The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-08-25
THE DROUGHT AND WORM.
WH.tTOUR PEOPLE KSOR4B0Ur TIE
GROWING COTTON CROP.
Beaufort.

Beaufort.
CONDITION OF THE cRoPs-EFFECrs OF THE
SToRM-CACSE OF THE DIMINISHED COST OF
CoTTON-LAST SEASON AND THIS.
An attentive correspondent at Granam7lile
sends The NEWS the following highly interest
ing letter, dated August %:
!. Not more than one-third OF the number
of acres is planted in cotton as compared with
last year. and the greater part IS long staple.
This section is best adapted to the prooucuOn
of medium quality of long cotton, Whlcn
was almost the only marker crop oei9Ie tIe
war. and amounted to o very considerable
item, about Two thousand bales. Since the
war our losses have been so severe from cat
erpi!lar and unreHunerative prices that last
wear every one, white and black, pretty mucn
turned their energies to short cotton, ana
larger area Of that staple was planted than
ever before. Some considerable expense was
also incurred by purchasing, commercial ler-
tiliZers and accumLlating homemade man
ures The crop from several causes, but
chiefly the rust, made very poor yieli, ana
this, together with the miserable prices re-
one, particularly our newly entranchlsed, and
this year you will not fad on many planta-
tiops a single acre of short cotton and only
few Of the long staple. The crop, what there
is of 1t, is looking much better than last year.
Rice and corn are commanding almost en-.
tire attention-every little pond anu low
place being put into requisltion for the former;
and even some high land. while the area a OF
the latter is increased fully one-third. the
former looked and promised well before the
= storm, which Is now raging. The latter mas
not realized the promise presented during tne
first part Of July oWng to ene ong SfS spe
I should also add, that hogs are not wlteout
their admirers, aud old Kentucky and Tennes-
see will furnish US much less bacon Than ever
before.
2. The condition of the crops before the
storm | have already stated; what 1t Will be
after, dread to think. To-day Is two weeEs
since the commencement of the rain and
storm, which has continued without internis-
sion, and has been accompanied with such
constant and high winds, that the conse-
quences must be serious. Already the planters
tell me their cotton is badly whipped about
broken of, and from the long absence of the
sun the maturing bolls ore decaying.
The rice, which Is rapidly maturing, know
has suffered considerably by being whipped
off, as have myself seen the ground thickly
known as 'white rice" which is becoming
popular on account OF Its great hardness and
productiveness, and making better yield
under the pestle. The young rice which Is
now in blossom must necessarily suffer much
from u so long continued storm, and yield
Rpch less in consequence.
The corn crop cannot now be hurt. beyond
the decay of The few ears which may fall to the
ground.
3 Under the most favorable circumstances,
the short cotton crop from this section will be
q mere bagatelle, and the long cotton, though
more than last year; still mere Item, 100
small 10 have the slightest effect upon the mar
ket or prices.
The Weld Of rice will be increased somewhat,
storm permitting; but rice planting In this Sec
tion Is still In It's infancy, as it will require
much time and large expenditure to reclaim
the long abandoned rice fields, and bring the
rice crop to the Importance 1t possessed before
the war.
L. The expenses of planters this year, as
compared with the last, Is astontshingly small,
+ and tor two reasons: lst There has been but
stour barrels of the commercial fertilizer
brought to this depot. I'd. The planters, being
without capital, have worked their crops
almost entirely by renting part Of their land
and taking the rent in labor Consequently
the expenditure in money is mere tribe,
and the cro.,, for the first time since the war,
will actually belong to the planter.
To your fifth inquiry have already answer,
ed fully, and viii only add that the potato and
pea crops are very promising, but the slip crop
is complete failure.
Laurens.
EFFECTS OF THE DRoUaHT-FEARs OF A DELUGE.
Our correspondent, Laurens, writing from
Laurensville, under date of August %, says:
The crops In this part of the State have been
much injured by the drought. We have had
some rain lately, but not enough to relieve us
entirely. We have now strong indications OF
q general rain, which, from past experiences
makes us fear deluge, which, II 1t comes,
will destroy much bottom corn.
T. Clarendon.
PROBABLE YIELD OF COTTON AND CoRN-cosT OF
THE CROP.
DR.. E. Allen Huggins writes from Manning
to TEE NEWS, under date of August 81, as fol-
lows:
Having carefully collated the information
received from different sections OF this county,
give the result as follows:
l. The area planted in different agricultural
products is about the same as that OF last
year. The srea of cotton planted Is about
twenty per cent. less, and that of breadslufs |
thBfnyerse proportion.
suffered greatly from drought and rust has |
thrown OF large part Of Its fruit, and no con-
dition of climate or soil can revive 1t.
8. II the seasons should prove favorable
from this time to the harvesting, the yield OF
cotton per acre will be about twenty. per cent.
less than that OF last yeac. II unfaVorable.
about twenty 1--we per cent less.
4. The cost of production will be about
twenty per cent. less than last year. This is |
attributable, not so much to any fall in the |
price of labor, as 10 the fact that much |
smaller quantity of foreign fertilizers have |
been used than formerly.
S. The corn crop will compare favorably |
with that of last year and will be amply suf1- |
cient for home consumption.
EdReHeld.
ESTIMATES OF THE TOTAL cRor, OF ls71-coN-
. D1TroN OF THE CROP IS THE COUNTY, RETRO. |
sPECT.
Our correspondent, senex, writes from
Edgefeld Courthouse as follows, under date |
OF August 2lst:
have taken some trouble to ascertain the |
amount of cotton planted the present year as |
compared with the last, and am certain that |
the deficiency will be fully one-fourth. But |
the lands that are planted In cotton are above |
the average in quality OF those planted in corn.
The cotton looks promising up to this time for |
a large yield, being very full of forms, blooms |
and bolls And, although there was not much |
more than half the fertilizers used the present |
wear, compared with last, it must be remember
ed fertilizers we're used coplously the past year,
and this year Is resping some of the benefits, |
as the same lands have generally been planted |
again in cotton. That portion of our district |
through which the Columbia and Augusta
Doilrood rrne Ennwn az the Ridge, Where |