474 



port weather dry and hot; six dry since Augast 1 ; three seasonable; 

 thirty-six report very unfavorable effects, shedding and stoppage of 

 growth ; eleven better condition than last year ; fifteen the same ; 

 twenty-six worse. Mississipin : Twenty counties ; dry and hot since 

 August 1 ; effect bad in all but two ; stoppage of growth and shedding of 

 fruit ; on sandy uplands no fruit since August 1. 



Galveston Department. — Texas : Sixty-two counties ; dry and hot 

 since July 15 ; partial rains between 15th and 20th of August; uplands 

 suffered severely, bottoms little ; fruited well, but shed badly. 



Saint Louis Department. — Missouri : Five counties ; damaging 

 drought. Kansas: Five counties; condition better than last year. 

 Indian Territory : Drought very injurious. 



Galveston, September report. — Forty-nine counties in Texas ; thirty- 

 four report weather dry and hot up to September, with heavy rains 

 since ; forty-three, injuries from rain, which prevented picking, beat 

 out cotton, &c.', twenty-one, injury from worms; eight, the crop larger 

 than last year ; forty-one, less, the average decrease being one-half. Un- 

 less the correspondents are mistaken, the crop of Texas .will be 20 per 

 cent, short of last year. 



Savannah, September report. — Georgia: Fifty-eight counties; dry 

 and hot since August 20 , caused premature opening and profuse shed- 

 ding ; bottom crops not injured. If frost is about the usual time, Soiith- 

 w^est Georgia will yield a little more than last year; Middle Georgia will 

 decline 15 ])er cent. ; northern counties, 20 per cent. Fine picking 

 weather. Florida : Nine counties ; three correspondents report the 

 "weather seasonable, the rest, as hot and dry, sto})piug growth and 

 causing rust and fall of fruit; crop less on the sea-islands than last year, 

 but greater in the middle and west; oj)ened very fast. 



Memphis, September report. — Fifty-four letters from \Yest Tennessee ; 

 fifty-one from North Mississippi ; thirty-one from Arkansas, north of 

 Arkansas River; and ten from North Alabama; counties not distin- 

 guished ; average date, September 20, Of one hundred and forty-nine 

 responses, sixty-seven indicate dry, warm weather ; sixty-six, generally 

 dry, with local showers; fourteen, abundant rain ; two, too much; sixty- 

 four report serious shedding of fruit; twenty-three, improved growth of 

 bolls; twenty-seven, second growth too late for maturity; eighty-one, 

 premature opening of bolls; seven, open cotton soiled, and beaten out by 

 rain ; thirteen, crops not seriously affected ; upland plantations entirely 

 open, with small bolls, short and light stai)le, and almost worthless seed. 

 In many cases, freedmeu, having realized their interest in the cro}) in 

 previous advances, were indifferent about picking it out. Great anxiety 

 among planters. 



Nashville, September report. — Only half as many letters as in the Au- 

 gust report. Counties not distinguished. Middle Tennessee : Twenty-six 

 letters from eighteen counties ; seven letters report favorable weather; 

 twelve, showery; eight, drought; eleven, a second growth of staple; 

 four, no change ; four, improvement ; ten estimate the yield at one-third 

 of a crop; eleven, one-half ; three, two-thirds; two, three-fourths, making 

 the average a little lower than in the previous report. North Alabama : 

 Twenty-seven letters from ten counties; twelve report drought; twelve, 

 favorable weather; eight, unfavorable ; six report shedding of squares 

 and bolls; five, no change ; four, second growth; three, improvement, 

 rust ; eleven estimate the yield at half a crop ; eleven, two-thirds; five, 

 three-fourths; present prospects not capable of material improvement, 

 even with the best of picking weather ; frequent complaints of the iudif- 

 erence of freedmen in ])icking out the crop. 



