered and duly weighed into the barn.
If a plain and faithful statement were
always given, operators would learn to place
some reliance in the reports, and the cotton
trade would be shorn Of some of its specu-
lative features and settle down into a mot
regular business The planter could cacu
late with more certainty upon his probable
receipts, and the merchant could lay in hi'
supplies with some idea as to the wants Of
his customers from their ability to buy.