The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-27
COTTON.


The Growing Crop and its Present Prospects.
An experienced and well-known cotton broker
sends the Boston Traveller the following COM
muncation respecting the growing cotton crop
at the South. He has good facilities for obtain
ing information, and his statements may be
relied upon:-
Observing the numerous and varied efforts of
writers on the Southern cotton crop, for more
than month past, to induce general belief in
their predictions of 8, 3,000 900 of bales the pro-
duct of 1869, l am constrained to offer you few
considerations per contrd:-
In the first place, such efforts are usual. They
come every year at this season. Such writers
as Messrs. Neill Brothers have scarcely prog
nosticated cotton crop of less than 3OO00 600
since the close of the war. The facts have r9gu-
larly shown how little knowledge they possess;
and it is only surprising that the uncommonly
sagacious proprietors of cotton mills of New
England should allow themselves to be deceived
into that course of delay in purchasing their
stocks which is now so disadvantageOus to them.
They have allowed cotton to be exported to
Europe which should have been retained for the
mills of this country, and they suffer for it.
Second. The whole season has been, until
quite recently, unpropitious for the cotton plant;
and the crop has been retarded from two to four
weeks by the prevalence of late frosts, rain
storms, and the consequent difficulties of work
ing the bottom and even much of the marshy
and clayey uplands in their soft and muddy con-
ditiOn. Even should the caterpillar not come
as early as usual, there will be corresponding
immaturity of the plants to favor its devastating
mission; and should it not come in force at all,
still shall have the great disadvantage of late
picking with all its losses so we'll known by old
factors as well as planters. 1t will come, how
ever, beyond any doubt, and until it has spoken,
specuations as to 219, 394 or 100000 of bales
are little better than idle dreams worthy the
f"rtlle brain of the milkmaid-a counting of
chickens prematurely.
Third The area of land planted in cotton
being less and the labor less than in 1868 every
thing influencing the product must, for the re-
a firna attftt
be exceedingly propitiOus if even two and a
quarter millions of bales are to reward the toll
of the producer. very extensive and some
what minute examination of the cotton regions
of Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi enables
| the writer to compare the present with former
years in the respects both of areas planted and
| labor engaged in cotton culture.
Fourth. The recent floods in the valleys of the
Guadaloupe, Camel Colorado, and BrazOs rivers
in Texas, to say nothing of the Trinity, Neches,
| and more eastern streams of that State, have
already swept away, as in a day, the hopes
| based upon the most fertile and best cultivated
cotton valleys south and west of Red river.
Never before, since white men have known the
country, have the rivers of Middle and Western
Texas swelled so high. Their entire and wide
spread bottoms, bearing the broadest cotton
fields of the State, have been wholly oyerflowed
and swept by the Hood and the papers assure us
that nine-tenths of the crop OF the entire county
of Gonzales are destroyed.
Other large river counties having portion ION OF
river rose to the third story OF the cotton factory
at New Brownfels, and destroyed all the material
and machinery. Every Touring mill, wooHen
factory and bridge on Camel river has been
swept away. , ,....,o.i,,, of
the cotton crop throughout the very best regions
of Texas, the meagre promise afforded by much
of Arkansas Louisiana, Mississippi ana Ala
hama. it will be difficult for the experienced
merchant or manufacturer to see In the future
ony clear and satisfactory demonstration OF more
than 5OOO 600 bales, even if no worm appears.
II would be safer to fix the estimate at 100000
bales, and work accordingly
Last wear we had Georgia estimated by the
olaes III writer's above mentioned at 300 900
tben 275 COO and so on as the season advanced
down 10 $50 600 bales not to mention some
vory confident gentlemen who made still larger
| 6C,;res Now it is shown by very careful eX-
| n1inotion TO be between 100000 and 225 900
hnins let any of your readers refer to the ar
| ticies which were frequently appearing in the
| Nv York papers about this time last year
| Notably the Iimes-assuring the spiuners of a
arreotly increased product in Georgia. if they
s'ish TO see how little hese specuations in the
interest of "sellers short" are to be depended
on. Let mill owners be wise and buy early, for
thers Ypl be s@alil advantage indeed, in delay.