Daily union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1865-1866, 1866-07-01
COTTON PROSPECT IN MISSISSIPPI
AND ALABAMA.


An intelligent correspondent, writing
from Tuscumbia, Ala, says:
have continued my effort to ascertain, by
inquiry as we'll as observation, the probable
prospects for cotton crop as compared with
1860 I send you the detailed statement
with respect 10 FIVE Of the best counties in
Mississippi
The way these facts were gathered was
this: Every planter who came to Jackson
was requested to call at the Office Of one Of
the prominent commission merchants, Mr..
S. P. BAILEY, President Of the Central Cot
ton Growing Association. There a tabular
statement was prepared, in which each in
diyidual was requested to put down aeon
rat5ly the number of acres he planted in
1860, and the number planted now, number
Of hands worked, yield in 1866, kind Of seed
planted, present appearance and promise Of
the crop, etc Thus, and thus only, by tax
ing wide range, and getting accurate sta
tistics from individuals, can any just iudg-
ment be formed. No mere traveller passing
through with all the hurry of steam, and
left to the information or fancy of the per
sons whom he may chance to meet, or the
observation Of the fields that happen to lie
on his immediate route, can rely on his con-
illusions 50 confidently as upon facts gath
cred in the way l have described. The fol-
lowing are the statistics:
HNDs COUNTY.-On 81 plantations, en-
bracing {, 1913 acres in cotton, there are GA
hands employed. OF these % planted old
seed, II mixed, and 20 new seed; y report
good stands-the remainder bad. All re-
port their crops very grassy and injured by
too much rain.
On the same plantations in 1860, embra-
cling Il, lac acres in cotton, there were J, 800
hands employed, producing {, 459 bales.
CHICKAsAw ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS plan
tations have 6,402 acres planted in cotton,
employing COS hands. In 1860 said plan
tations had Il, sos acres in cotton cultiva-
tion, with a working force of ], 539 hands,
and produced l0,5S0 bales. The condition
Of the crop is not reported, but more than
one-half answered that their laborers per-
form only half labor, as compared with
1860 and the others estimate this at an
average Of two-thirds.
CARROLL COUNTY.-On q plantations,
embracing LOGO acres in cotton, there are
DID hands employed-the percentage of
work as compared with 1860 and 65. Of
these / planted old seed, IL new, and
mixed Planting not finished before LIST
inst. In 1860, on same plantations, there
were 4, 100 acres in cotton, and 4S7 hands
employed, producing 1874 bales.
MADISON COUNTY.-On fOrty-one plan
tations, embracing 4, $50 acres in cotton, and
employing $40 hands, the percentage Of
work rs compared with 1860, is sixty-twO.
OF the number reported twenty-one plan
ted old seed, eight new, and twelve mixed;
fifteen reported good stands-the balance in
different, and all in bad condition.
On the same plantations in 1860, there
were Is, $50 acres in cotton, employing l ,l55
hands, and producing 5,332 bales of cotton.
CoPIAH COUNTY-On thirty-nine planta-
tions, embracing 8, 51l acres in cotton, there
are 2l5 hands employed-the percentage of
work as compared with 1860, being seventy
two. OF the number reported, seventeen
planted new seed-the balance old and
mixed; nine report good stands-the balance
bad stands. In 1860 on the same planta-
tions, there were 439 hands employed, 1881
acres cultivated, and 5,6OS bales cotton pro-
duced.
REHABILITATION, lS66.-Number of
plantations, IA; hands employed, LIZA;
acres in cotton cultivation, Il ,663,
plantations, IA; hands employed, 5,495.
acres in cultivation, 81, 675-producing 81
$50 bales Of cotton.
l add such items of information as l have
been able to gather in regard to the Alabama
cotton crop. An intelligent and well in
formed planter residing near Demopolis,
Alabama, inwhat is called the "Canebrake,"
told me that he thought within a circle Of
thirds as much cotton planted as in 1860,
and perhaps a little more. His idea of the
yield was that it would probably be about
tour-tenths Of the crop Of 1850, for that i'm
mediate section.
The recent rains have thrown the planters
back very decidedly. Some fields have been
entirely overlooked and devastated. Others
have been drowned, SO as seriously 10 dimin-
ish the stand. In almost all the crops that
saw in Mississippi and Western Alabama, it
was evident that Gen. Green was taking
firm possession, and Gen. Black would not
come up the scratch to dispossess him. l
never saw as grassy a crop in my life.
The universal testimony Is, that the ne
groes are docile, and quiet; it is with almost
equal universally affirmed that they will
not work steadily and earnestly. They want
half of every Saturday. They want three
hours at midday. They don't want TO get
cut to work early in the mornings. They
are ready to accept every occasion of excuse
for stopping from work, even when they I'M
derstand il viii dock their wages The dis
position to cool OFF, is very obvious and
very powerful.
The effect Of all this is apparent not only
in the grassy condition of the crops and in
the universal fatneSs Of the mules that show
that they have not been worked hard, but
also in the acres of land planted but turned
out. Planters find that they can't work all
they have planted, and so they turn ont
some 70 concentrate their work on the re-
mainder, On one plantation, near EastpOTt,
Ala, $50 acres of cotton have been 50 turned
out, because it was evident The negroes were
not going to work enough 70 keep the whole
crop clean. \ gentlemen told me- yeste--
d0y, that he had rented some of his land
near here % some freedmen, whom he
thought rather more reliable and industrious
than ordinary. and was 70 receive for the
use OF the land one-third Of the crop. He
Is satisfied that, the way they have worked
il, the whole crop will not amount TO more
than Oue-siNth Of the ordinary average crop
raised ON the same land. They idled away
the winter; did not break up the land;
when 1t came TO planting time they simply
ran one furrow, dropped the corn, covered 1t
with the foot, afterwaTd broke out the mid
dies, and this Is all the cultivation the corn
has received up 70 this time, when it is all
ready to taSsel, ard should be almost
laid BY.
The negro women here, as well as else
where, I find, are not generally in the field.
Heretofore they used to do most Of the hoe
work and no small share in the blowing.
Now there are but few of them in the field
at all, and even the efficiency Of these is d.
minished by their knowledge that 50 many
of the others are sitting in their homes
playing lady. A little spinning, sewing,
weaving. cooking, Is enough, they think.
Their husbands and fathers are many Of
them, weak enough TO indulge them in their
tanCiCs.
CLOTH PROM CorroN SrALKs.-An inge-