450 
“ equals the best New Orleans ;” and from Gibson, Tennessee, that New 
Orleans sirup has been almost supplanted by the abundance, excellence, 
and cheapness of sorghum sirup—the price being only 25 cents per 
gallon. The return from Braxton, West Virginia, also makes special . 
reference to the good quality of the sirup. In Fulton, Arkansas, while 
other varieties of sorghum were fine, rust injured the “ black-top” 20 per 
cent. In Tennessee, McMinn reports the largest yield, and Blount the 
largest product ever known; but in the latter the increase is from 
increased acreage, ‘as the yield is less per acre than when first intro- 
duced.” From Ohio, there are some complaints that, while the juice is 
abundant, it is inferior in quality, lacking in sweetness, 
TOBACCO. 
The tobacco counties reporting the comparative product make returns 
not quite so favorable in the aggregate as those of last year. A decrease 
of product is indicated in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, Mary- 
land, Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. An increase is indicated 
in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. Kentucky reports about 
the same as last year. 
In Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, the increase in product is extraordinary. 
In Ohio, Montgomery reports the best and finest crop of seed-leaf tobac- 
co ever produced ; Monroe, that the quality was depreciated by exces- 
sively wet weather. In Illinois, the season was very propitious for ma- 
turing and curing in Saline; in Johnson, the crop was eaten by worms, 
the ravages of which were worse than for years. Vernon, Missouri, also 
had more tobacco-worms than ever before; but other returns from Mis- 
souri are favorable in respect to both yield and quality. 
The quality of the entire crop averages about the same as that of last 
year. The depreciation is not noticeable in Connecticut, Virginia, and 
North Carolina. The average quality is superior to that of the previous 
crop in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indi- 
ana, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee. In Maryland, the quality is reported 
coarse and dark in Charles; inferior in Calvert, owing to bad weather 
for curing. In Virginia, the quality is indifferent in Powhatan and in 
Madison, except that the smaller part, cut before the September storms, 
is good; very inferior in Mecklenburgh; much damaged by worms and 
disfigured by the September gale in Dinwiddie; damaged by early frost 
in Henry, and by a bad season for tobacco in Fluvanna; in Prince 
Edward, the later plants were green when cut, but the larger portion 
matured well, and was harvested in good condition; the season was 
unusually favorable for harvesting and curing in Botetourt; a crop of 
fine quality was well housed in Carroll, and a full crop well cured in 
Montgomery. The reported causes of deterioration in North Carolina 
are worms, early frosts, and the cutting of late crops before maturity in 
order to avoid frosts. In Tennessee and West Virginia, only slight de- 
terioration is reported from early frosts and the cutting of late crops 
prematurely to avoid frost. In Kentucky, Daviess returns the largest 
crop ever grown, except that of 1872. The estimate for product is 
10,000,000 pounds, of which not over 2 per cent. was injured by frost ; 
but perhaps. 10 per cent. was not well cured, being cut rather too green ; 
in Fleming, a very fine crop, of fair quality, has been housed; in Met- 
calfe, not more than half a crop, but of excellent quality; in Harrison, 
the crop has been damaged in the barns. ' 
