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Arkansas county, Ark.—The cotton crop bids fair to be the best since 1860. 
The dry, hot weather is proving fine for the cotton; it is growing very fast, 
jointing short and very full of squares, (or bloom.) The first bloom this year 
was found on the 15th, but the average was about the 20th June, which is 
about six days later than the average; this makes the crop about 21 days ear- 
lier than last year. I have not seen a crop that will not make 500 pounds lint 
per acre if no mishap comes to it. About one-third as much planted as in 1865, 
but will make more than in 1865. 
Pike county, Miss —The acreage in cotton is smaller this year, but the sea- 
son has been propitious. The early portion of the season was dry, thus enabling 
the planters to work their land and keep the crop clean of grass, so that the 
land became well pulverized. For the last three or four weeks the weather has 
been seasonable. ‘The crop is the earliest we have had for years; blooms were 
seen as early as the 15th of June. At present everything looks very promis- 
ing for the planter. 
Rye, oats, and barley promise abundant crops; no serious drawbacks are 
reported, and few complaints of bad conditiun are received. 
Potatoes, so exceptionably unproductive last year, are in unusually fine con- 
dition, and the average is increased in every State except Rhode Island—the 
natural result of extremely high prices of last year’s crop. 
Fruit is variable ; apples and peaches less promising than usual. Vermont, 
New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, 
Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, make a worse record than other States 
as to apples. Peaches will be less abundant than apples; New Jersey, Mary- 
land, and Delaware promising but half a crop, and Illinois and Michigan show- 
ing a considerable reduction. A fair promise of grapes is indicated. 
Tobacco covers as large an area as usual in Virginia, Kentucky, and Con- 
necticut; somewhat less in Indiana, [llinois, and Missouri. Its condition is 
good in Kentucky and Michigan; elsewhere a little below an average. 
Sorghum is generally doing well in the west; not so well as usual in the mid- 
dle belt of southern States. 
Woo.t.—There is a decrease in the wool product, compared with the clip of 
1867, of something like 7 per cent., or about 8,000,000 pounds. The decrease 
is 10 per cent. in Ohio, 6 in Michigan, about 5 in Illinois, 8 in Iowa, and 13 in 
New York and Vermont. Wisconsin, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas, show an 
increase, and New Jersey « slight increase, from the attention now bestowed 
upon mutton breeds. 
