Year: 1866

A planter writing to the New Orleans Crescent of the 4th inst. says of the com ing cotton crop: < @ANAs @A

 The estimates made of the growing crop of cotton must be greatly lowered, and placed at a figure which will astonsh the knowing ones. The merchants every where in this country placed the estimate at two millions of bales; or the half of an ordinary years production prior to the war. A fair deduction was made for the loss of slave labor, but they failed to con- slder the casualties of the season, and the grossly exaggerated statement of the man. ner in which the freedmen did their work and if these be looked at, it is safe to say that the growing crop will not exceed one million of bales, if it amounts to that. It may be safely estimated that not one half of the efficient labor in the production of cotton is actively employed, compared to the labor exacted prior to the late war Death and conscription in the federal ranks took from the south fully one fourth of tke laboring men, if not one third, leavink two thirds with which to cultivate the present crop. The women who were our best pick CTS, and now on the plantations, are in measure out of present service and entirely idle. It is the general complaint that but little work can be obtained of them. Prior to the war they constituted one- third of the efficient laborers on, cotton planta- tion. That the diminution of hands has been very great, one only has to open his eyes to what is going on around him to see. Large plantations once cultivated to their utmost capacity, now lie barren waste. In the Red river valley not one-f fourth of the lands formerly cultivated in cotton is now employed, aud the general complaint over the whole cotton region is want of laborers. l venture the assertion, without the fear of contradiction, that this ratio of cultivated lands at present compared with the times before the war, will hold good everywhere. Now if only oue-tourth of the cotton lands are now being cultivated which were cultivated before the war, ask where are the two million of bales to come from? . c-rg,-s se.v- e H- -rv 9. Yfr

 And if the present system of employed labor is inefficient and not to be relied on, where is the million of bales to come from?

 But, say the advocates of a crop of two millions of bales, the deficiency in slave labor will be supplied in great measure by the white laborers of the country- that the advanced price of cotton will stimulate this class of laborers to an in creased production of cotton. To some extent this is true, but not the full that is claimed. This population, in all cotton climates, till the poor lands, which never can produce quantity sufficient to make up the deficiency, and, as a general rule, they are lazy and thriftless-all the cotton they care to produce is enough to supply their small wants. This is their history, it will eyer be the same, 10 matter what the price of cotton may be.

 If we turn our atteption to the prospect which the growing crop offers, We shall find but little encouragenent to the hopes of those who estimate the crop at two mil lion, or even one million of bales. Never, in the history of our times, has so unfavor- able season been witnessed To com- mence great difficulties were experienced in obtarning good seed. This greatly de layed the growth and advance of the crop and when an indifferent stand was ob. tained, the planter had to combat inces- sant floods of rain which obstructed his progress and checked every effort to get his crop in order. The consequence has been that up to the present time, not one half of the cotton planted has been scraped out and put in growing order.

 It is now two months behind times, even in districts not oyerhowed. But the rains brought their floods and with incon- siderable exceptions, it may be said that oU tbn nlantations on Rcd river and the