REPORT OF THE STATISTICIAN. 



383 



summer. Indications point to a crop a very little smaller tlian that 

 of 1885, between six and a third and six and a half million bales. 



After the excessive rains of the early seasoa, which wrought serious 

 injury and threatened still more, came the exceptional weather of 

 the autumn, which prevented discoloration or stains, and favored 

 picking with a minimum amount of dirt or trash, and ripened fully 

 the well-developed bolls. The unfavorable season of germination 

 and cultivation and the highly encouraging period of ripening and 

 harvesting were antagonistic elements in the production of the crop, 

 which have naturally caused much difference of opinion among crop 

 experts as to the magnitude of the harvest. The first caused a fail- 

 ure of growth, a shedding of foliage and fruitage, a weakening of 

 plant vitality, which inevitably caused a reduction of the crop. But 

 there were areas in soil of strength and depth, well cultivated, where 

 the plants remained thrifty and vigorous, in either fair or fine condi- 

 tion to produce a heavy yield under the favorable influences of the 

 later season. The views and estimates of the harvest period were 

 therefore naturally and properly more cheerful than those of the com- 

 mencement of picking. As the larger average and comparatively 

 higher condition are mainly in the districts of richer lands and larger 

 capacity for production, these favorable autumn influences have been 

 all the more potent, tending to enlarge the crop aggregate. 



The close of picking is reported the same as last year in the Caro- 

 linas and Texas, one day earlier in Mississippi, two in Georgia, and 

 two later in Louisiana, four in Tennessee, and twenty-one in Arkansas. 

 The elates are: North Carolina, December 2; South Carolina, Novem- 

 ber 30; Georgia, December 1; Florida, November 27; Alabama, De- 

 cember 2; Mississippi, December 7; Louisiana, December 12; Texas, 

 December 3; Arkansas, December 25; Tennessee, December 14. The 

 late maturing of the crop extended the season slightly in a few States. 

 Only in Arkansas was the season lengthened by inability to pick the 

 heavy harvest earlier. 



The average date of picking for the entire cotton belt was about 

 two and a half days later than the previous year, as that was nine 

 daj'-s later than the season of 1884. The record of four years is as 

 follows: 



The returns of proportion marketed make the average to February 

 1, 85.1 per cent. This would indicate a crop of about 6,460,000 bales, 

 a mere trifle above the Noveral)er indications of rate of yield. The 

 proportions by States are as follows: North Carolina, 87; South Car- 

 olina, 88; Georgia, 85; Florida, 83; Alabama, 87; Mississippi, 84; 

 Louisiana. 83; Texas, 86; Arkansas, 81; Tennessee, 83. The jn-opor- 

 tion reported February, 188G, was 83 per cent, of the crop of 1885. 



