New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-12
AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.
CONDITION AND PROBABLE RETURNS OF
THE CROPS

OF THE RECENT sT0RMS-ILLINoIs CORN ONb-
HALF THE USUAL YIELD-PRoBABLE RETURNS
PROM THE ORCHARDS.
The wheat crop of Maryland and Virginia VIII De
not Ear from nine bushels to the acre, which is iar
average. while more than the usual area was sown'
In North Carolina and Tennessee the yield VIII DC
less; in kentucky, or in those parts where farming
is well done. the yield will be as much
AS re bushels. To these regions are to be edded
Southern Indiana and the parts OF Illinois ana
Missouri as growing the choice Winter wheat, all
having an average yield, which is in shock; but
now repeated rains have injured the quality 80 that
the grade viii be reduced. 1t is almost too soon to
speak OF tobacco but the present prospect is fair
and more than the usual amount has been planted
There is no reason for changihgthe estimate of the
southern corn crop-namely, that it will be full
average, at least.
During the last 90 days a species of gambling IN
cotton has been going on in this city, and all &C
counts of the coming crop from those interested III
future prices are not to be depended upon Fun re
ports from local exchanges give the following' III
Texas the yield of cotton is likely to be an aVerase
notwithstanding heavy rains, cotton worms anu
backwarlneSs of the season. Wet weather mas Oeoh
a serious drawback IN Louisiana but there Is an
excess of planting of abou. 10 per cent fafoi"'io
Seater is now reported. In Mississippi so muoh COZ
ton was planted, with wet weather ioho"ins' ,""U
,o,no ,lonters have abandoned a part that they
,Do,, soyo the remainder From parts OF Alabama
come general complaints of tho cotton worm' WIN
doleful predictions, but this pest IS always local
Georgia sends few complaints, and 1t Is predicted
that She will produce larger crop than ever before
In South Carolina cotton is not forward as 1t was
last year at this time but its condition is healhful,
while larger breadth has been planted. About
the same is 10 DO said Of North Carolina. Several
things are to be stated with reference to the crop OF
the States named that On intelligent estimate may
he found. The chief and almost the only crop IS
cotton aud the bordering States such as Virginia,
Tennessee, and Kentucky, are tenders, fur
nsling grain, hay, meat, butter, ana even
eggs. The culture of cotton has been reduced TO a
system by long experience, and farmers know, what
ever may be said to the contrary, that no other crop
will pay so well They do not hesitate to invest
largely in teams implements and special manures'
Cotton does not require rich land, and nothhg Is
more certain than that by their system they can
grow it for thousands of years for when the soil Is
exhausted they let the land grow up to the old leaf
nine. and after certain period cut it off getting
fresh land First forest, next cotton field, all IN
due rotation They have pursuit but cotton
prowing If the season is too wet or too dry, they
know exactly what to do, and, having nothing
else 10 do they do it. An average season requires
definite amount of labor; an adverse one, more
labor From the borders, where the supply region
commences and where mixed husbandry prevails
we have unfavorable accounts, for when work
pushes they neglect this cotton, but IN the true
cotton region where the great bulk of the crop is
produced there is no such thing as neglect. Some
OF the croakers say that, on the whole, the yield
VIII be short by ODetenth This may be granted, put
il must also be admitted that the Increased breadth
of planting is one-sixth, so that 1t may be said
,aI,,r Of fV hn a
least,
Accounts of the late storms in the West show
serious damage They seem TO have begun in East
ern Kansas aud Nebraska. for they were not heard
of ON the Plains to have Travelled Eastward through
Iowa and Missouri to Wisconsin, where this North
ern limit died away, while the central column
RACED through Central and Southern Illinois, across
Indiana, and then poured with understandable fury
upon Southern Ohio. All these fine valleys first OF
the Wabash then of the Miami, of the Aluskingum
and Scioto. were flooded; some farms COM
pietey desoated, and the people fled for their lives
The damage spread over eight or ten counties is
estimated from 5000 TO $4,000 each, making an
average of over $4,000. The greatest destruction
must be Of corn for wheat is not largely grown IN
these valleys as on the adjacent uplands and as the
WELD Of corn is here always heavy the total crop OF
the State is seriously reduced. These valleys have
been largely devoted to feeding cattle for Eastern
markets and TO fattening hogs, which interests must
sutfer. The business Of growing broom-corn in the
Connecticut Valley was broken down few
wears ago by the heavy crops produced
i'm these valleys, and now large breadths
are reported as destroyed The effect of these storms
on the great corn crop of Illinois is not likely to be
.erious for the land is mostly level, and only small
portions could have been flooded Recent particular
information from Illinois tends to new statement
Of the corn CROP not in regard to the amount but in
regard In the quality. Illinois viii have half corn
CROP but not more than a third of crop of
Inerchaatabe corn the rest will be only bit to feed
t0 stock which will Offset the deficiency Of the Ohio
Vallies.
Now. il must be granted that when half of the
corn crop of Illinois is taken for the whole yield Of
the country it would seem TO make serious de-
fccncy, and it certainly Would have done SO two
wears ago But the great corn belt extends across
the Mississippi into Iowa, North Missouri Kansas
and Nebraska, and the extent of corn recently
brought into cultivation is enormous Illinois can
moi always bear the PALM Iowa and Missouri have
an eoual extent; 80 has Kansas. The Platte Valley
and the valleys of its tributaries excel it, By far the
largest portion of these :regiOns has a rolling
surface and wide districts elevated plateaus
while the soil is largely of sandy nature and often
has a natural drainage 50 that heavy rams are not
50 disastrous nor are they 80 common, as they are
further east since a gradual approach has been
made TO The meridian lines Of aTidity. With the
heavy stock of old corn hand-for all Of 1t could
neither be burned nor shipped-the crop of the
country for 1873 cannot fall much, if any below that
Of 1872. The East, however. will be deficient and
much Of the business Of the coming year is to grow
out of this distribution.
Parts of New-England have been favored with
showers; other parts arc still desoiate, and on
sandy soil the crops of this year are as good as
$500 La. nhr,a Of Now York have i'm