The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1882-03-16
THE COMING COTTON CROP.

1t is safe to assume that the pres
ent disastrous verflow in the Mis-
sissippi valley will have the effect to
reduce, very heavily, the coming
cotton crop. Various estimates have
been made, but the most reliable
place the reduction IN area of plant
ing in the valley at, at least, twenty
per cent. Neither is the immediate
effect of this overflow the only mat
ter to be considered in connection
with the coming crop. The New
Orleans papers agree that it has
been time and again verified by ex-
perience that nothing is so improb-
able as that cotton can be made on
the Mississippi bottoms from a
planting after an overflow, unless
the seed can be put in the ground
during the first week in April, and
this can hardly be expected this
year, since such Is the magnitude of
the present flood that the waters
cannot subside by that time. Nor
is the likelihood that the crop in the
Mississippi valley will be in this
way set back to an unnatural and
unfavorable time the only drawback
to q yield; but the New Orleans
Times Democrat states that the Te-
tirement of the water is nearly al
ways followed by the appearance
of myriads of "grass worms"
which prey upon vegetation,
especially upon young cotton
and pea vines, which contain a
marked infusion of saccharine. In
the alluvial lands of the Mississippi
valley the advent of these worms is
almost invariable, and for several
years past, as regularly as the water
recedes and crops were put in upon
the overflowed lands, the young
growth has been entirely consumed,
not only once, but twice, and some
times thrice. 1t says: ave know
of nothing so difficult or so improb-
able as the making of cotton upon
lands which have been under water
during the months of March and
April. Whatever theorists and
visionaries may say, agriculture un-
der such circumstances is very
much like investing in lottery
ticket" In another article the
TImeS-DemocraG says:
More than once in our experience
we have known some sanguine ag-
riculturist who told us a story of
great crops made after an overflow,
and few times during not wholly
uneventful career we have taken
note of various efforts to repeat that
apocryphal feat. There is tradi-
ton, treasured religiously through
out the alluvIal region, repeated by
all but actually believed by few,
that magnificent cotton crops can
be made on lands which the floods
have coye-ed. The story goes that
during one season-that of 1874 we
thlnk-when the water was espe-
cially high, the planters in the over
flowed region put in their cotton
by following up the receding water
and sowing. in the mud, and re-
allzed that year a splendid yield. =
But, If this be true, what does it
prove? Does it prove that a crop
may safely be relied upon under
such circumstances as the present !?
We think nOt-we are sure not. 1t
so happens that we have had per-
sonal cognizance of this matter dur
ing the past few years. Our ex-
perience teaches us that nothing is
so doubtful or so difficult as the
production of paying crop of cot
ton on lands which have been over
flowed during February, March and
April. We assert in fact that, as q
general rule to which there can be
very few exceptions, crops of cotton
cannot be realized under such con-
ditions,
This years crop in the val
ley should be corn and grain, bread
and meat; so that, whatever hap
pens, we shall not go hungry-shall
not sit starving in our houses wait
ing for the distribution of aims,
either national or individual. And
if the great overflow of 1882 teaches
us this much wisdom, we shall live
to bless as a benefactlon what we
now bewail as a calamity!
1t may be regarded, then, as cer-
tainty that the cotton crop in the
Mississippi will be greatly reduced,
and this means a great deal.
This section is known to be
the finest for cotton in
the entire country, and large or
short crop there exerts a powerful
influence over the market. A plain
deduction, therefore, is that the
price of the staple must rule higher
during the approaching season.