Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-05-15


TIE CROPS-The spring so far
over much of the South has been re-
markably unfavorable for the agricul-
turis5, the fall of rain having been I'M
usually great, swelling the rivers and
streams and Overfo wing the ground,
causing destruction of the planting
or delay in work, which has place d
field labor i'll many sections two or
three weeks later than usual; and in
the Southwest the immense floods in
the Mississippi and its tributaries has
presented a scene of loss and misfor-
tune i'll some of the most fertile sec
lions almost without a parallel. Should
the water not speedily recede and
every assistance be afforded to planters
IN those sections, the planting of O
crop would seem to be impossible. In.
telllgence from the eastern part of this
State mention that work has been re-
tarded by too much rain, and that the
planting will be quite backward; the
area devoted to grain will generally be
large, and in some quarters the acreage
in cotton will be reduced one-fOurth to
one-ffth.
The following extracts will indicate
the present position Of the crops in
some sections:
From the Rock Hill, Is. O. Grange:
"Owing to the late heavy and
protracted rains the cotton and
corn crops are much behind what they
were last year at this time. We hear
of very few farmers who have as yet
planted cotton, while not more than
third or one-half the corn crop is
yet in the ground. While the lands
generally were prepared for cotton
and corn last week, ploughing was de-
layed at least eight or ten days by the
rains. These crops necessarily will be
backward, more especially SO as the
amount of the fertilizers used is much
less than usual The wheat and oat
crops are more promising than they
have been in years, and large yield
of these crops must now almost OF a
necessity result.
From the Union, 6. O. Times:
Grain, rail-, lain, nothing but
rain for the past week, and IL con-
sequence our planters are greatly be-
hind in their farm work. The cotton
should be planted by this time, but
not one planter out of twenty has been
able to run a furrow towards it. Some
few have planted corn on the uplands.
Planting prospects are as gloomy as
the weather, and there is but little APP
pearance that the latter will be any
better for some days"
From the Macon, ga Telegraph
and Messenger: 1--WE learned yes
terday from a well known planter
who runs several large farms in Lee
and Dougherty counties, that the late
rains have given all growing crops a
serious setback. Before the rains
the prospect was as fine as could have
been desired, particularly as to oats.
Now, however, rust has made its APP
pearance everywhere, and the loss on
that crop will be heavy. Cotton is
yellow and sickly. The ground is too
wet to plough, and is 50 thoroughly
saturated with water that what falls
remains on the surface. a week OF
| ten days of hot, dry weather will, how
ever, work great change for the bet
| ter. But of that there seems little
| it is true, but there is little heat in its
rays, and the nights are cool enough
| for fire"
From the Huntsville. Ala, Demo
crat: The planters are far behind IL
planting. Few, if any, have PLANTED
any cotton, and very little corn Ia:
been planted. We heard one of on
best farmers say, the other day, tina
18th of April last year, and made ;
better crop than any one of his neigh
bors, who planted earlier, which IN
attributed to his land being more thor
ou"hly prepared. We heard anothe
f,,1 H..
many years ago the frost killed hi
corn aud cotton the latter part O
April, aud he was forced to plougl
them up and replant; and he made
line crop Of cotton, but his corn was
failure, because lie had little OF II
rain I'LL August From the experience
of these two gentlemen, We infer tina
our planters need not be lown-hcaitrd
Ii the weather proves seasonablc frol
May to harvest time they may sc
make good crops"
COMMERCIAL PITOME.- Thcl
has been only slight improvement i
the leading departments of trade dul
ing the period under review, and tn
general business situation is, for til
most part unchanged. The currenc
bill, which still remains unsettled, la
IT'S u pun ouSIito~, ptlt q
it has been definitely settled that Coz
: gress will take no decided action upo
during the present session, bushes
. men generally are turning their a
. tention therefrom and looking to the
5 own interest on the present currenc
2 basis. No better proof of this can L
established than in the following d
ticle which we take from the Ne
o York Commercial List. It says:
Although trade, as a whole, is fl
o from being active, the sentiment
0 well informed business circles is thu
5 the extreme point of depression h;
o been passed, and that, should IL
crops sustain no serious disaster,
: large and prosperous Autumn traG
5 may be looked for. The laws of trai
are as immutable as the laws of natur
: With an excessive volume of deprec
{ ated and irredeemable currency IL
. country ran heightened career
speculation and overtrading, till owe
- taken by acollapse last Autumn, whie
y eor;nrelv impaired credits and com
deuce. Since then all enterprise h;
% been in q halting condition, and bus
% ness has been marked by extreme Cal
o ton and depression. The masses La,
not only INDUCED much less in tt
= qualification of 1uxuries, owing part
I to enforced economy, but have bougl
much more sparingly of multitude
t products which, i'll the aggregat
e mako I'D so large a portion of ii