REPORT OF THE STATISTICIAN. 



413 



"NVestem Tennessee, and in Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas had 

 proved injurious. Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana had better " sea- 

 sons.'' In October condition was still further reduced to 78. The re- 

 turns of October also included local estimates of yield per acre in hun 

 dredths of a bale. These were: Virginia, 32 ; North Carolina, 38; South 

 Carolina, 35 ; Georgia, 35 ; Florida, 23 ; Alabama, 30 ; Mississippi, 41 ; 

 Louisiana, 43 ; Texas, 38; Arkansas, 42; Tennessee, 35. The. uvenigc 

 was about 30^ hundredths of a bale per acre, or nearly 6§ million bales. 

 The November retnrns were local estimates of yield per acre, in j)uuiids, 

 which were somewhat lower, looking to a yield of about G.^ million bales. 

 The top crop had proved light, and at some places scarcely appreciable, 

 and a tone of disappointment in the result was apparent. The weather 

 had been favorable for picking, except in the eastern belt, where rains 

 had obstructed the harvest and injured the fiber. The December re- 

 tnrns, those of final product, always conservative in their uurcvised 

 condition, showing 8 to 10, and in years of sudden or severe depression, 

 12 to 15 per cent, less than the real yield, were not indicative of a crop 

 as large as that promised in October. The final returns are made on 

 the 1st of February. 



The special cotton returns of February 1, 188G, estimate the cotton 

 remaining on plantations on the 1st of February, the proportion of lint 

 to seed, the quality, average date of close of picking, and the price of 

 cotton seed. 



The time of closing of cotton picking varied greatly in every State, 

 but was later than in 1884 or 1883 in nearly all. The average date of 

 closing was in November, in 1884, in nine States, and in eight States in 

 X883, but in 1885 it was in December in all but South Carolina, Florida, 

 and Alabama. On an average the close of picking was about nine 

 days later than in previous year. The average dates in each State for 

 the three years are thus given : 



SUteB. 



18«3. 



Virginia 



North Carolina. 

 Soatb Carolina . 

 Georgia ........ 



Florida 



Alabama ... 



Mississippi 



Louisiana ...... 



Texas 



Arkausas 



Tennessee 



Dec. 12 

 Nov. 28 

 Nov. 23 

 Nov. 20 

 Nov. 30 

 Nov. 24 

 Nov. 26 

 Nov. 23 

 Nov. 30 

 Dec. 12 

 Dec. 10 



The returns relating to quality of the present crop make the cotton 

 of Texas and Arkansas better than usual, and give the lowest averages 

 to Georgia and xVlabama, while that of the Carolinas is next in inferior- 

 ity, and that of Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana nearly an average. 

 The staple is generally short, especially in the districts that report, "in- 

 ferior quality. On the Atlantic coast there is much complaint of injury 

 by rains and storms, and by hurried picking between storms on clay 

 lands. The weather was not generally favorable for picking in this 

 section. Going west improvement is indicated, and in the extreme 

 West nearly perfect weather for picking wa-s generally enjoyed. 



The returns of percentage of lint to seed mark a similar diflercnce in 

 quality, and attest a general average somewhat below medium quality. 

 An average should be at least 32 per cent, of lint, or between 32 and 

 33. Only the States beyond the Mississi^jpi make au average exceed- 



