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

Inc BarnWell ScHt&tet says tnuL mucR OF The
young cotton has died. Cause.-The egc of
tie seed or the way in which it las been pre-
served.
In Virginia the wheat crop looks we'll. Drill
wheat has borne the rigor Of winter better than
that seeded by hand. Because hand sown wheat
is imp@rfectly cover, i.
Accounts from Georgia speak hatteringly Of
the wheat crop. The cotton seed III Morgan
county fails to gcrnr;nate. Northern farmers
who have recently migrated thither and purchased
farms are discouraged. Their freedmen are dying
Of s'4a pox and typhoid fever. They apprehend
failure from bad seed and the unreGab!cncsS Of
negro labor.
The LaGrangc Ga, Reporter, says that farmers
are in better spirits than they were at the begin
ing Of the year The freedmen are working well
and crops arc forward. Prospects fatterng and
if no adverse fortune appears, the harvest will
be bountifHl.
Crop prospects in East Florida are encouraging.
Corn three feet high, and cotton doing well. \
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 splendidin 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
has fai ed doubts are entertained as to further
supply. However the season advances, and corn
will have to take its place.
The Wctumpka Ala. Messenger, of the 2Gth
ult says
We have inst returned from trip through
portions Of CooSa aud Tuliapoosa 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-
bic, and the rust not make its appearance, an
.bnndant 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 lie too soon. Fruit trees arc hanging full Of
Young and tender fruit which promises we'll. 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 ore field two white ladies
hard at work, hociEg corn. In another We saw a
white lady plonghing, and close by, playing in
the newly made furrows, was her little child,
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 sympathse with them,
but we commend their example to thousands oil
both sexes who fold their aruIs in idle ease, Ia
mcnt their unhappy fate, and await the comforts
of life without an effort on their part TO secure
them.
4 correspondent Of the Macon Journal writing
from Perry County, Ala, says:
As a general thing, apprehend that the pro-
portion Of land planted in corn the present year
is less than it should have been but | see that
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, i'll 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 arc now being
entertained that as blackberry season is now ap
proaching, Sambo may conclude to LAY down dc
shovel and de hoe" to attend to the saving o
that crop
A correspondent Of same paper from Bourbon
CO., Ala, says:
The larg ger portion OF the freedmen are working
we'll some few are shrking, and some breaking
contracts and resortinS to the towns. The last
heavy rain has so compacted the beds Of the last
planting Of cotton, the seed will come 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 fattering 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.
A correspondent Of the Vicksburg Journal
speaks Of Mississippi as follows:
Heavy rains in Texas have retarded agricultu-
raj operations. Though in many sections the
crops look well.
From what could learn concerning the cotton
crop, the prospects for tits county are quite IA
vo?able. About tl!rcc-QUarters OF the land usual
" in cultivation before the war will be planted
this wear. / find not much confidence, but great
fears expressed concerning the labor. Many be-
lieve that as soon as the weather bcginS to
warm up," ard the sun to shine with his SUM-
meF heat, that Mr.. Darkie will lie down in the
fence corner, III all the dignity and independence
becoming his condition. So far but little COM
pllints exist against them they have done very
well. The difference that exists between the
quantity Of land in cultivation is very striking.
The condition of Lowndcs County will, / sup
pose, compare flvorabiy with that Of any other
County G the State. While on the other hand,
if YOU go to Claiborne County you find bnt 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 50 Sundays and the 81 Saturdays; this
leaves You 2Gl working days. Now, no one con-
tends that the negroes do more than two-thirdS
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-
vaton, compared to the whole amount of acres of
open land, is $40 less than one-half. So we would
have, really, less than half crop planted, and
but two-thirds work done 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 cerals. In the