Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-04-22
THE CROPS.
win the Next Crop be g Short One 3Ef-
feet Of the Presidential CAM
paign on Negro Labor.
What the Farmers are Doing and What
they Should dO-The Country
Press.

The New Orleans correspondent of the
New York World writes: Business men
in this great cotton mart are discussing
a serious problem: Whatwill be the eff
feet Of the Presidential campaign on the
next cotton crop? The question is one
of equal importance at the North, for
upon the great staple depends our ability
to meet our commercial obligations to
Europe and to regulate our business at
home. 1t is beyond doubt that General
Grant will make extraordinary efforts to
carry the Southern States To this end
every species of cajolery, every sensation
dodge known to political wire-pullers,
will be used to bring out and fasten
the negro vote. There will be mass
conventions, barbecues, torchlight pro-
cessIOns, protracted meetings, and all
that sort of thing, to tickle the
African ear and eye. Labor will
therefore be uncertain in its operations.
The negro, after all, is but a child in in
tellect. He is easily drawn away by
glitter and show. The excitement and
dissipation of a political gathering, the
lattery and fawning of white men who
want his, are peculiarly attractive to
him. He is improvident. He has no!
disposition to work for more than a bare
livelihood. When the barbecue comes
in competition with the hoe, free LIQUOR
at the hustings with toll in the field,
who doubts where our colored brother
will be found? The hottest part of the
Presidential campaign will eoine in the
picking season, when a day or an hour
lost is 50 much lost to the cotton crop,
and loss that cannot be retrieved. Is
it not possible, therefore, that next sea
son may be very short crop III conse-
quence Of the partial withdrawal of the
negroes from labor, and may not the
price for middlings once more range in
the thirties? The matter is worthy of
thought in the commercial world.
The season in LOwndes for a good
crop thus far, says the Columbus Mis-
sissippi) Lader, is anslicscls, bat it
isn't going 60 be the right kind of crop.
There ls too much eOtton-it is nearly
all cotton. As an example, We were
out six or eight miles west of Columbus
on one of the prairie roads, the other
day, and every field we noticed was
covered with the staple except a small
patch, probably planted for roasting
ears, or for seed corn, to prevent the
owner from forgetting how that cereal
looked. Ii Is truly dlseouraging, and
will bring about the same trouble that
kept the South a nation of slaves. But
the press has done its duty against the
faulty of the planter.
The Pamela Mississipi) Star says:
81 We do hOpe-sincerely hope-that our
farmers viii Prefit by past lessons and
will pay more attention to the improve
ment Of their lands, and devote more
time to the culture Of corn, wheat nota-
toes, clover and the grasses. Cotton is
good enough In its place, and must al
ways be the chief crop for market with
US. But it does not seem to US that wis
dom and experience should teach US
that we should pay more attention tothe
saving of manures and 10 the proper
preparation and enltiVafion Of eur laneis,
and to the production of such crops as
are necessary for home consumption and
then devote the remainder OF our ener-
gies TO eottOn,n
The Star of Enterprise says: t'This sec
ton of country has been deluged with
rain for some time past; erop prospects
have been seriously retarded, and on
Monday serious apprehensions that we
would be visited By another dreaded over
flow were entertained, but at this present
writing-Tuesday mOrning-theTe does
not seem to be any Immediate danger;
the river has commenced receding,"
The East Aisssss5ppsaa complains in |
its last issue that it was delayed one day
on account of the lengthy lists of lands 1
foT sale for delinquent taxes. i
The Oxford (Mississippi) FdJcoR says:
The heavy rains the latter part of last |
week and the first Of this have retarded
to some extent the planting interests. !
Our farmers have NOT as yet got through /
planting corn, and have made but little /
headway with cotton,
The Canton (Stississippi) Citisen pub |
fishes an extract from private, dated |
at YazOo City, April 5th, which says:
"Weather continues cold and rainy. 1
Prospects are not encouraging in this /
county. Farmers are not done break
ing-up land yet, and the majority are
not hair through with their cotton land.
There was a tendency to plant more
cotton early in the season, but the high |
price of corn lone dollar and fifty cents
per bushel) in the county now, has
changed the minds of most farmers in
this section, All the sensible ones are
beginning to realize that it is the inter-
est of the South not to make over three
or three and a quarter million Of bales, /
and live more at hons