New-York tribune., 1917-12-24

mining is fully employed. but lead ana
zinc scom 10 be cover the top III 'h,t
relation to s1prly. Such Is not Ine
rtea with oil. vhogo extensive store
i,ol the olcct of unprecedented We
usud Th.r, Is no. so much ne"
rloitaticn nrd drilling, save III wv.
kansas 1rI.'s. for IN, expenses o. H.
wells ke"p on climbiuS and casing
nard TO ge'. ...,r,,,,,
There ,as never 30 much cam ~
10Th nri,,.tc and commercial OF fruits
and veVet,,tlcs. and yet many veg
etables yort 20 waste for l1ck OF mar
Lotinr facilities. This = true to-day OF
,otatops SIich we're never so plent W.
vet there ar, great surplus quantl','s
NJ them unmrrkCtoi. especially ~ Iar
.wav locali'.es. bpcaus" there IS 10
place 20 ship them TO. ,.ar
Tho winter wheat crop has n larger
acreage than last year by somethihg
like 4 per cent. and at thI5 |rlO'hs
is mostly covered with a blanket o!
snow even in some sections Sou'-, y.
tho Ohio River. This is the 6ess
urcsagc OF it's good conditloh ana OF
Tho likelihood Of its withstandihg Ihe
present severe cold spell. a far SoItn
a. Georgia and Mississippi "heic J
Uas only recently almost unKnoWn' II
is being grown IN larger measure t"aH
last season. To raise ~ at the guaTan- ,!i'
teed price for next year is cinch Ike
into heinz LETT alone in a candy shop.
Cattle in Good Condition
There is also much winter rye sown.
Cattle are generally in good condltloh.
save i'm the drouth stricken regions or
tho Northwest and Southwest, where
feed is too high to make cattle raising
very profitable even at the present
prices Of meat. The South especially
is filling up with good stock, as the
cattle tick is fast being eNtermnated.
The effects Of the freeze Of last Sep
tember on cotton is just becoming tuliy
apparent, especially in Oklahoma, Ar
kansas. Mississippi and Tennessee. Also
Texas did not raise its share, and the
boil weevil was much IN evidence IN
some sections. and the crop IS conse-
quently very short, the third snort crop
i'm succession. But it IS strlctiy j
money crop, and the farmers and plant
ers are largely compensated Tor inc
small quantity by unheard OF hlgh
prices.
Also there is plenty Of foodstuif for
man and beast in the South, save IN
portions Of Texas and Oklahoma, and
very little money will be sent out Tor
Feed. as was largely done in the past.
So the South will be a very good coun-
try TO do business in for the next SIX
months or more.
All kinds of manufacturers every
where are full OF orders, which they
mostly find themselves unable TO MI
promptly. Car shortage and delays IN
TRANSPORTATION are almost universal
hsndicaps on business, but there IL
general recognition OF the difficulties
and necessities Of the railroad situa-
tion. ,,.
After much backing and filing the
shipbuilding industry has finally got
started and is going some on both the
Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
Merchandise stocks in the hands OF
retailers are generally normal. Buvins
is mostly for wants, with but little
regard to speculation, because OF pos
sible advances in prices. The matter
OF most Importance is the attitude OF
the trade toward the future. This
seems largely controlled BY local cir
cumstances. Where fundamental con
di.ions are good shere is much optl-
mism and confidence. Where crops are
moor or the local industries slack there
arc caution and conservation and some
arprehension. On the whole, there is
continuation Of that belief in the
future of the country which has been
so signal characteristic Of the situa-
ton for many months past.