New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-05-29
The Crops.

We are indebted to highly respectable com
mercial firm Of this city for the following extract
from letter from a correspondent in Fayette,
Miss.
"The growing crop, in my opinion, has been
greatly over estimated. In this section of
country we have had the heaviest foods of rain
ever known at this season of the year. The en-
tire crops are almost over-run with grass-all
need work at once. But there is no chance to be
IN hurry-Sambo is free gem'men" and only
works when it suits his convenience. In some
places, by close application and the use of all
manner of stratagem, some show of authority, oc-
casionally with some blarney and all the encour-
agement possible, get tolerable fair work. But it
requires extra talents with extra inducements
| to get them in hurry, or to work on the much
coveted Saturday afternoon. We have now had
week of dry weather this will enable the plan
ters to save portion Of their crops. If the plan
ters will " throw out" a portion of their crops
they will, in my opinion, do better than to try to
save the whole. Only about one-half, or two
thirds at most, of the lands in cultivation in
this county. Many, if not ALL were behind the
usual time in planting-quite number, on account
of imperfect seed and the beating rains, were
compelled to plow up and plant over again. And
as the season increases in heat and the grass
fast, the negro, seeing the hard work before him,
and knowing full well his employers anxiety, be-
comes more careless and independent, he is easily
offended, and readily seeks some free negro den
about city town where he thinks he can live much
more independent by the sale of berries, fruits.
fish, etc. Should they get too thick in those places
to thrive, and return again to the plantations, ii
will, nevertheless, be too late to save the crop,
This years crop, then is something of problem
that can only be fully solved by time. But the
chances are not at all favorable; they are in
nearly every particular against low medium
crop" But, to be more explicit, the crop canno
reach above 100000 bales. Should the worm OF
an excessive drought storm, rot, etc., attach
it, 100000 bales will then cover the WholS
cotton crop for 1856.
ga very incorrect opinion has gone abroad il
regard to the working qualities of the negro. HI
does not perform as well anywhere as he did be
fore the war, and he loses great deal of time
each day that he did not lose before the war; This
in the aggregate amounts to great deal. Let US
experiment, say on a one hundred-hand force: say
they lose half an hour each day more than they
did before the war, what is the result? One hun.
dred half hours are fifty hours, or the work of five
hands ten hours each for one day. or five per
cent is lost. But it will amount to ten per cent.
and ten per cent. may be added for the differ
ence in their movements while st, and in going to
and from their work, five per cent. for their
careessness in keeping tools, geer, etc., in their
proper places, and for pretending to be sick when
nothing is the matter, five per cent more fol-
Saturday evenings and the loss on Monday from
Saturday and Sundays debauch, caused from a
want of discipline. Taking all things into the &C
count, cannot see how tits possible for the crop
to go beyond fourth of that of 1861"
A correspondent to the same firm, from Prospect
Hill, Miss, says:
$50 far as my observation in the uplands anG
creek bottoms in this county extends, and so fal
as have been able to learn through my friend!
from Claiborne east and north of this as far as Bur
lington, the prospect of the crops are gloomy
indeed. can give you the situation of this place
have three hundred acres of land in cotton, Will
good stand generally, andno replantng; half of it
pIowed and scraped and hilled up with the pillow anC
nearly the same with the hoe Il mean hilled will
the hoe behind the hiling of the polw} two hun
dred acres in corn, twenty-five acres laid by) goot
corn almost tasseling, six to seven feet in heighIh
One hundred and twenty-five acres of the balance
will make good corn, fifty acres, (he balauce) may
make pretty good corn; it is young but on bottom
land. We are having too much rain. Had
violent wind and heavy rain storm yesterday even
ing, rain lasting until late at night, We will have
a hard struggle even with fair weather and goot
labor, to succeed tolerably we'll"