Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-08-11
CROPS OF THE NATION,
THE AUGUST REPORT OF THE
AGRICULTURAL BUREAU.

u.
Cotton Prospects Not Very Encourage
ing-GeOrgia Reported the Most Acute
Sufferer - Numerous Reports of the
Caterpillar's Presence-Corn Improved
Spring Wheat in Good Condition
WASHINGTON, August 1O.-The follow
ing is a synopsis of the August report of
the Agricultural Bureau: The August
cotton returns to the Department of Agri-
culture are less favorable than those of
July. The condition is lower in every State
except two on the northern border of the
belt. In Virginia and Tennessee the plant
is suffering from meteorological vagaries
of this peculiar season. 1t was too cold
in May, too wet in June and too dry in
July. In Georgia the injury is the great
est, the condition falling from 93 to 7S.
In South Carolina the decline has
been from 81 to S0 The prolific
cotton belt of Middle Alabama
has suffered severely from drought.
while the southern counties and the val
ley of the Tennessee have had seasonable
weather. The upland counties of Central
and Northeastern Mississippi report in
jury from drought very general. There
IS need of rain in Central and Southern
Texas, but the drought has been less gem
eral and Injurious than IN Georgia. There
has been ample rain in large portion of
the Louisiana cotton district, and in
nearly all the cotton counties IN Florida.
In Tennessee generally, and in a majority
OF the North Carolina counties where
the drought has been severest, the
fields, stimulated by commercial fertil-
lzers, are fruiting the top crop prema-
turely, and the plants are drying up as is
usually the case under the circum.
stances. The general average of the con-
dltion has fallen to 81 from 80 in July.
glnla 81, North Carolina 81,
South Carolina 80, Georgia IS,
Florida 90, Alabama So, Mississippi So.
Louisiana 50, Texas 80, Arkansas 81. and
Tennessee 80. Reports of the presence of
caterplllars are numerous on the Gulf
Coast States. Central Alabama is in
tected more seriously than Texas and
Georgia, and Louisiana more than Mis-
sissippi. They are not reported in Vir
glnla, the Carolinas, Tennessee or Arkan-
sas. The first brood are Webbed up and
In some places the secoud, and fears are
expressed OF serious injury from the third
brood. Tons of arsenic, in various forms,
are applied to avert such a calamity
The boil worm is only reported at a few
points in Arkansas and Texas, while the
relative condition of cotton, compared
with the returns of former years, is UNI
promising. The volume of the crop de-
pends largely upon the more critical
period from August to October.
There has been an improvement in the
appearance of the corntields during the
month of July in New England.
the Middle States. the Ohio valley
and west of the Mississippi. In Illinois.
Missouri and Kansas it is slight, being
measured by single point. There has
been retrograde in the South, in conse-
quence of the drought and some dregs i'm
Michigan from too much moisture. TAX
ing the whole area together, the condition
has advanced from IS to 50 per cent. of "a
perfect crop. The condition of the census
crop (1S19) in August was 90. and the
yield was twenty-eignt bushels per acre.
The present returns indicate yield of
not over twenty-five bushels
per acre or 1,700,000,000 bush
els, which is as much as was pro-
duced in 1879. The condition is six
points higher than last year in August
and lower than in any August from 1870
to 1850 inclusive. The nights have been
too cold for rapid development and the
crop is late. Fears are expressed that
frost may yet cause disaster. In August.
1874, the condition was one degree higher
than the present average. The crop is
late from the wet spring and local
summer droughts, and the yield less than
u bushels per acre. The
averages Of the States Of principal
production are: Illinois Sc, Indiana
3d. Ohio 50, Michigan IS, Kentucky 81,
Missouri 50, Kansas 81, Iowa So, Nebras-
ka 81, Wisconsin So, New York 80. Penn
sylvania 80, New Jersey l0l, Virginia
93, North Carolina So, South Carolina 10
pQrIA A tnh
Louisiana 100, Texas 93, Arkansas 81.
Tennessee 80.
The average condition of spring wheat
for August l was 69.7, the same as i'm
1882, but higher than for anv previous
August since 1877. In Wisconsin recent
rains have injured the crop in the south
ern and southwestern counties. The aver
age is 80. The prospect in Minnesota
favors a crop of 1872 bushels per acre.
Notwithstanding bad weather i'm the
early spring and subsequent drought i'm
northern counties. The condition is 9s.
The fears excited by the excessive heat
early in July in Northern Dakota have
been happily dispelled. Cass and Rich
land counties promise a better Weld
than last year. The other counties
will scarcely equal their last record. In
south Dakota the harvest is progressing,
The straw is bright, the heads are large and
=
turns of August do not essentially change
the indicated aggregate OfJuly for the en-
tire crop. The result of the harvest will
be more fully tested on the return of the
threshers' blanks. 1t is now certain that
shortage exists which will require all
the surplus of last year and keep prices
well sustained.
The condition of oats is represented by
100, figure only surpassed by last August
Of H. = 10
deg. high condition is almost universal.
In some western districts there has been
injury from lodging, the result OF storms.
The condition of barley averages 90.
the same as in August 1882, but higher
than IN any previous year since 1874. The
average for New York is 102, PennsylYa-
MIA 81, Ohio so, Michigan SO, Wisconsin
96, Minnesota 96, Iowa 80, Nebraska 1O2.
ana California 81. These States produce
more than twO-thirds of the crop.
The returns Indicate full DEVELOPMENT
OF the Potato crop. The condition is 10l.
The promise is better in the Central States
oil the West than on the Northern border,
where the soil has been saturated with
moisture.
A breadth of buckwheat equal to that
OF last year has been sown, and its CON
dltIon Is nigh, being represented by 30.
Ihe average crop condition of tobacco
is 80, Kentucky 90, Tennessee 50, Vir
ginia "A, North Carolina 70, Ohio 93.
Pennsylvania 96, Connecticut 81. and
Wisconsin 80.
A cable dispatch received from the Lon
don statistical agent of the department
says that the weather has been unsettled
during the first ten days of August and
the temperature low for this time of the
year. The wheat market is advancing
and stocks are large. The quality of the
new crop is fair. The general prospects
of last months dispatch are confirmed.
Counting the decrease in the acreage, the
total output of European wheat will be
one-tifth less than last year and one-tenth
below the average.
German, French and Russian advices
are worse.
DEPOPULATING IRELAND.
Half IA Million Dollars to be Devoted