Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-10-24
THE CROPS.
Prospective Prices--A Braght and
Prosperous Future BEFORE the Agri-
cultural Population

Prosperous Future Before the Agri-
| cultural Population.
From the Cincinnati, Gazette, Oct. -
AS compared with several years past,
the crops of 1869 have turned out bounti-
fully. While in many sections there
is large deficiency in the corn crop,
owing to the drouth, such deficiency has
more than been made up by good wheat,
potato. grass and fruit crops. So that,
on the whole, the country may be pro-
foundIy thankful for the abundance of
good things with which kind Providence
has blessed us.
AS TO prices. very remunerative rates
bid fair to rule for pork, corn, oats and
hay, while the farmer viii probably
have to content himself with only mod
crate prices for his wheat, potatoes and
fruits. High prices and large crops sell
dom 90 together. But this leads US to
ask, is not the pork crop, this year,
large one, notwithstanding prices promise
to rule so high? If we cOnfine our view
TO the great corn belt, we certainly can
not saw, in the light of all the informa-
ton we can get, that the pork crop is GO
ing to be small one. II will, we think,
be full average one. Although the corn
crop is light compared with what it would
have been if we had had no drouth, or
what it would have been if farmers had
learned the importance of thorough and
deep culture coupled with drainage, still
there has corn enough been made
to fatten all the hogs in the coun-
try. With the probable prices ruling for
pork, farmers viii feed plentifully and
send to market not light, but heavy hogs.
They may try to economic, and save as
much as they can their corn, which also
hast high price And to do this may cook
their corn, or they may feed partly on
cooked potatoes. In many places, too,
they will avail themselves of the large
mast crop of the present year. But, in
one way or another, We shall see that the
full number of the hogs of the country will
be fattened, and fattened well
Some of our pork men, who have the
reputation of possessing a good deal of
shrewdness, manifest shyness about
operating in pork at the prices which seem
bound to prevail. They argue that the
continuance of those high prices is affect
ing consumption; that many families are
resOrting to cheaper meats, mutton for in
stance, which rules at about half
the price of pork. In the
northern, middle, and western sec
lions of the Union, this is I'M
doubleday so. But we Opine that many of
our pork men do not take into full con-
sideratiOn another very important fact
the South must hare our bacon, not
withstanding high prices rule. In former
times, when the price of bacon ran high,
the Southern planters would substitute
molasses for bacon, and 90 to work to
raise more corn and meat himself. But,
owing to the decentralization existing
among the laborers in their transition state
from slaves to freemen, in most portions
of the South scarcely any attempt is now
made to raise hogs. If the attempt is
made, they are frequently lost by theft.
Consequently, from the peculiar condition
of affairs there, the business of raising
bacon has become almost abandoned.
And as the labOrers are now their own
masters, in making contracts for their
work, they always insist on bacon as
part of their daily ratiOns They will not
take molasses in place of bacon.
And of course in that climate, mutton
cannot he substituted for pork as with us.
Besides this, while the planter is getting
such high prices for his own staples, cot
ton and sugar, he pays quite cheerfully
high prices also for his bacon and meal; in
like manner as our farmers, when they
have good prices for their crops, cheer
fullV nav high DricpS for their Louisiana
sugar and molasses.
We think, therefore, that for years to
come the very greatly increased and inn
pcrative demand for our corn and heg
products will cause prices to rule compar-
atively high. And with high prices for
corn and pork, with high prices for cot
ton, and with high prices for Louisiana
sugar, there looms up before our entire
agricultural population a bright and pros
porous future.