314 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



ed as a very different article in one important re- 

 spect, the quantity of its yield. My suspicions 

 may be wrong; but such, I think, will prove to 

 be the case. It is said, by tliose who grew it last 

 season, (hat it produces about tiiree times as much 

 per acre as the Mexican. It is this property ol' ii 

 which I am disposed to doubt, and upon this 

 ground, that 1 beheve, as a general rule, we will 

 find it to be the case, that, in proportion as wc find 

 cotton possessing a long, fine and silky fibre, in an 

 equal proportion will it be (bund to decrease in the 

 quantity produced ; and I think, upon an investiga- 

 tion o( the matter, this will be found one olilie cha- 

 racteristics of the cotton plant: that these varie- 

 ties of cotton which are shortest in fibre \\\\\ yield 

 most abundantly, and the peveise. I adniii, how- 

 ever, this may in some measure be varied, tiy a 

 judicious system in crossing ddi'ereni varieties, and 

 of cultivation. We all know that cultivation does 

 a great deal towards changing and improving na- 

 tural properties of vegetation in gerieral ; but I 

 cannot believe that such cotton as I have seen ex- 

 hibited as the Chinese silk cotton can ever be 

 grown in such quantities per acre as our Mexican. 

 1 shall, however, be able to test the matter this 

 year, having some of it now grovving.in our garden. 



I have also made some experiments with the 

 twin or Okra cotton, but abandoned it, as iiderior 

 to our Mexican in almost every respect ; but the 

 most serious objection was, that it appeared to 

 open all at once, and wasted a great deal before 

 we could be able to pick it ; that is, if we had 

 planted it as a crop. This is owing to its having 

 80 few and so short branches. All the bolls grew 

 at one time, and opened together. It also grows 

 -tall, and the»bolls at the top bend it over to the 

 ground. 



I intended explaining more fully my views upon 

 the general system of saving a crop and serving 

 it up for market; to account for our cotton being 

 better in color, fibre, &c., and clearer of trash and 

 loaste cotton, in cotton the fibre of which is cut 

 by the saws in ginning, than the most of cotton 

 which goes to New Orleans ; and also to hint at 

 some other points in the line of our planters ; such 

 as manuring our soils, to prevent the threatened 

 exhaustion of our once highly esteemed Gulf 

 Hills, &c. ; but fear I have already extended my 

 remarks to too great a length — I am sure much 

 more than I designed doing when I commenced. 

 But I shall now close, at least until 1 learn the fate 

 of thrs, which I leave entirely to yourselli I as- 

 sure you, sir, it is with very great reluctance I send 

 you these remarks, and would feel more than re- 

 compensed if they would but serve to call more 

 attention to the subject ; and to elicit other contri- 

 butions from this section of country to your valua- 

 ble publication. Respeclfiiliy yours, 



Haller Nutt. 

 Laurel Hill, Jefferson County, Mi. 

 Jpril 25, 1841. 



[We shall be glad to hear again from our cor- 

 respondent, on this or any other subject.— Ed.] 



is the recent movement on the part of the Britiali 

 ministry for an amelioration of the corn laws — 

 a subject which lias long agitated the kingdom, 

 and been the bone of contention between the 

 aristocracy and the working classes. That it 

 should now be introduced by the ministerial par- 

 ty is a proof of the increasing strength and infiu- 

 ence of the manufacturing and laboring portion 

 of the community. It is proposed that a regular 

 and moderate duty shall he laid on grain, in place 

 of the fluctuating one, which has rendered the 

 trade so precarious, and caused the price of bread 

 to be higher in England than in any other coun- 

 try. The agricultural and commercial interests 

 of the United States will be greatly benefited by 

 the change ; and it is evidently the interest of 

 Great Britain to obtain supplies from this country, 

 which affords so large and increasing a market 

 for her manufactures, in preference to procuring 

 them from the continent of Europe, where she 

 has generally to pay for them in gold and silver. 



It is proposed to admit other articles of neces- 

 sity on more liberal terms than heretofore, and 

 we may hope that this is but the commencement 

 of a system which may remove the shackles from 

 commerce, not only in Great Britain, but univer- 

 sally ; confining the operations of tariffs solely to 

 objects of revenue, and allowing a free inter- 

 course between all countries in all commodities. 

 Our own country will not, we trust, be backward 

 in promoting so desirable an object, both by ne- 

 gotiation and by legislation. 



There has been scarcely any variation in the 

 prices of the most important articles of foreign or 

 domestic produce during the month. Cotton and 

 tobacco maintain the prices lasc quoted ; but the 

 late accounts from Europe are unfavorable.to both 

 articles. The manufacturing interest there, as 

 well as in this country, is much depressed ; and 

 the cotton spinners in England are working but 

 four days in the week. At this rate, the defi- 

 ciency of our last crop will not be felt, and prices 

 must keep down for some time at least. 



Shipments of flour will no doubt be made in 

 anticipation of the change above mentioned, and 

 a slight advance in this article has already taken 

 place. 



The necessaries of life Avere never lower than 

 they have been here of late. Flour at S4.60 to 

 S4.75 ; corn at 45 cents, (now 55 cents); bacon at 

 5 to S cents. 



The meeting of Congress (next week) is 

 looked forward to for some important changes af- 

 fecting the currency and coriimerce of the coun- 

 try. X. 



May 25th, 1841. 



MONTHLY COMMERCIAL REPORT. 



For the Farmers' Register. 

 The most interesting circumstance which has 

 occurred for some time in the commercial world, 



THE SEASON AND CROPS. 



May 25th. 

 Throughout the spring, to the 20th of this 



month, in lower Virginia there has been a very 

 unusual predominance of cold weather ; and 

 from Christmas to the same time, the quantity 

 and frequency of rains have been not only re- 

 markable, but unprecedented. Not only was 

 there much time lost to all out-door farm labors, 

 but the earth was scarcely ever dry enough to 



