Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1875-01-07

Atlantic coast caused late planting
and unthrifty appearance. lnunda-
tons, soaking rains, and consequent
gave an unpromising start
to corn from Alabama to Arkansas.
Cut-worms were quite injurious in
the West. Chinch-bugs, after devast-
ating wheat.fields, attacked corn Wig
orously in many localities; and not
content with the abundance of this
great American cereal, are reported IN
some instances as addicted to q potato
diet, and even to tobacco chewing. AS
the season advanced, returns were less
favorable. The night.temperature
was too low, as far south as Pennsyl'
vania, for the best growth. Drought
reduced condition in Maryland and
Virginia, in the Gulf States west OF
Georgia, and in the Mississippi and
Ohio Valleys generally. West of the
Mississippi, the crop encountered dis
asters of great severity from drought
drying winds, and chinch.bugs. In
October, there appeared only slight
Improvement in condition upon the
previous months. The absence of in
furious frosts up to- the first of Novem'
Der was very favorable, and served to
mitigate the severity of the anticipa-
| ted reduction in yield and value.
| Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri, in
addition to the above mentioned eau
scs of injury, wero terribly afflicted
with the scourge of grasshoppers.
The quality of corn is at least an
average in all of the Eastern States
except Maine and Massachusetts, !; in al
the Middle States except Delaware in
the Carolinas, Georgia, and Texas ;and
| in all the Western States except il
Kentucky, Illinois,; Missouri Kansas
and Nebraska
i The yield is less than last year OF
the Atlantic coast as far south a
/. Virginia, except in portions OF New
England /; larger from North CAROLYN
, to Florida, and in Mississippi an
, Texas, and in Ohio and Iowa; the re
, duction in other Western States range
from 4 to 81 per cent. The apparer
!, reduction (Which may be slightly moe
\ | fled in the final estimate) is a'of
. 100, 100000 bushels, the agunlghtly
local estimates exceedin1ie crop of
a sOO,OOOOOO bushels III average one,
!. last year was 1t is more than four.
a the preser. Ield of good corn-year.
d fifths COTTON.
ri ne cotton crop for 1874 as estima.
led November LIST was three and two
thirds million bales the yield per
acre is less than that of 1873.
POTATOES.
Our November returns show weld
OF potatoes but little less than last
year. The only States equaling or ex.
ceeding last years yield are, New
York, lO2; Rhode Island, 100; Con-
necticut, ITO: South Carolina, 1O4;
Illinois, lO6; Wisconsin, ITO, Iowa 1876
and Oregon, l04. These States pro.
ducc about one-eight of the entire
crop. In northern New England the rot
was prevalent. In the Middle States,
drought and the Colorado beetle are
the leading causes of decline. In
most of the Middle and South Atlantic
States the crop. is largely decreased, 4
Maryland losing third. A heavy ~
cline is noted in the Gulf States, sd q |
still heavier one in the inland south. |
ern States, where an unprecedented
drought crippled vegetaticA generally.
North of the Ohio River, the same
destructive influence was felt to mi.
nor degree. The Colorado beetle was
here less formidable than in former
years, but still gave some traces of its
power. West of the Mis-
sissippi River, the ravages of grass
hoppers were serious in many local..
ties, while in johnson County, Mis-
souri,, the chinch. bug varied its usual
diet by devouring potato.yInes sRi
iRf6fiHYS reports q decrease cfo per
cent, In Oregon, the potato-blight
appears to be decreasing.
HAY.
This is reported to be about the
same yield as last year taken through
out the whole country.
TOBACCO.
The yield of tobacco is very light.
It has been very disastrous year to
this crop-sn estimate of the amount
is not given but reserved for future
report.