417 ' 



abont thirty acres, rnnning parallel witli and alongside of the Detroit and Mil- 

 waukee railroad. When this beautiful crop was on the ti-ees this year, we un- 

 derstand Mr. Lovcll was offered $25,000 for the orchard, and that sum was re- 

 fused. This orchard is on land which ten years ago was covered with a scrubby 

 growth of oak and did not appear worth clearing; yet, we understand, but little 

 manure hris been applied. The trees are kept trimmed and free from worms, 

 and the ground loosened by cultivation. 



Mr. Reed, of ]\lill Point, exhibited a tine seedling which resembled the Craw- 

 ford's Early, but which appeared sweeter to the taste and fully equal in size. 

 It was named Reed's Imperial by the committee on miscellaneous productions. 

 Several seedlings of fine quality were also exhibited by Mr. Eames, who had 

 the largest variety of peaches on exhibition. 



One of the finest, and, we believe, the oldest, orchards in this vicinity is that 

 of Mr. Hezekiah Smith, situated on an arm of Spring lake, known as Smith's 

 bayou. There are over twenty acres of apples and peaches. Mr. Smith has 

 taken the pretnium several times at the county fair for the best peaches ; this 

 year the exhibition occurred between the perfection of his Early aiid Late Craw- 

 fords, being too late for the former and too early for the latter. We visited the 

 orchard, and must say we have seldom witnessed trees in better condition. Mr. 

 Smith being of African descent, only adds to the testimony so rapidly accumu- 

 lating in late years of the ability of his race for attaining a high degree of civili- 

 zation and refinement. 



The method of packing grapes and peaches generally adopted here is to pack 

 the former in boxes of half-inch planed pine board, containing about ten pounds 

 to the box, while the peaches are placed in crates made of rough lath and hold- 

 ing about half a bushel. 



The wages paid during the gathering and packing season were, for women, one 

 dollar per day. 



The prices realized this year for grapes were from 12i cents to 25 cents per 

 pound, and for peaches from 50 cents to $3 per crate — the former price for 

 common seedlings, and the latter for the best Crawfords. 



EGYPTIAN COTTOK 



The common green-seed or upland cotton of the United States is undoubtedly 

 superior to varieties from any other portion of the world, for the climate and 

 soils in which it is grown ; but there is a part of Texas where black-seed cottons 

 of an intermediate type between the upland and sea-island are already grown to 

 great advantage, and where experiments in the introduction of seed from other 

 countries might be made with more than a possibility of remunerating success. 

 Already three-fourths of the cotton of Florida is of black-seed varieties, of which 

 the real sea-island constitutes but a very small proportion, raised by a score or 

 more of planters. It may be, therefore, that the importation of Egyptian seed 

 will prove of advantage, to the country, despite the flippancy of overwise 

 journalists. The following communication is from Edward Atkinson, esq., of 

 Boston : 



Boston, November 29, 1866. 

 Sir : I am informed that you have caused to be imported a considerable sup- 

 ply of the seed of the variety of cotton grown in Egypt, in accordance with a 

 suggestion made by me some months since. I was induced to make this sug- 

 gestion from the fact that notwithstanding the great increase in the production 

 of Egyptian cotton, the price has rapidly advanced in comparison with our best 

 New Orleans or Texas staple. Before the late war the crop of Egyptian cotton 



