254 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 4 



lected, and it is not known to many of the people of 

 Virginia, that so rich a mineral treasure exists within 

 the State.] 



WHEAT CROP IN THE NORTHERN NECK. 



Westmoreland, Va., June 24th, 1836. 



In making out your usual report of the state of 

 the crops, it'^may be useful to know, that in this 

 region the wheat has entirely failed. 1 have seen 

 no" field that will return the seed and defray the 

 expense of harvesting. One of my neighbors, on 

 a small, but very productive fl^rm, on which he 

 has usually made upwards of 1000 bushels, now 

 ofTers his standing crop, from 87 bushels sowed, tor 

 50 bushels of wheat. Another, who sowed 90 

 bushels on a very fine field, offers the crop for 40 

 bushels. My own crop, on land that has been 

 highly improved with clover, sea weed, &c. is not 

 inli much better condition. The severity of the 

 winter and the ravages of the fly, had been very 

 destructive, although where the land was highly 

 improved or freshly manured, the wheat had in a 

 great measure recovered; and my own crop would 

 have been fully an average one, but for the late 

 devastating rains, which have brought on mildew 

 in its most fatal form. In the language of the 

 Edinburgh Review, it has attacked the vvheat 

 with the violence of an apoplectic stroke — and 

 scarcely one head in a hundred has escaped the 

 paralysis. The weather for the last month has 

 been precisely such as to produce mildew in its 

 most aggravated form, and I am very confident 

 that the disease is not local, but has extended to 

 every part of the Union that has been reached by 

 the late excessive rams. The author of the article 

 on agriculture above quoted, in speaking of the 

 failure of the crop in England in 1808, says if he 

 had been in the West Indies, and had been in- 

 formed that it had rained at a critical period of the 

 season for nearly four weeks, he could have pre- 

 4iicted with positive certainty the destruction of the 

 wheat by mildew. The rain commenced here 

 more than 4 weeks ago, and with the exception of 

 a very few fair days, we have had almost constant 

 rain since. The wind is now at N. E. accompa- 

 nied with a heavy mist. Last night the rain 

 poured down in torrents. The corn crop is of 

 course in a very backward state, and upon wet 

 lands, the prospect for a crop is gloomy indeed. 



These few lines are written just before the close 

 of the mail— and are not intended for publication 

 in their present form, though ihe information con- 

 tained is much at your service. 



[The foregoing letter was received too late for our 

 Jast No., and is now inserted, though "out of date," be- 

 cause its details and its reasoning serve to throw light 

 on the general and disastrous circumstances of the pre- 

 sent wheat crop. Though contrary to the writer's in- 

 tention, we have preferred giving his facts in his own 

 words : and though not at liberty to give the signature 

 to a private letter, there could be none tliat would car- 

 ry with it more respect and authority than that of our 

 much esteemed correspondent.] 



THE SEASON, AND WHEAT CROP. 



We might fill pages with statements extracted from 



other prints, serving to prove the general failure of the 

 wheat crop, in the greater part of the Atlantic States, 

 and confirming, to the fullest extent, the view and an- 

 ticipations presented at the close of our last No. as to 

 the crops of Virginia. But it is unnecessary thus to 

 occupy space, where there remains so little difference 

 of opinion. There is now no doubt that the statement 

 of general deficiencies then presented, before the wheat 

 was reaped, was even more favorable than the crops 

 of Virginia will realize. The gross product of the en- 

 tire State, will not exceed (if it even equals) the third 

 of an average crop, in quantity — and of that the quali- 

 ty is so inferior, that a new and important difficulty on 

 very many farms, and in many entire neighborhoods, 

 will be to obtain enough of sufficiently good seed for 

 the next crop. It may be computed that one ninth 

 part, at least, of an average crop would be required for 

 seed — which will be equal to one third of the crop of 

 the present year: and as the best grain must be saved 

 for that purpose, the balance for the farmers' home 

 consumption, and for market will be only two thirds of 

 the present crop, or two ninths of an average crop — 

 and that of the basest quality of what this crop offers. 



The wetness of the season has been favorable only to 

 oats on high land — but destructive even to that cjrop, 

 which requires so much moisture, on low grounds, 

 usually the most favorable to its growth. Neither corn, 

 tobacco or cotton in Virginia, can be conceived in as 

 good as an average state — and every thing (except 

 our land, and the natural and neglected resources for its 

 improvement,) is high priced, whilst the amount of ag- 

 ricultural products furnish most scantily the means for 

 purchasing. 



COMMERCIAL REPORT. 



The month of July is usually the commence- 

 ment of the dull season, which continues until Oc- 

 tober. The tobacco trade is, in Virginia, the only 

 active one at present, and this does not exhibit its 

 usual animation in the extent of competition and 

 wide range of prices. The dull state of European 

 markets, which has prevailed during the year, 

 somewhat depresses the spirit of speculation; but 

 the market has been steady at prices which amply 

 remunerate the planter. The lowest sort o^ refused 

 and lugs continues brisk at 5^ to 65, and passed 

 commands 7^ to 10 for export, while fancy quali- 

 ties go considerably higher, but do not admit of 

 quotation. The quantity now offering for inspec- 

 tion in Richmond is very large, and until the close 

 of next month, it will be difficult to draw a parallel 

 between the crops of the past and preceding years. 

 At present there appears a considerable deficiency 

 in Virginia, compared with the inspections of last 

 year, and an immense increase in Kentucky is al- 

 ready ascertained. 



The reports from various parts of the United 

 States, generally agree in representing the wheat 

 crop as having sustained more or less injury — the 

 extent of which appears to be greatest in Pennsyl- 

 vania, Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina — 

 approaching in some parts of the country to almost 

 a total failure. In New York and the western 

 states, the injury is saiii to be less; but until the 

 harvest is gathered, it will be difficult to judge cor- 



