The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1866-05-09
The Crops.

IL
wheat has borne the rigor Of winter better than
that seeded by hand Because hand sown wheat
is imperfcctly covered.
Accounts from Georgia speak AAttcringly Of
the Wheat crop. The cotton seed III Morgan
county fails to gcrmnate. Northern farmers
who have recently migrated thithera and purchased
farms are discouraged. Their freedmen are dying
Of srnall pox and typhoid fever. They apprehend
a. failure from bad seed and the unrelab!cncsS Of
negro labor.
The LaGrangc, Ga, Reporter, says shat farmers
are in better spirits than they were at the begin
ing of the year. The freedmen are working we'll
and crops arc forward. Prospects 1attering, and
fno adverse fortune appears, the harvest will
be bountful.
Crop prospects in East Florida are encouraging.
Corn three feet high, and cotton doing well. 4
private letter states that farmers look for bet
ter crop than for several years past.
The accounts from Alabama arc mixed. In
some sections the prospects are splendid,in others
not so good. Heavy rain, wind and hail have
destroyed in a great degree the cotton and corn
and impac.ed the earth. Where the cotton seed
supply However the season advances, and corn
will have to take its place.
The Wctumpka Ala. Messenger, Of the oGth
ult, says:
We have jnst returned from trip through
portions of Coosa aud Tullapoosa counties, and
We gathered all the information we could, both
from observation and enquiry, as regards the
crop prospects. The wheat crop we find very
promising, and should the season prove favora-
Bile, and the rust not make its appearance, an
abundant harvest may be expected 1t is gene
rally very forward, and we think will come on
about two weeks earlier than usual, which will
not be too soon. Fruit trees are hanging full Of
young and tender fruit, which promises well. The
land for corn and cotton is in excellent order, we
fear, however, too much cotton is planted to the
exclusion Of corn. Planters have gone to work
in earnest. We saw in one field two white ladies
hard at work, kocing corn. In another We saw a
white lady plonghiug, and close by, playing in
the newly made furrows, was her little chld
happily 100 young to be troubled with the cares
and sorrows that weighed SO heavily on the heart
Of its poor widowed mother. Happy, indeed, is
the season Of YOUTH but alas! how soon it is
gone. Our hearts deeply Sympalhise with them,
but We commend their example to thousands OF
both sexes who fold their arms in idle case, Ia
ncnt their unhappy fate, and await the comforts
of life without effort their part TO secure
them.
A correspondent Of the Macon Journal writing
from Perry County, Ala, says:
AS general thing, apprehend that the pro-
portion Of land planted in corn the present year
l., Il, Il clO bov hIt
quite number Of planters have changed their
programmes TO some extent, and have planted
some of the land which they had prepared and
designed for cotton in corn and "dc goobcr pea. "
In the doing Of which, il my Judgment, they have
acted wisely.
The freedmen" with some EXCEPTIONS seem
to be doing quite as well as could be expected
under the circumstances, but fears are now being
entertained that as blackberry season is now ap-
proaching, Sambo may conclude to "lay down de
shovel and de hoe" to attend to the saving Of
that crop.
A correspondent of same paper from Bourbon
CO., Ala, says:
The larger portion OF the freedmen are working
we'll some few are shirkng and some breaking
contracts and resorting to the towns. The last
heavy rain has SO compacted the beds Of the last
planting Of cotton, the seed will CONE up badly
first paintings good stands Corn good stands,
and growing finely. Where there is no Bureau,
the freedmen are working well, and seem very
we'll satisfied. May and June will try their reli
ability.
The prospects in Tennessee are hattering for
wheat.
The coming cotton crop in Claiborne, Louis
lana, is estimlted at less than a fourth. Com
plants come up from all parts Of the State about
bad seed.
\ correspondent Of the Vicksburg Journal
speaks Of Mississippi as iollows:
Heavy rains in Texas have retarded agricultu-
raj operations. Though in many sections the
crops look well.
From what I could learn concerning the cotton
crop, the prospects for this county are quite fa-
vorable About thrcc-qaarlers OF the land usual
ly in cultivation before the war will be planted
this year. find not mrch confidence, but great
fears expressed concerning the labor Many be-
leve that as soon as the weather bcgias TO
"warm up" ard the sun to shine with his sum
mca heat, that Mr.. Darkie will lie down in the
fence corner, III al the dignity and independence
becoming his condition. So far but little COM
pEaints exist against them ; they have done very
well. The difference that exists between the
Q1antity Of land in cultivation is very striking.
The condition of Lowndes County will, I sup
pose, compare fayorablv with that of any other
County in the State While on the other hand,
if you 60 to Claiborne County you find but one
acre in ten in cultivation to the number planted
before the war.
To come to any proper estimate there concern
ing the amount of land in cultivation, you must
strike the medium between the two extremes.
Then you must deduct from the 365 days in one
year the 81 Sundays and the 81 Saturdays; this
leaves you 2Gl working days. Now, no one con-
tends that the negroes do m)re than two-thlrdS
the work they ought and could do. Two-thirds Of
POI is III working days for the whole year So
you see that the average amount of land in cutl-
vation compared to the whole amount ofacres of
open land, is $40 less than one-half. So we would
have, really, less than half crop planted, and
but two-IhirdS work done on that half crop. |
have given YOU the data. You can draw your
own conclusion. I predict a terrible "lctting
down" on the part of those prophets who see a
big crop going to market next fall and winter.
Reports from the various sections Of our State
are generally good especially for cerials In the
upper sections wheat and rye promise an abun- |
dance. The farmers Of our District have been |
very Industrious i'll T. akng fertilizers and plant
ing all the ground possible. Wheat and corn
Of which there is large fourishes fine