529 
opening of a flower in June the quantity and value of its fruitage in October, leads to 
the expectation of many an absurdity; and it is frequently the case that a positive 
prediction of the aggregate quantity of cotton is deduced from our summer reports of 
ever-changing condition, and as the changes of the season occur, floods devastate, 
worms destroy, the Department is held rigidly responsible for absurd deductions from 
the truthful record of June or July. 
The weather has been generally favorable for cotton-picking during 
the past month, as well as for ripening of the later bolls. Some of the 
reports are exceptionally favorable. In the more northern portion of 
the cotton-belt fields that were planted late were caught by the frost, 
bat the area thus injured has nowhere been large. Low temperature in 
spring caused a slow growth in the uplands of Carolina, and in some 
instances a failure to mature. Florida has continued to report dis- 
astrous storms and destruction by the caterpillar. In some cases, in 
which the plant had ‘“ run to weed,” the presence of worms that appeared 
late has been considered an advantage, arresting growth and tending 
to more rapid opening of nearly developed bolls. In the Gulf States 
there were few frosts until November, though one of some severity is 
reperted in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, on the 28th ultimo. <A circular 
has been sent out to ascertain the date of the first killing frost in each 
county, in connection with the average time of recurrence of such frosts 
for a series of years, and also the date of commencement of picking, 
which will be the subject of a later report. The November returns 
make mention of little yellow or stained cotton, many of them indicat- 
ing superior quality in the fiber. More complete and systematic informa- 
tion on this point will also be included in the next report. In the en- 
tomologist’s department of this issue will be found a result of the in- 
vestigation relative to the best means of destroying cotton-insects. 
Good reports of the ‘‘ Peeler” cotton are made, yields of 1,600 pounds 
of seed-cotton being frequent. 
Unlike the returns of previous months, which relate to comparative 
condition without reference to area, those of November make a direct 
comparison of the aggregate amount of cotton grown in each county 
with that produced in the previous year. Our correspondents have 
thus estimated the production of a large portion of the cotton area. 
Not only are these estimates in accordance with the general tenor of 
previous reports, but they are in essential harmony with those of cotton 
associations which make systematic statistical collections, except tbat 
they are somewhat higher, as usual, but probably not too high, as they 
have rarely ever exceeded the actual result. 
We make the product compared with last year, expressed as a per- 
centage, as follows: North Carolina, 98; South Carolina, 92; Georgia, 
97; Florida, 97; Alabama, 91; Mississippi, 85; Louisiana, 80; Texas, 
112; Arkansas, 102; Tennessee, 102. In view of the marked increase 
in area in most of the States, these figures indicate a crop considerably 
less than an average. <A careful recanvassing of the question of area 
gives 9,509,524 acres in the ten cotton States, against 8,482,905 in 1872, 
an increase of 1,026,619 acres, or 12 per cent. The increase of area in 
the several States appears as follows: North Carolina, 14 per cent. ; 
South Carolina, 10; Georgia, 11; Florida, 6; Alabama, 8; Mississippi, 
11; Louisiana, 10; Texas, 20; Arkansas, 17; Tennessee, 15. Commer- 
cial authorities-in cotton matters have been in the habit, for several 
years, of including two or three hundred thousand acres in more north- 
ern States, nine-tenths of which are a myth, based on an attempted 
planting on a large scale in years of cotton scarcity, an effort which 
has been discontinued by the planters, as its record has also been in 
these reports. The census only reported 3,148 bales in Missouri, Ken- 
