SOJJTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
30S 
AGKICUITTJRAL PROSPECTS SOUTH— THE CROPS, &C. 
The Columbia Carolinian of August 25, says: “One 
bale of new cotton was received yest|rday^by the Green- 
ville and Columbia Railroad from the plantation of Capt. 
T. Q. J. Robertson of this District, and bought by Richard 
Anderson at 121^ cents, weight 508 lbs.; quality middling 
fair.” 
A correspondent of the Savannah Journal Courier 
writing from near Forsyth, Monroe county, Ga., under 
date of the August 22d, says that the cotton crop, though 
subject still to many drawbacks, is looking remarkably 
well, and promising much the largest crop ever made. 
Another correspondent of the same paper, writing from 
Tallahassee, Fla., under date of August 20, says : 
“ Our crops are not equal to the promise we had a few 
weeks since. Many fine looking stalks of corn are found, 
since they have been stripped of their blades, to offer no- 
thing but an overgrown shoot ; and although the crop is 
ample for the consumption of the country, it will not be 
near so large as we at once anticipated. 
“ The cotton crop has shedded much from excessive 
rains in July and the early part of August, and now, from 
a sudden cessation, accompanied by a burning sun, the 
earth is hard and crusted, and the old lands are threaten- 
ed to rust badly. I do not consider my prospect to-day 
good for more than two-thirds of what it was three weeks 
since. Whether my neighbors are as bad off as myself I 
know not.” 
The Eutaw (Ala.) Observer of the 18th of August 
says : 
“The wet weather during the two weeks preceding 
this, caused the cotton to shed a great many squares, and 
many places we hear the boll-worm has done great harm. 
But if the present weather continues, we are informed 
there will be an unusually fine crop. Many planters will 
commence picking next week, and if we felt competent to 
make a suggestion, we would say there is as much in 
gathering a crop as there is in making it, A great many 
good farmers neglect this important part of the year’s 
work, and the consequence is, the fall rains set in, about 
the time the first opening should have been housed, and 
then it is trashy and clings to the burr, and a hand can- 
not pick near as much in a day. The cotton picked early 
is nicer and brings invariably a better price ; if our farm- 
ing friends would have three or four apartments, and keep 
the different pickings separate, it would more than pay 
them for the trouble. The cotton thus separated should 
be ginned and picked to itself. But it is the custom of 
many to pay little regard to this matter, and the loss is in 
the sale of the cotton.” 
The Shreveport (La.) Gazette 11th of August., 
reports the crops doing well. Rain had fallen in abun. 
dance and the weather was pleasant. 
The Homer (Clairborne parish. La.) Advocate of the 8th 
of August, says : 
“Our cotton crop is suffering very much for want of 
rain. The corn crop is made, such as it is. It is now 
generally conceded that there will not be a full average 
crop of either corn or cotton made in this parish this sea- 
son.” 
The Natchitoches Chronicle of the 11th of August 
says : 
“ Our planters are now busily engaged in picking cot- 
ton ; from all appearances we think the crop in our parish 
will prove an average one. A sufficiency of corn has been 
made.” 
A letter to the Concordia Intelligencer from Black 
River, Concordia parish, says: 
“The crop of corn in this section of the parish will be 
uncommonly large this year. The rains interferred some 
with the curing of fodder, but still enough has been secured 
for ordinary consumption. 
“The cotton crop has suffered from the rains — many 
forms and young bolls have' shedded off, and the showers 
have caused some blooms to fall in consequence of wet- 
ting the inside and producing a formation which destroyed 
the nascent boll. The rust has also damaged some fields 
more than has formerly been known here. Recently the 
rot has made its appearance here in the cotton fields, and 
is continuing to spread and increase, as it usually has 
done in former years.” 
The Point Coupee Echo, of the 18th of August, says.' 
“Visiting, a short time since, both the upper and lower 
portion of our parish, we had an opportunity of seeing the 
condition of the crops On the Archafalaya they are 
looking finely, and rarely have we seen such crops of cot- 
ton. Sufficient rains had fallen to greatly benefit both the 
corn and cotton, and the yield of the former has been 
larger than anticipated. 
“On the Grosse Tete, we are sorry to say, the rot has 
made its appearance on some of the places, but not to 
any considerable extent. Quite a number of the planters 
have commenced picking their cotton, and some of them 
in gathering their corn find that they have made more 
than they have room for. Those who, on account of the 
drouth, were compelled to plow up their first crop and 
re-plant, have succeeded remarkably well. The second 
crop is looking extremely well and promises a yield supe- 
rior to that planted several months previous.” 
The Memphis Whig of the 14th of August says: — 
“From almost every portion of this region of the cotton 
growing country we hear very favorable reports of the pros- 
pects of the crop, which is now fast maturing and open- 
ing, ready for the pickers to commence operations in the 
field. While the growth is very luxuriant, the stocks are 
well filled from top to bottom with bolls, blooms and 
squares, and the more matured bolls are opening rapid- 
ly.” 
The Vicksburg V/hig of the 18th of August says :— 
“We have conversed with several planters living in the 
vicinity during the last week in I’elation to the growing 
cotton crop. They are all of the opinion that the crop 
will be a short one. They say the late dry weather on 
the hill lands has caused all the late blooms to fall off — 
consequently, there is no cotton on the stalk only what is 
nearly matured — therefore, the picking season will soon 
be -over, and the crop alight one. We believe the river 
lands are all more or less affected in the same way.” 
Bear Grass. — The Pilatka (Fla.) Sun says: — “Dr. 
Sweaberg and another gentleman have been sojourning 
in our town a few days, on their return from an explora- 
tion of the country on the river above this place. They 
selected this season as the most unfavorable that they 
might see the worst condition of the country. The ob- 
ject of Dr Sweaberg is to establish a number of German 
families, to cultivate the Bear grass and Sisal hemp, which 
he believes can be profitably cultivated for cordage and 
sail-cloth. The bear grass can be cheaply prepared by a 
chemical process so as to be of very fine fiber, from which 
a very good quality of cloth is fabricated. 
He is satisfied with the country and the precticability 
of the enterprise. We were not before aware of the value 
of the bear grass, and are inclined to think it possible that 
at no distant day it may equal in value the cotton crop 
now shipped fiOin East Florida. 
