Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-10-01
4 short Crop and its Causas
LUEAULA, Ain. Sent IL 10

AofAoLA, an, sept. ! t, 1850
Etttt0T hnq'irer: have noticed OIL
earl spring strong inclination nnon r'I U
part OF many OF our planters, as we'll Ine
Our southern papers, to over estimate a. az
present cotton crop. The only sunno,t 'H lG
inc IDEA of large crop that / have soo1
Ut al was the quantity planted. We ka
gun the present crop with poor stanI
OWING to the scarcity of seed and tho ,, o'
lessness of the negroes in reducinr, ~ Vare-
stand, chOpping too much of II nv a
will be recollected that We had n yor p, IL
and cold spring. very unpropitonsI "ct
son-our cotton was planted ten do sea
two weeks later than last season onJ u 70
early spring was unfavorabe to its r,ra,, 'uo
and our land was badly prepared and ho "a
ly worked, which encouraged tho ror1;i
growth of weeds and grass-aIl If 1, Ipla
superinduced m unhealthy state If W,L
plant, which seemed to ENCOURAGE tho me me
pagatiOn of insects, for | meyer sa1 p'o
many of them upon cotton before os thos ~
were this season. They certainIv Jrn
upon the plant for their support ana W
proportion rs they wero nouriyheI on ~
perpetuated tho cotton plant was ininr" u'
L came to the conclusion that the nacnIin.
cold and wet season and bad cnltnro "t
the land not only retarded the early 10
Velopment and healthy growth Of tba
plant, but facilitated tho propagation %
these destructive insects. In spriDpino
into life they found tho accea in that nr"r
liar unhealthy condition which seemed f.
be favorable for their nourishment ami
perpetulty, which fact seems to hold cool
with our frnit trees as we'll as orr r"rast
growth. This peculiar season of Wet nni
cold weather, So injurious 10 the cottom
plant, was succeeded by one Of the dryc.f
hottest seasons | over felt the a1ey'g,,'
protected from reflection, ranged for vaat.
from 50 deg. to 9G deg, and some DAYS +
rose to lOl degrees, and all the Time drv
Had this heat been accompanied nv orr,
slonal showers our cotton would not hava
suffered. have never known cotton so
injured by heat before the leaves. the
squares, and small bols Withcrcd. parchrd
up and fell oil by thousands, and the
stalks and limbs became hard and ceased
to grow or lmpart any nourShment to the
foliage or fruit. And this condition of tine
plant was succeeded 10y n full development
OF tho disease or anlmalculp known AS the
rust, and 1t IS known that there il no fur
thGr growth or maturity Of the cotton
plant after tho attack OF the rust, nor will
the fruit mature upon tho plant but will
open If sufficiently maturcl, though pre-
l have mover known cOtton at
tackled by the rust at such an immature
state of the plant as at the present season-
and so far as my observation and inquirics
go, all loose lands arc moro or less the sub
lects Of its ruinous effects. Some of our
Stiff river lands are moro exempt, and OK
emptlon may possibly be owing to como
extent to tho fact that tho owners Of snch
lands know if those lands are not thorough
y and early broken mp, that thoy will not
DO very remunerative, and hence they
get the earliest and best breaking up.
The cotton plant seems recently to be
subject to more disasters than formerly
and it seems to DO a more uncertain crop
within the last few years and may this
not be to some extent attrihu-
table to the fact that we are later in be
ginning to prepare our grounds, and pre-.
pare them less etlectually than formerly
The casualties preiudiciai to cotton culture
are apparently on the increase, and
think if we will begin earlier and prepare
more thoroughly our lands, we would be
more successful in producing good cotton
crops. The earth seems the resting place
IF the germs of sOme of the destructive
of the cotton, and if so, then
he earlier in Winter We expose them to
he frOsts and freezes, AMI the more eitec
ually break mp the earth, We would not
only more effectually destroy them, but we
would greatly increase the production OF
,ur farms
In addition to the failure of tho produc-
ion Of cotton as above stated, there is
mother fruitful cause of Il short crop
which is the legitimate result of the facts
lready mentioned. / allude to the light
'ield of lint in proportion to the amount
# seed cotton. My agent, an intelligent
nd practical farmer, weighed 500 pounds
# seed cotton, ginned it. and obtained
My 40 pounds of lint. He then ginncd
200 pounds of seed cotton and got only
80 pounds of lint. And all cotton open
ne prematnrely will produce light re
urn of lint, which the rust and excessive
ronth will produce or bring about.
l am of the opinion that any COttOA and
n any season, well cultivated, will give
on better yield of lint than the same
mount of cotton badly cultivated. This
experiment. was from cotton not well cult
ated. hope to receive better yield
rom other squads, whose cotton has been
norc thoroughly cultivated. The lint
Gems to suffer even more than the cotton
liant from misfortunes or bad culture, and
ence / expect short crop this season,
rst, from q bad stand secondly, bad
York and slow beginning ; and lastly and
Mostly, from the almost universal preya
5nce of rust. And fear the planters will
% this Fall as they did in 1868 suffer the
OttO1a to pass into the hands of Spectator
efore the maximum price is reached. 1t
oes appear but just that he who makes
he cotton shoald get all it is worth, and
et the Speculation and manufacturer specu-
ate upon the mere nominal value, a. do
he operators in the Stock Exchange OF
lew York and elsewhere.
YOnr friend, ii. M. FL.
CoinmLuS Eaquiyer.