The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1866-06-01


A correspondent writes to the Columbus
Miss. Sentinel as follows:
Who will now dare to say that 2, $780,
600 bales of cotton will be raised this year?
We never did believe it, for our estimate
has never been more than 800, 900 bales,
and now we question very much whether
1000. 900 win be raised. Many plantations
are totally abandoned, while there are thous-
ands that have not more than half compli-
ment of laborers. But we frankly admit
that up to a certain period everything
promised well. We had fine dry winter,
and consequently the land was generally
well prepared for the reception of the seed.
Everything is now gloomy; the rains are
heavy and continuous; there is generally a
bad stand and the growing cotton can now
be scarcely seen, by reason Of the rank
growth of grass and weeds. The freedmen
must now toll to make up the loss of weeks,
and will they do it? We think not. In
time of slavery it was always difficult to
make up lost time; now it cannot be done,
and consequently much of the land now
planted must be turned out, so that part
may be saved.
This is no fancy sketch, but verify as we
write it. These rains and this destruction
of the growing crop, is not partial but gene
raj The Mississippi has flooded the bot
tom Landslide Red River, from all we can
learn, has leaped its natural boundaries, and
hoo II hi
every quarter the cry comes up, Grain,
rain, rain-bad stands of cotton-it must
be re-planted if the seed can be procured"
and in many places where cotton seed can
not be obtained, we hear of corn being
planted instead of cotton. Perhaps there
never was in the history of the South, such
a gloomy period. Deficient labor, as I'M
certain as April weather-defect tive cotton
seed-generalIy not more than half stand
and no cotton seed with which to perfect
the stand--thousands of acres uncultivated
Tremendous overfows and unceasing
foods of rain for weeks is enough to try the
nerves of any adventurous planter.
More fortunes will be lost this year in
attempting to make a still larger fortune,
than viii be made. Again the crop as
general thing, is unusually late, and we all
know that for many years, late cotton has
made but little. The last three years were
very fine cotton years, and we are all aware
that two good crops come but seldom in
succession. Take the history of the past
ten years OF twenty and such has been the
case.
Hence, if everything else were favorable,
we might safely conclude that there would
be short crop this year. At the begin
ming Of the year, we suppose there was not
a county in the whole South that promised
as much as old Lowndes. And now, TAX
ing in consideration the great number of
acres that lie untitled, the general bad
stands and in many places no stand at all;
the fact that in many places the cotton can
not now be seen for the grass and weeds;
the still continued rs he very defec
up the time lost, by reason of the rains, we
are of the honest opinion that Lowndes will
not make more than one-third the cotton
she produced in 1860.
If this be true of Le1s-des, one of the few
favored counties1f the South-a county
rich before the war, and with vast resources
left her at its close-what must be the con-
dition of those portions of the South that
were almost, if not quite devastated by the
war.
With these facts before our people, it re-
mains with them to decide whether or not
they will dispose of what cotton they have
on hand at to-day's prices. For one, will
not. A CoTToN PLANTER.