Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-04-30
Tn. Cold weather ana the Crops.

The reports received by telegraph and
mail leave no reason to doubt that the re-
cent cold weather has done serious damage
TO the crops in various parts of the coun.
try. Winter wheat has suffered severely
in Ohio, Southern Indiana, Central and
Northern Illinois, Northern and Western
Wisconsin and Missouri, and in some sec
tons the fields are being plowed up. The
cotton crop has suffered in Alabama,
Georgia and Tennessee, but the acreage in
these and other Southern States is reported
fully up to last year, while the area devot.
ed to corn, wheat aud oats will be largely
increased. The tobacco crop in Kentucky
and Virginia has received serious injury,
and the damage to fruits and early veg
etables in the latter State has been very
severe. The peach crop in Delaware has
escaped the effects of the cold to large
extent, though there are reports from some
sections that the sap has been frozen and
that the buds have died in consequence
In Ohio the peach trees have been so badly
frozen that an almost entire failure of the
crop is predicted. In California the con-
tinuance of drouth has resulted disastrous
ly to the winter wheat, but timely rains
may have repaired the damage before this.
These crop representations, taken togeth-
err, present, il must be admitted, anything
but cheerful aspect. But ii is well to re-
member that these reports of damage to
crops are very often exaggerated. They
are sometimes Intentionally enlarged up
on by parties who have a speculative inter
est in the crops and whose object is to stiM-
ulate demand and push up prices by Great
ing apprehenslons of scarcity. Very often,
too, the benefcent influences of sunshine
and rain repair the damages altogether, and
| the bounty Of Nature AT harvest time re-
Dukes the doleful auticipations of the far
mer. In country of such broad extent
and varied products as ours, it is not likely
that any year will bring equal prosperity
| to all crops; but loss in one direction is
usually balanced by gain in another Last
| year was year of abundant harvests, but
the croak ers were numerous and persist
ent in the early months. Out of the seat
tering reports of disaster which have al
ready come 10 hand this year they will be
ready TO construct tue most gloomy predic-
| tons, quite as confident and quite as val
ueess rs those OF last season,
We may as well rest content with the
| knowledge that the administration of ai-
fairs is directed by wisdom greater than
our own. In things temporal as well as
things spiritual, it is for man to plant and
for God TO give the increase. The develop
| ment Of our vast agricultural resources,
and the increase from year to year, in the
extent of our crops constitute abundant
| promise for the future. Especially is this
| true, in view OF the remarkable change
which has taken place in regard to the di-
versihcation of crops. The old fouline by
| which certain sections were given over al
together to certain crops has been broken
up, to large extent at least. The South
ern farmer no longer stakes the whole is
sue Of wealth or bankruptcy on cotton
even il that crop fails, he has his corn and
wheat left to carry him over to another sea-
son. So in the West and Northwest, lands
which have been impoverished by cultiva-
ton for the same crop, year after year, are
being renewed by the planting of some
other crop. Improved methods, and a
more general use of labor-Saving nipple
ments and machinery, are having Their
natural results, and agriculture was never
more prosperous.or promising than now
| Boston Journal