Year: 1875




Movement.


From an Occasional Correspondent


SENATOBIA, July 26.-I have recently
traversed the country from Memphis to
Grenada, and, being in no great hurry,
have had ample opportunity to inform
myself with regard to the crop and busi-
ness situation. This is easily done now
a.days, as the merchants are so directly
and vitality interested in the crops them
selves, they can give you most accurate
information touching the prospective
yield, and, if you desire the in
formation, can even tell you the
extent OF the acreage in cultiva-
ton. In fact, the merchants, in a great
measure, direct and control the farming
interests Of the entire country. In a
word, they are the most extensive plant
eTs this country ever knew. Their name
is NOrvsl, sure enough; FOR it is by the
meat and bread Of the merchant that a
majority Of the crops are made and gath
cred. Last spring mary merchants
went even farther than the mere corn
and meat supply, and furnished numer-
GUS plantations with mules, farming
implements, and, in fact, with nearly





the crop" The owner OF the soil is thus
subordinated TO the position of "Over.
seern for the merchant, who is the real
planter, and vino alone can pay and
control labor. There are eXceptionalin-
stances Of farms solely conducted by the
owners OF the land, but the number is
smaller than one would suppose, and is
probably proportional, in some way or
another, with the energy and skill of
the men engaged in the farming busi-
ness.


CROP PROSPECTS.


Seasonable rains for the past few DAYS
have greatly changed the aspect of the
crop prospects throughout this immedi-
ate section, Rs five or six weeks of pre-
viOus dry weather had begun seriously
to affect both corn and cotton. As it is,
the earliest corn will fall considerably
short of the abundant yield expected Of
it few weeks since, and cotton is much
smaller thsn it otherwise would have
been. What is known as the first, or
bottom crop, can hardly be said to exist,
and therefore the mSin dependence
must be placed in the second and top
crops. These, it is true, are abundantly
promising now, and should no disaster
come later in the season, the cotton
yield from this section will fairly aver
age with previous prosperous years.
Young corn is really excellent, and be-
yOnd danger, so you see the crop pros
poets hefeabOuts, as well as in
the other parts of the Slate
which { have passed over, are
truly encouraging SO far, and if no ex-
traOrdinary disaster befalls them during
the next five OF six weeks, are likely to
make things pretty lively about Mem
phis next fall and winter. 1t is the in
tentiOn of the merchants all along the
Mississippi and Tennessee railroad to in
crease largely their stock of dry goods
this fall, as there is now prospect that
the people can afford to purchase them.
Heretofore they have had Hobson's
choice as the ineXOrable meat and bread
demand absorbed every dollar of their
hard earnings, and left them no margin
wherein to exercise either taste or de-
sires in matters of dress. Unquestion-
ably there will be a greatly enhanced
demand for dry goods all through the
south next season, and, therefore, will
not this very demand have a tendency
to hold up the price OF cotton, nOtWith-
standing the anticipated increased yield
Of the staple?


The WHEAT CROP


throughout north Mississippi deserves q
passing notice, as it has most uneXpect-
edly become a most important factor in
the bread supply. The area sOwn in
wheat hereabOuts was by far larger than
in any previous year since the War. The
yield was fortunately good, perhaps
above an average for latitude south Of
the wheat-grOwing line. Luckily, too,
for Tate county and the adjoining parts
Of DeSOtO and PanOia, an enterprising
public-spirited citizen OF Senatobia,
Colonel J. H. Cooke, has Just COM
pleted and put in running
order first-clss flouring-mill, which is
q deSjderdtull as the absence of mills
heretofore has been the main reason
why so little attention was given by the
farmers TO the producing OF wheat. Col
onei Cooke, ever desirOu5 of advancing
the material interests Of the country,
told the people last fall that if they
would sow wheat he would build the
mill to grind it; and the result is that
the west will lose the sale OF more than
thousand barrels Of flour to Tate coun-
ty alone. Wagons are constantly ar
irving loaded with grain, and as con-
stantly turning their course hOmeward
heaped with bags Of flour. Old citizens
inform me that since the mill has been
put in operation people have been seen
in the streets who never were here before,
and that a marked improvement in
the retail trade was at once observed.
Here is something for capitalists in ell
country towns to think abuut. Let them
follow the example OF Colonel Cooke,
and build first-class f1ouring-mills, and
the people will respond by planting
wheat, and thus save thousands of dol
lars to the country. From my room in
the Greeley house, now after twelve
o'clock at night, the roar OF this mill is
night and day ever since it was started,
some two weeks since. The grade Of
-four, am informed, will compare IA
vOrshly with western brands, and has