New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-07-07
AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.
THE DR0UTH AND IT'S EFFECT on THE
CROPS.

| HLIh0Is-towA, KANSAS AND NEBRASKA n
HAVE sURPLUs-THg DAIRYsfEH DEsPOSDENI
| The drouth which has been extending the
larger part of New-En gland. over Eastern New
! York. Eastern Pennsylvania, and most of Delaware
and Maryland, has been somewhat interrupted bJ
local showers of varying volume, which have fallen
through much of this region, aud with increasing
! frequency. They have covered areas of a few
miles IN circumference leaving Intervening spaces
~ dry "a before Within the ram circles. wheat
potatoes and corn have been greatly benefited, but
they revived garden vegetation only ID part, since
the ian OF rain was too light, while the
showers came altogether too late for meadows,
The general estimate is, that hay will not
be more than third Of a crop, but this estimate u
considered by some too low. as the quality Is supe
rior' while those meadows on low grounds rill cut
heavy swaths that If computed by values the
crop may probably be fairly estimated at twOthirds.
II IL tre that the price Of hay has advanced in many
places from % to 100 per cent, bat it is not Ekely
that this viii be maintained. for an immense amount
OF corn fodder can ana will yet be grown. The
dtiOns are sowing in drills B. feet apart on rich
deeply -plowed Land. at the rate of two bushels ~
the acre, thorough tIage with the eultiyatOr or
even piow, and she chopping out OF all weeds. In
New-Engand the season has not been so
the postponement of the annual show Of roses in
Boston, which hitherto has been held from the 10Th
70 the 10Th Of June. Not much can be expected
from early potatoes, unless on moist ground. but
late ONES may yield abundantly. The most dis
couragng aspect affecting home life, growing ont of
the drouth, Is the desOlation of gardens aud Orna-
mental grounds, which in a great many cases look
D If scorched by fire, preyed upon by sWarms of
destructive insects; and to all this n % Ice added
the failure of wells and the drying of streams. Thus
dr0uth IL only remarkable in regard 10 the earli-
ness OF Its appearance, and its damage II
chiefly due to this, for It came ut a time
when a large portion of the crops Of the
wear were committed to the earth, and while there
were only tbrous roots and tender leaves. Had it
begun two months later. when tap-FoOts and rough
and broad leaves had been formed the plants could
have struggled through, and when rains had finally
come. growth would have been resumed with COM
paTativelY little damage. But nothing can be done
Tor a dead plant Hence, strawberries and fruit
trees of last Springs setting, well A. ornamental
shrubbery aud trees, persisted. In the Connecticut
Valley that portion Of the tobacco plants whch have
been saved were watered by hand. and every mem
Der Of the family has struggled faithfully to retain
feeble hold life. The predictions Of rainfall,
sent out from the Signal Service Bureau, have not
been fulfilled
Taking the whole Of the South together, it IS read
lis seen that their corn crop Is likely TO be large
not in spite Of but on account Of the continued
rains for on the thin soi Of theiE upands mois
tire is the chief needed element. Cotton il Ger
tainly suffering both from excess Of moisture and
from the rapid growth OF grass. The planters nm
derstand the clearly. and they directing all
their force 20 the destruction of the grass IN the
corn that the crop may be Laid by As 1t should have
been by this time. Next, they viii attend 10 the
cotton. and upon their success in getting it clean
and in keeping it so the crop viii depend 1t Is Al
most invariably the case that a drouth prevails
through the cotton States and indeed. through the
whole South during the months Of July and August
and & is for This reason alone that cotton is 50 sue
ces,fll there for this plant neither be worked
nor grown. or certainly not matured. in i damp
climate.
The corn crop IF Illinois is usually 80 over~helm-
ing that upon its condition estimate Of the aygre
gate crop Of the country - 70 be based II Il very
well known that IL was planted late. and shat cold
weather and prouacted sains prevented It's growth.
Next came several weeks of dry, hOt weather when
the ground baked hard. and the plant suffered i'm
mensey. However culuvatOB ran early and late
and wherever the crust was broken the All was ad-
mitted. and the roots worked rapidly into the fer
tile mellow soil. few days ago heavy showers fell
over a good part Of the State and the streams ran
full still in no event can there be more than half a
crop Of corn in Illinois, because not sufficient ground
was planted, and If there had been. 1t
VA, planted 80 late that force enough
could not be applied during the limited time
left 20 work Il. Corn growing IN this state has
been reduced TO such system that an average yield
IL impossible without time. Now. Iowa, North Mis-
,our Nebraska. and Kansas are likely 20 have more
than an average crop Of corn; Ohio and parts of In
diana may have nearly an average We may say
therefore that we shall have threefourths Of corn
crop But about One-fOurth Of last years crop IN
Iowa and Illinois remains On hand; 50 that II prices
advance We shall 20 into the year 1874 with full
crop On this crop heavy demand will be made
by the States and parts Of states when
have been named "a suffering with the
drouth. and it is tolerably safe 70 predict
that corn will bring next season 80 cents bushei ut
most Western stations. Eastern farmers will be
taxed pretty heavily, but they can draw on their
resources. Hence. a good deal Of money Will be put
in circulation and those Western farmers who have
corn will do we'll II costs them about % cents 70
grow bushel of corn and put II IN the cars and II
II brings % cents bushel instead of - cents, Is was
the case with the last crop the difference Will DO
largely IN favor of the West. At rst, Eastern COM
mercial centers viii be likely to feel great
stringency, but 30 soon as the crop with us
margin of, say 20 cents a bushel. begins TO move
trade generally viii revive and what may be
called sort of panic and which would be real one
if we were not so rich and strong, will probably
be escaped.
There is no doubt but that the wheat crop VIII
be IN average one though there will he deficiency
Of White Winter Wheat but 1t Will be more than
counterbalanced by the large breadth OF Spring
Wheat. Iowa, Nebraska. and Minnesota will have
an extra yield, aud they are heavy producers
Kansas which was sadly deficient last year, will
have q fair surplus.
Inst now Eastern dairy farms are gloomy enough
for milk Is slowly shrinking and they cannot SEQ
how they are TO carry their cows through the Win