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  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  The 
  smaller 
  planters 
  find 
  a 
  market 
  nearer 
  home, 
  and 
  

   generally 
  prefer 
  selling 
  at 
  the 
  shipping 
  port, 
  chiefly 
  at 
  

   Yazoo 
  City, 
  Jackson, 
  Vicksburg 
  and 
  Natchez, 
  and 
  at 
  

   Aberdeen 
  and 
  Columbus 
  on 
  the 
  Tombigbee. 
  

  

  A 
  considerable 
  portion 
  from 
  North 
  Mississippi 
  goes 
  to 
  

   Memphis, 
  Tennessee. 
  That 
  which 
  goes 
  to 
  New 
  Orleans 
  

   and 
  Mobile, 
  is 
  delivered 
  at 
  the 
  cotton 
  presses, 
  or 
  is 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  on 
  the 
  wharves, 
  and 
  thence 
  hauled 
  on 
  drays 
  to 
  

   the 
  warehouses 
  of 
  the 
  consignees. 
  

  

  Each 
  bale 
  is 
  then 
  sampled 
  by 
  cutting 
  into 
  the 
  edge 
  

   and 
  drawing 
  a 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  cotton, 
  which 
  is 
  classi- 
  

   fied 
  and 
  put 
  up 
  in 
  packages 
  of 
  cartridge 
  paper, 
  and 
  ex- 
  

   posed 
  in 
  the 
  counting-room 
  of 
  the 
  merchant 
  to 
  the 
  inspec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  cotton-brokers, 
  who 
  are 
  employed 
  to 
  purchase 
  

   for 
  the 
  manufacturers, 
  or 
  those 
  who 
  speculate 
  in 
  the 
  

   article. 
  

  

  When 
  sold, 
  it 
  is 
  reweighed, 
  and 
  sent 
  to 
  the 
  steam- 
  

   presses, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  recompressed 
  and 
  reduced 
  to 
  equal 
  

   dimensions 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  for 
  greater 
  economy 
  of 
  space 
  in 
  

   storing 
  on 
  shipboard. 
  

  

  If 
  carefully 
  and 
  correctly 
  weighed, 
  there 
  will 
  generally 
  

   be 
  a 
  gain 
  on 
  the 
  gin 
  weights 
  in 
  favor 
  of 
  the 
  planter 
  of 
  

   two 
  or 
  three 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  Accounts 
  of 
  sales 
  are 
  returned 
  to 
  the 
  planter, 
  and 
  the 
  

   proceeds 
  credited 
  to 
  him, 
  deducting 
  two 
  and 
  a 
  half 
  per 
  

   cent, 
  commission 
  for 
  selling 
  and 
  the 
  incidental 
  charges, 
  

   such 
  as 
  freight, 
  drayage, 
  storage, 
  weighing, 
  and 
  river 
  and 
  

   fire 
  insurance; 
  the 
  latter 
  being 
  covered 
  by 
  what 
  are 
  

   termed 
  open 
  policies, 
  kept 
  by 
  the 
  merchant 
  with 
  the 
  in- 
  

   surance 
  ofiices, 
  and 
  which 
  embrace 
  all 
  consignments 
  ex- 
  

   cept 
  those 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  shipper 
  prefers 
  taking 
  the 
  risk 
  

   himself, 
  and 
  notifies 
  the 
  consignee 
  accordingly. 
  

  

  