The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1867-07-05
From the New York Independent.
PROSPERITY IN THE HARVEST,
BY HORACE GREELEY.

The year 1866 was remarkable for the
general deficiency of its harvest though
out the Union. Former years were more
palpably unfruitful-18I6 especially So
1886 perhaps as mesger in its returns to
the husbandman, but this in good part
because he had put forth too little exer
ton; but in no former year ofthis century
was the failure of crops so widespread as
in 1866. Wheat was less than half an
average yield throughout; so that our
country, which exported millions of bush,
els of this staple IN the midst of our great
civil war, has actually been importing for
some months past, as she had scarcely
done before since 1867. Grass gre W
fairly; but the season for hay making
was for the most part so cloudy, stormy,
and capricious that the labor was doubled
and the value of the product very serious
Iy lessened: so lhatthe long, hard Winter
recently closed swept clean the farmers
mows and stacks, leaving tens of thous
ands OF cattle to perish of starvation and
the diseases ergsndered by want, while
hundreds of thousands came through 10
such miserable plight that the better part
of the Summer must be given to their re
covery. Cotton suffered from a quite
extensive planting of old seed, from which
the plants came up feebly and persisted
speedily; add to which damage by extern
sive floods in Spring, and by severe
drouth, and the ravages of the army worm
Ia Summer, and it seems a marvel that
SO large a half crop-nesrly or quite Two
Millions bales-Was real zed. Indian
Corn was planted late at the South, upon
ground imperfectly plowed by feeble
teams, and was struck in August by
drouth SO severe that thousands of acres
failed to mature single mercEantable ear
and the average yield of the former Slave
States was less than ten bushels per acre.
The prolific West did much better, of
course; but the grain was not generally
mature when struck by early frosts and
seriously damaged. In short, it is prob
able that the crops of this country in
1866 were less than three fourths of our
average yield, and that Three Hundred
Millions of dollars would not make good
their deficiency. For, while the farmers
were recompensed by higher prices than
their products, if plentiful, would have
commanded, this circumstance only diff
fused and equalizsd the loss, causing all
domestic consumers to bear their share of
it.. The country was no richer than
though prices bad ruled low, and the en-
tire. loss had thus been thrown on the
farmers.
When the years business came to be
settled up aud books balanced last Win
ter, it was generally found, to the amaze
ment Of many, that no profits had been
realized-that shrunken prices and bad
debts had absorbed them. The great
merchants, whose gains had been large
In former years, had now made very lit
| tie; while those who had hitherto achieV-
ed but modersts success where now com
monty bankrupt. Manufacturers, mech
anics, aud small tradesmen shared In the
general depression; railroads found their
receipts lesseBed by the scarcity Of pro-
ducs and inability of thousands TO taVel;
The Federal revenue symPAthizsd With
the general collapse; aud -poverty-indi
Vidual aud general-at length stood unVe-
| lied and confessed. Hence tie seeming
EeoIdness of the public ear to the pressing
appeals fer generous contributions IN
mitigation of Southern distress and for
the promotion Of Education, political and
general, among the Freedmen. I do not
Justify the too prevalent parsimony:
simply explain it. However It should be.
die fact il. that most persons are deaf 60
tbs appeals 70 their generosity when they
feel that, in spite Of iheir best efforts.
thsir business Is Improbable.