494 



4^ cents per pound ; lonti; jute, 6 cents. The cloth weighs 2.^ to 2^ pounds to the yard 

 of 45 inches in width. The price ranges from 21 to 35 cents per yard, according to the 

 season in which it is sold. In the bagging season it brings the highest price. The 

 imported cloth is always a few cents cheaper. There are i)i"obably not over 200 looms 

 in this country producing this cloth, and their existence depends entirely upon the 

 tariff on imported gunny cloth. 



The pea-nut crop of Virginia in 1870. — The statement of Mr. 

 T. B. Bowland, of Norfolk, Virginia, of the amount of the Virginia pea- 

 nut crop for the year ended October 1, 1871, reports that the first con- 

 signment of the crop Avas received October 10, 1870, and were quite 

 green, aud that sales were made during the month at $1 10 to $1 50 

 per bashel. The highest prices were reached in March, $2 05 to $2 75, 

 with a few sales of fancy at $3 per bushel. In June prices fell to $1 50 

 and $2, with few sales. Nothing could be done in them in Julj^, and 

 little in August. In September the trade revived sufficiently to close 

 out the stock on hand at $2 to $2 25 per bushel. The receipts of pea- 

 nuts at Norfolk in lS68-'69 amounted to 130,178 bags; in 1869-'70, 

 to 90,112 bags; and in 1870-'71, to 65,150 bags. The crop of 18G8-'G9 

 averaged about 3 bushels of 22 pounds to the bag ; that of 189G-'70 

 was poor in quality, very light in weight, aud barely averaged 2^ bush- 

 els per bag ; the crop of 1870-71 was good and heavy, and averaged 

 fully three bushels to the bag. The statement estimates 10,000 bags 

 taken elsewhere, which makes the total crop of Virginia 75,150 bags, or 

 225,450 bushels of 22 pounds. Mr. B. states that the present crop is 

 large and of excellent quality. 



Premiums por tobacco. — A committee of the St. Louis Tobacco 

 Association have raised $10,000, to be awarded in premiums to tobacco 

 growers of the West and South, with a view to the encouragement of 

 this culture in those sections. The premiums are to be offered in classes 

 as follows: 1st class, factory-dried dark leaf; 2d, dark and medium 

 bright manufacturing leaf; 3d, bright manufacturing leaf; 4th, cutting 

 tobacco ; 5th, largest crop by any one planter ; Gth, manufacturing leaf; 

 7th, factory-dried leaf; 8th, cutting- leaf; 9th, black wrappers; 10th, 

 factory-dried leaf. Premiums ranging from $1,000 down to $100 for the 

 best in the classes named; and from $700 to $50 for less quantity and 

 second best. Competition in the 1st, 2d, 3d, 4th, and 5th classes, open 

 only to Missouri, Kansas, and Illinois ; in Gth and 7th classes, open only 

 to planters. All tobacco entered for premium is to be exhibited at St. 

 Louis under the direction of the association. 



Potash. — The use of this product in agriculture has been increasing 

 rapidly during the past few years, and the article is becoming one ol 

 considerable commercial importance, while the natural supply is being- 

 developed in practically exhaustless quantities. Vast deposits have 

 been opened at the Stassfurth salt works in Germany, the magnitude 

 of which may be inferred from the fact that at the present time more 

 potash is being furnished from these mines — where, a dozen years ago, 

 it w^as not supposed that a ton could be produced — than Irom the wood- 

 ash sources of the wdiole world, 30,000 tons of the muriate of potash 

 having been manufactured there during the year 1870. The surface 

 salts (which hold the potash) at these niines are capable of supplying 

 millions of tons. It is probable that the salt mines of this country will 

 be found, upon careful examination, to contain potash, and we may 

 confidently look for the rapid cheapening of this useful product. The 

 exports of ashes, pot and pearl, from the United States for the fiscal 

 year 1870-'71 were 13,169 hundred- weight, valued at $103,249 ; in 18G9- 



