The Monticellonian., 1895-09-13
DUN ON ARKANSAS CROPS.

Annual Report of the Mercantile Agency ot E z. pnn | Co. On the Crops of Our $ttte-t ottnn Is short hut the General Showing ts Encouraging Ihe Finest orn Crop Ever Raised in the state.
 Following k the synopsis of the crop report of Arkansas as compiled by E c. Dun X Co. from their corre- spondents in every section Of the state:
 The excessive rains of July, followed by several weeks of hot, dry weather, without reasonable showers, has dam aged the crops considerably. while the boil werms and rust are now adding to the trouble, so that the general aver- age in the counties reported show that the cotton crop will not exceed 66 per cent. of full crop The uplands have the "call" this year, and the bottom lands are short
 The corn crop is undoubtedly the finest Arkansas has ever known. Hay is velzF good also in the localities where it is grown and the Irish potato crop is fine. Sweet potatoes excellent. Plenty of sorghum this year The farmers condition is improving every year; raising his own bread and meat now, buying but little on credit, and before long he will be deservingly looked up toas prince of the realm!' The merchants also are selling less on credit, and getting nearer to the strictly cash system every day; owe less this year than ever bt ore, and have no cause to feel ashamed of their general condition. In fact, both farmer and merchant have made wonderful strides toward self sustainment and prosperity in the past three years, in the face Of adverse cir. cumstaHces line credit system, so far a. the farmer is concerned, is bound to go and king Cash will soon be a full | brother to King Cotton. Speed the day. The prospects for fall and win ter trade are very good, and most C the merchants anticipate good eollec- tions.
 One of the most gratifying results of this investigation, as shown by the re- l turns received, is the decreasing acre age planted in colt on. Each succeed l ing year shows less cotton planted. l This means less crop mortgages less hardships, aad more dives,ifed crops | and the latter means ore money and more prosperity.
 Last year Arkansas raised about $50 l 000 bales Of cotton, and the United States nearly 10000 900 The ratio of this state h usually about one-tenth of the crop. but last year we were a little short. This year it is likely Ar kansas will raise about eco 000 bales, and from what estimates we can get on the Gaited States this year We will fall far short of 1894, SO we will near ly reach our ratio mark again. On this day last year spot cotton brought about 6ss cents To-day it is worth about fz4 cents. But while it was worth ee.ts al f@ar. the price declined rapidly, 50 that the Arkansas farmer did not realize over or 5 cents on an average for his crop This year it Is already 72l cents, and conservative authorities predict that the average price will be B or 9 cents. Therefore, while we may be a little short on the crop, we will be long on price Eight hundred and fifty thousand bales last year at an average ef s25 per bale t5 cents per Paund1, brought to the grower total of S2l, 25o. Q00
 This year. if we make fas now es5i- matedl but 600.000 bales. and even if the price does not go higher than it is to-day t784 eeutsl, our crop will bring S9S.75 per bale, or total of S23. 150, 900, showing that we will be better off this year by nearly g, 900, 000 But the price is very likely to go even still higher, so that we may count on an in- crease of S9, ,oo0 GOO to S4, 0o0 0oo over last year.
 Again, we have another advantage this year; the hill or upland farmer is making the best crop and will have more cotton to sell than the bottom planter The upland farmer is the man who raises his own corn and hogs and potatoes and sorghum and is more setf-sastaining than the bottom planter has been heretofore falthough the latter is rapidly coming to the fronU, considering that he owes but little doesn't have to send his money outside the state to pay off the all-a b- sorbing mortgage, but spends most of il as home with the local merchant and lays aside a little for the inevita- hle rainy day"
 So, Arkansas will not only receive more money for her crop this year, as compared with last. but will spend it mostly Tt nome. It will permeate Il through the arteries of trade and make the doctor the merchant, the mechanic and Che laborer eerrespond- ingIy happy and prosperous.
 Ar!sansas at Atlanta.