New-York tribune., 1874-07-23
THE CROPS.
THEIR CONDITION AND PROSPECTS

CORN ASD NORIHLBS SPRING wHEAT-TdE 70.
TATO CROP LIGHT.
Ia an parts Of the United States facing the Allan.
tic tine Spring was cold and late but after the m,
| die of May came warm. growing weather with sea-
/ sonable showers lasting until early IN June when
several weeks OF dry, extremely hot weather fol-
lowed, causing great alarm. In July local sh wen,
were reported and before thc l0ih heavy and pro
tracted rains flll over a wide extent of country
Meanwhile the wheat crop had been gathered
through the South and largely up to the center Of
s2ch States rs OdiO. Indiana. and Illinois BY all
accounts the quantity IS above the average and tho
quality is unexceed well it might be- fOr IT is all
Winter wheat. and the dry weather was IN every
way 50 favorable for harvesting. We may Therefore
say quite positively that the grade OF the best quail
ties of Hour will be high. and unless Spring wheat
shall hereafter be 80 damaged by wet weather 10
make heavy demand OF white wheat Tor raising
the grade the price of choice flour viii probably be
reasonable Inc time Tor setting out tobacco pants
passed during the dry period, aud it Is universally
reported that the crop can be than halt aODe
for insects had destroyed large maJOuty OF tho
plants in their seed beds and only on moist ground
could plants be made to live. This must be consid-
cred good news to those who have been holding over
old stocks and to those VINO fortunately have been
able to get stand Of plants This condition refers
most to Western culture while it Is understood that
the growers in the Connecticut Valley have been
planting potatoes and corn instead OF tobacco.
Owing TO various unfavorable conditions both
on high and on low ground it was necessary TO re-
plant much cotton and this crop also became late
one but during the dry weather il was easy 70 keep
the ground clean and to eXterminate the grass 80
that when forcing weather came the cropwas IN hne
order and it may now SAID To be highly promising
SO far nothing is heard of the cotton wOrm OF winch
there are three successive generations the last only
committing ravages and only upon late plants. lho
first brood usually appears in May. 1t Is authoH-
tatively stated that less planted this year than
last by ten per cent; but whether this means less in
proportion to the amount of land in cultivation OF
less in actual number of acres does not appear. Tho
probability is that the crop Will be not only larger
than was grown last year but larger than ever was
grown before, because it is known by almost every
planter that the world needs more cotton as the
years pass away, and, besides labor Is gradually be-
coming more effective, and all the methods by which
cotton is raised are better understood the Imple-
ments are improved and the whole system established
for handling the crop gradually being perfected,
making the margins Of profit between the producer
and the manufacturer less. The corn crop OF the
South was late and the dry weather was not favor
able but cultivation was continued, and when rain
the plant came IdpitlI9 duu thC NlVP
was soon laid by or the labor bestowed upon it
finished OF the oyerowed districts it is to be said
that when the water receded larger breadths were
put in cultivation than could have been supposed
possible and the sugar crop is unexpectedly pTomis
ing though there heavy losses. 1t was expected
previously to the Hood that the yield would reach
10000 hogsheads, but now 10000 are estimated as
the loss, leaving, in fact, larger production than
has been the average since the war.
Rice culture is rapidly increasing in Louisiana,
and 5000 additional acres are reported FOR the present
year. In 1870 the number of clean barrels produced
was nearly 500OO last year 1t was 5000. Ihe net
Increase of this year will probably swell the produc
ton to over 100000 barrels. The profits on rice are
fully equal to those of sugar. while the dlilcltles
are less and the capital required is vastly smaller
Through the Spring wheat region of the Northern
States the reports still continue TO be favorable.
Oats seem generally to have short straw. but tho
heads are heavy. The general cut of hay has been
below the average. The drouth had become alarm
ing, but it was generally broken before the 10TH aud
the corn crop to have been assured But 1t Is
not to be disguised that the rayages of the chinch
bug are reported from many quarters and over so
wide an extent of country in the corn region, reach
ing from Kansas to Illinois, that ii is possible the
total injury may be serious. The chinch bug has been
a
of Illinois, for more than ten years and in limited
localities grain of all kinds has been destroyed
But this season the pest seems TO have appeared
simultaneously over far wider extent and in far
greater number of places. and during the dry
weather corn and other grains were devastated
After the rain they somewhat abated Whether
this insect is actually increasing as might appear 10
be the case and whether 1t Is likely 70 increase
hereafter, time alone can disclose. Some 40 years
ago the weev and especially the :" fly became so
numerous in parts of the State of New-lork that IL
was impossible to grow wheat, and as a crop II was
abandoned for several years, during which time tho
enemy disappeared, and then the culture was re-
sumed. No greater national calamity could befah
the country than that the crop should fan To
yield its usual abundance
The potato crop can but be but light owing to tho
widespread ravages of the Colorado beetle, which,
finally, has reached the Atlantic States, and in some
few instances the shore. In most eases field can
only be saved by using the known remedy. but 1t IS
strongly suspected that the quality of the tuber
Is seriously impaired by the poisonous appli-
cation. SO difficult has it become to grow po-
tatoes at a profit, aud SO many are the favorable
conditions required of soil and culture, that many
with every means for planting prefer to buy
of Others who are more yenturesome ana more
lucky; and this is much the case IN Europe, and
especially in England as in Amenca In high. cold
latitudes however, and on mountain plateaus tho
root is still grown with great success as IT is also on
almost any land just reclaimed from the forest.
The wool clip has been highly satisfactory to the
grower. From a great mass OF returns 1t Is found
that the quality is good, and that the yield Is de-
cidedly on the increase that is to say the average
weight of heeces has increased during the last SIX
years not far from twenty ounces. This Is SAID ohy
of such focks as are of fair grade of American me
r;nos and II s nrobably true that such predominant