476 



pounds of tlie total number of bales of cotton produced in each county, 

 divided by tlie number of acres cultivated, and includes all for 'which 

 the groweV was paid — cotton, bagging and ties. 



The following extracts from correspondence will illustrate local con- 

 ditions of this crop : 



ViKGiNiA. — Frince George : Cotton largely substituted for pea-nuts ; has not answered 

 expectations. Southampton : Shortened by drought, but tine; 11,550 pounds seed-cotton 

 yielded 3,993 of lint. 



North Carolina. — Chowan : Eeduced by drought and rust beyond all expectation. 

 Bladen: Yield below last year, but increased acreage u;ay bring up the aggregate. 

 Currituclc : Slightly damaged by rust. Pasquotank: Yield one-third short. Greene: 

 Crop shortened by several causes ; many top-bolls did not open. Mnrlhorough : Yield 

 after all deductions about equal to last year, with 10 per cent, more acreage; killing 

 frost October 12 and 13, a month earlier than last year. Gaston : Our high hopes fully 

 realized. MecMenlurgh : Better than expected, though early frost was injurious. Moore: 

 Four-fifths picked and one-half marketed ; fine picking season. Cumherlatid : Acreage 

 and yield increased 5 per cent, each ; scarcity of hands ; frost and rains render much 

 of the later crop yellow or stained. Franklin : Not so good as was expected, but 

 increased acreage will probably bring up the aggregate of last year. Sampson : Much 

 cotton unpicked for lack of hands. Fcrquimans : Acreage double, making the product 

 40 per cent, greater than last year. Cotton gathered before late rains yielded 175 pounds 

 per acre ; that gathered since only 125 pounds. fFaAre: Crop better than was expected 

 though late bolls dried up. Stanley : Short over one-fifth ; plants were loaded with 

 green bolls October 15, and utterly destroyed by frost. Edgecombe : Acreage 20 per 

 cent, short and quality reduced 5 per cent., but it is thought the actual yield will be 

 equal to last year. Caterpillars appeared in several places August 18, and did much 

 damage. Onslow: Late plantings cut down one-half. Alexander: Acreage small but 

 increased ; greater average yield per acre. 



South Carolina. — Clarendon: Nearly all gathered in good order; about one-fourth 

 still standing, which will be injured by the raiu now falling. GreenrUle : Planters ex- 

 pected 25 cents a pound, but got only 14 to 16 cents ; many badly in debt for provisions, 

 &c. Fairfield : Prospect greatly declined since August ; heat and drought, with cold 

 nights, cut short the late bolls except on moist lands, and these were taken by a heavy 

 frost October 14. Still the aggregate yield will be above that of 1871. Chester: A 

 third of the crop still ungathered and wasting. Lexington : Crop matured earlier than 

 ever before, and has been more closely picked; quality fine, gathered before frost; 

 nearly all ready for market. Xewlerry : Fine weather for picking, which is much earlier 

 than usual, securing a finer quality of cotton. Barnn-ell : Late crops frosted. Orange- 

 biergh : Nearly all gathered, cut short, by worms and early frost. Richland: Better 

 than last year. 



Georgia.— Z)oo7// ; Shortened by drought. Muscogee : Shortened by rust, extremes 

 of drought and wet, and caterpillars; m many places very poor. McDvffie : Good 

 picking season. Oglethorpe: Crop opened and gathered with unexampled rapidity, 

 owing, probably, to dry fall and copious use of fertilizers. Colb : Season good and 

 crop 50 per cent, above average. Lee : Last picking unexpectedly poor : ^rop will 

 make a bale to seven acres. Walton : Above average ; best since 1860. Brooks : Nearly 

 gathered ; best crop for years. Greene : Large number of bolls frost-killed. Macon : 

 Below average. Twiggs: Crop will average probably 112 pounds lint per acre. Clayton: 

 Seriously injured by early frost. Chattooga : Unmatured bolls injured by frost in Octo- 

 ber. Wilkes : Has done much better than was expected ; fine picking w eather. Fut- 

 nam : Better than last reported ; caterpillars too late to do much damage. Fayette : 

 Materially injured by frost October 15 ; four-fifths gathered. Clay : Better than last 

 report. Liberty : Injured by caterpillars ; good weather for picking. Fike : Drought 

 in May prevented cotton from coming up in time to escape frost. Kewton : Frost dis- 

 astrous to cotton, especially to late plantings on bottom-lands. Whitfield : Yield and 

 quality good. 



F1.0UIDA.— Columbia: Sea-island cotton injured 20 per cent, by drought and cater- 

 pillars. Gadsden : Half an average. Suwannee : Cotton all in on account of caterpillars. 



Alabama.— TTaZA-e?' : Crop would have exceeded that of last year but for the cotton 

 caterpillar, which cut it oil' one-third ; average increased. Colbert : Crop will exceed 

 last year's in spite of drought and army-worm, but the quality will be depreciated ; 

 picking slow; much will be left in the field; better cultivation than formerly. Cham- 

 bers : Would have exceeded last year's crop but for caterpillars and early frost, Octo- 

 ber 14 ; yield equal to last year. Montgomery : Full average; 10 per cent, better than 

 last year; market quality of crop above average ; 150 pounds lint per acre. Crenshaw: 

 Cut off by worm, rust, and drought ; gathered a month or six weeks early. Macon : 

 Planters disappointed by the yield; fine picking season. Lawrence: Probably above 

 average; quality excellent; good picking season. Tuscaloosa: Poor crop; drought 



