The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1871-01-28
THE LONG COTTON CROP.
~ INTERESTING REVIEW OF THE
SEASON.
What Is the Maximum Crop ;

It seems that we are to have out one ione
cotton market. The meagre receipts at saVan-
nah, amounting to something IKE zooo oales'
for the present season, against e'l4 iast year,
would indicate supply scarcely sufhcient TO
constitute market.
In view of the TACT that this staple lot tne
future will find its sole market in Charleston,
it becomes important that we should form
some reliable estimate of the crop ROW under
sale. think neither the buyers nor factors
are prepared to admit the greatly diminished
production OF long cotton for the year 1870.
We do not complain OF the increddity OF oa'
siness men in this particular, for planters
themselves found 1t difficult to realize the dis
astrous harvest awaiting them. The crop
promised at one time so well, and we escaped
with so little injury from the worm, that it
looks improbable when the assertion is made IN
planting circles that the crop Of the present
season will scarcely reach half the crop o! the
previous year.
Nevertheless, the statement Is true. Plant
ers of experience all agree that the crop SUNK
SON to most. unprecedented degree. Al
though at the beginning, before any COM
nlainis were made, T looked for serious injury
10 the cotton crop in view of the sudden and
extreme vicissitudes Of the season ana Inc
singular cessation of vitality In vegetable NE
as disclosed In the gardens ana corh nelus,
&c...yet had no Just conception OF tne over
Whelminr loss which has actually accrued, for
had never witnessed anything like II IN
Although the crop shed the bolls to some
extent, there was no correspondence oetween ,l
the loss suffered in this way and tne aclusi in-
Jury suffered in the yield. There were poiis
eenonCh that came to maturity to have made
clever crop, but these bolls were not more
than two-thirds to one-halt the bulk usually
reached. They were like dwarfed ears OF corn
when we have biniof s.nubbins" instead OF
fnll ears. The grain may be sound, put tne
ears are small and the grain smaH ana h9hL
Good average long cotton 6ohs shoulo give
FROM eight to eleven grams OF INT W y pou.
had occasion to weigh pea aseI po1 tht isom ,,ast
selected stalk in my garden, curing .ae pas past
summer, and to my surprise found the poos
InaSiny but Ave grains Of lint, although they
Wereabparently sound ana Aeaitny;
The consequence of this dmfnua0n IN QUIZ
of nod was, that ins.ead of $40 to 1000 pods
dvino a nonnd of lint. it required, presume.
from fa0oto 1900, and tas the season progressed
and the vitality Of the plants became more
Seriously interrupted, i should not be snrpris-
cd ff it required even 1000. Thus 1t was that
the crop sunk so unaccouptably below the pru,.
dent estimates OF experie iensed planters OF geoa
Judgment and careful observation.
The past season was one OF extremes, cnang-
ing from q wet June to dry and burning July,
and again to wet August. There appeared,
too, 10; be singular atmospheric condition.
which sapped theliEe OF all kinds OF vegetation.
The gardens all fred ahd the plants died ont
In: the best manured and cultivated enclosures.
So. too, corn, without apparent reason,
tsflredm and did not reach half its promise.
Owing to the poverty OF the atmosphere IL
failed to give the lungs OF the plants tne
amount of atmospheric food. so readily OBJ
ta,ned. IN normal seasons; the leaves lost their
vitality. and the plants perished at the critical
period of forming the Seed This IS q critical
period In all plants. In wheat, on the best
and most adaptable lands, there are seasons
which. occurring just at the period Of the
formation OF the grain, render the crop utterly
worthless.
It seems that our cotton plants, during the
past season; suffered 4 like reverse, Dodlned,
doubtless, by the long-lived nature OF the
plant and the recuperative capacities incident
to 1t.
Upon examination of crops around me, l es-
timated the loss ut from 40 TO 80 per cent; IN
some Instances more than this, from what such
crops would without doubt have brought ID
fair, ordinary seasons. This estimate Is made
by broad inspection Of fields In comparison
with results reached.
reached by decline in pods. II the decline
suffered in bulk of average individual pod va
ried as supposed from ] to !, this would give
ms o decline of 7-l2 as the average, which would
leave us with an average oil 5-l2 for the crop
actually made. Les us try this and see now II
corresponds with planters observations. Cot
ton promising