Year: 1877




Atlanta Correspondent Of the New York Herald:


l have read your valuable articles from
time to time showing the material advan-
tages that are expected to be derived
from the European war to the agricul-
tural aad Industrial interests of the
country, but have seen nothing said
about its effects on the cotton interests
of the South, In which We of the South
are so largely interested. A general
war in Europe would undoubtedly de-
press cotton to a point where it could
not be sold except at ruinOus prices to
the producer, and, that being the case L
fail to see anything beneficial in the war
for very large section of our country.
The commissioner of Agriculture of
Georgia had issued timely circular, In
which he urges our people to produce
what they require to eat in view of the
threatened decline of our great staple.
| think other State governments, as well
as the public journals, would do the
Southern people great service to i'm
press upon them the great advantage of
producing plenty to eat this year. Let
them curtail to some extent, cotton plant
ing and put in cora and get together a
stock of hogs. The recent very heavy
advance in these commodities should ad-
mOnish them what to expect Many of
the Southern States, Arkansas and Mis-
sissippi particularly, raise corn at great
profit when sold at war prices, while no
farmer can afford to be in position to
have to buy these necessary articles of
corn and meat while raising cotton and
selling it at war prices.


New York Herald (Editorian.


We print an interesting letter from
a Georgia correspondent calling atten-
tion to the effect OF the European war
on the market for cotton. He expects
and we see no reason for dissenting from
his view = that the producers of cotton
will suffer by the war, as tbs producers
of grain, provisions and military supplies
will be benefited by it. The Commits
siOners of Agriculture of the State of
Georgia hold the same opinion, and have
iss',od oirOular, urging the people TO
raise their own supplies OF food in view
of the threatened decline in the great
Southern staple. UnQuestionably this is
wise advice, and the people of all the
cotton growing States would do well to
follow it.


But the planters must not allow them
selves to become the victims of chimeri- !
cal exaggeratiou. The price of cotton will |
decline, but by no means in the same
that the prices of grain !
and provisions will advance. This will |
be evident the moment we inquire into
the cause of the advances on the one
hand and the decline on the other. The
certain advance of grain and provisions
depends on the fact that England pro-
duces but a fraction of her own food.
Rer impertatiOns Of grain comes mainly
from two sources-the Russian ports of
the Black Sea and the United States.
The United States will, accordingly, have
no considerable competitor in supplying
the large English demand With this
practical monopoly of the English mar
ket we shall be able to sell at high prices
all the grain we can produce. OF course
there will be golden harvest for Ameri-
can grain growers. The eurtaiIment of
the market for cotton will be altogether
smaller in extent To be sure we ssnd
the bulk of our exported cotton to Eng
land, but England receives it only to
convert it into fabrics and re-export it to
all parts Of the world. The war will
not interrupt the cotton manufacture of
Great Britain, nor greatly impair her
market She supplies Mexico and all
South America, supplies Africa, supplies
her own vast colonial POSSESSIONS, and
the war will diminish consumption in
none of these markets France and
Germany make their own cotton goods,
but they depend on US for the raw ma
teri4l, and their domestic consumption
will not be perceptibly abridged by the
war.