238 COTTON PLANTER'S MANUAL. 



disastrous. The spring was late, and the stand poor ; but the 

 dry summer prevented the ravages of the worm, which had 

 done so much damage the preceding year. The river floods 

 had also done harm the last season ; and these they have 

 escaped. The prairie-lands have not suffered so much with 

 rust as before. On the Tombigbee, and also on the Black 

 \Yarrior, the prospects of the planters are very much above 

 those of last year. On the Alabama, the promise is about the 

 same as last year. Still the disasters have been severe, and 

 the crop will be below an average. An increase of 90,000 or 

 100,000 bales in the receipts at Mobile, including the Mont- 

 gomery shipments to New Orleans may, with confidence, be 

 anticipated. From Florida, a slight increase may be looked 

 for. The amount of land planted has been considerably en- 

 larged, and the drought has not been as general as in the 

 eastern part of the cotton region. At New Orleans and in 

 Texas, a gain may be looked for. The failure last year was 

 so great, that it is almost impossible to expect a like deficiency 

 again. From Louisiana, Arkansas, and the greater part of 

 Mississippi, the reports have been better than last year. The 

 early frost of October 6th, injured not a little of the cotton as 

 far north as Memphis ; but in general, even in Tennessee, the 

 plant remained green and flourishing, till the general frost at 

 the close of the month. The production of Tennessee and 

 North Alabama will fall below that of last year, and a portion 

 of this will not reach New Orleans. The crop was every- 

 where backward, but the hot, dry summer helped to repair 

 this damage, and by keeping off the caterpillar and boll-worm, 

 permitted the forms to mature. The severe storms that did 

 so mucji harm in Florida and the Atlantic States, did not ex- 

 tend so far to the west. The season for gathering has been 

 very fine, and the time of frost late enough to mature nearly 

 every boll that could make cotton. The average receipts at 



