The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-06-12
THE COMING CROPS.
Good Prospects for the CereaIs-Bad fOl
Cotton


Good Prospects for the CereaTs-Bad for
Cotton.
The season is certainly late, and pas
turage was poorer in the middle of
April than has been for several years.
This condition prevailed from the east
| to the extreme west. The first crop to
| be considered is that of corn. In the
corn region of the west it was feared
during February that the ground would
become so compacted by wet, and in
many cases by the hoofs of cattle in
stubble-felds, that it would be unsuita-
| BILE for blowing and for being put In
proper order for corn, but subsequent
frosts, united with the abundance of
moisture, pulverized the Jumps so much
and placed the soil in such fine cOndl-
| ton that blowing for corn In many sec
/ tions began nearly month ago.
/ To raise such corn crops as have made
/ the United States famous, have produ-
ced so much wealth, and have so often
! averted financial disaster, it is impOr-
tant, in fact indispensable, that the
planting shall all be finished by the
/ 25th of May, and the bulk be in the
ground from the 18th to the Goth, for
| the reason that if planted as late as the
! 1st of June there is neither time for the
/ corn to grow and mature nor for the
proper work to be done. 1t is true that
! individual farmers, with land in a high
state of cultivation, with abundant help
at command, and with a full knowledge
| of all the requirements, may possibly
raise good crop within 120 days, but
! such farmers know too much to under
| take to do this unless forced to do so by
unfavorable weather, while if an adj
verse condition exists on the first of
June, it is more than likely to be con-
/ tinued even unto July, as was the case
! last year.
By all the accounts received from the
! great corn region of Illinois, Iowa, and
! Missouri, more than half the corn was
planted by the 18th inst; the weather
was warm and extremely pleasant, and
! grateful showers had fallen, which were
| sufficient to start vegetation, but not
/ enough to retard farming operations.
Grass had started up almost at once,
/ giving dairy COWS full feed; and rapid
/ increase in milk and in the quality of
! the butter were noticeable. Oats were
| put in rather dry, but they are now
coming forward full of promise. There
are conflicting accounts in regard to
winter wheat, which might be suspi-
cious, but, as the weather of the later
/ winter months was not such as throws
/ wheat out of the ground, it may be
presumed that its backwardness or the
| appeaa' nee of poor stands are due
mostly to the dry weather, and if so,
! the wheat will quickly recover under
the influence of a warmer sun and of
! frequent showers.
The breadth planted with various
| grains, and especially with corn, is rep
resented on all hands to be large pos
sibly, or rather probably, it has never
| been excelled. A great amount of sod
land has been broken and brought into
cultivation during the last few years,
giving larger area that may be planted
than we ever had before, and favorable
weather being given, all that is required
to increase its production IS a good
price. It is generally estimated that
the net cost of producing a bushel of
corn is about % cents. A year ago the
| crop of the previous year sold for little
more than what it cost to raise it, and
when taxes, interest, and other heavy
weights were added, corn-growing was
decidedly losing business. But with
the bad year of 1878 prices advanced,
and it is probably true that they who
had no more than half crops realized
more money therefor than they did for
the previous full crop and now, at the
sold in the Chicago market in the neigh
borhood of 60 cents, which, less trans
portation, furnished a most handsome
margin, and it has been therefore a
great inducement for broad planting.
The present prospects, then, for large
crop of corn are certainly good, and it
need not be a matter of surprise if it
shall be the largest crop ever raised
in the world.
It may here be stated that there is
much more old corn in the country and
in the hands of farmers than was gener-
ally supposed. It was probably held
both for speculative purposes and as a
contingency until the prospects for the
coming crop could be forecast. Recent
ly large lots were thrown upon the mar
ket and prices receded a trife, but they
subsequently rallied, for it is a truth,
nevertheless, that over wide extent of
the farming region of our country there
is an absolute scarcity of the coarser
grains. This is notably so in New Eng
land and in the middle states, where
drouth prevailed.
It is not worth while for anybody to
become alarmed at the prospect of a
large corn crop, since it will be large
only relatively, for a heavy surplus will
be required to supply deficiencies and
to fatten all kinds of stock, which have
been more or less pinched, and thus
place the country in the same position
it occupied two years ago. The increase
of population is another element to be
taken into account, and also the increase
of the manufacturing population, for
which large crop will indirectly, but
surely, find employment. When ten
men previously idle are set to work,
they call for as many more, at least, to
go to work for them. The farmers Ger
tainly are far from doubling that they
will realize a good price for their corn,
because they think they have nearly
completed a system of reduced trans
portation, or if they ind such not to be
case, they will rejoice in the occasion of
reUpening the conflict.
Aside from the disastrous overflow of
the lower Mississippi we have no unfa-
vorRble accounts from the cotton fields.
Last year there was constant rain; it
was difficult to get a stand, more difficult
to clean ont the grass, and the plows
ran In mud. This year, so far, 1t ap-
pears that they are having q fair aver
age season Whether the cotton plan
teTs are really planting less cotton and
more corn, agreeably to their new mot
to, is uncertain, though it Is TO be hoped
that each planter will gradually acquire
/ the habit of raising his Own supplies
/ There is so much satisfaction in eating
corn-dodgers grown from corn of ones
own raising, as well as bacon, biscuit,