Democratic Sentinel, Volume 8, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 November 1884 — THE WORLD OF BUSINESS. [ARTICLE]

THE WORLD OF BUSINESS.

An Estimate of the New Cotton Crop—A Great Coni Yield. Dr. Salmon’s Advice to Farmers—Roseate Yievrs of the Business . Outlook. The Cotton Crop. The November returns of cotton to theDepartment of Agriculture, at Washington, relate to the yield per acre, and show theeffeets of the long-continued draught in reducing production. The lateness of killing frosts has less effect than usual in curtailiqg the yield, as the vitality of plinls was too nearly exhausted to produce a top crop* The drought had not been broken at some paints on the Gulf coast at the date of returns. The indicated yield per acre is lower in nearly every Slate than in the census year, which-gwas oneof average production. The lowest yields are now, as then, in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Texas. The reduction this year is very marked in Louisianaand Arkansas, in the region es the most productive cotton lands. Returns by States indicate the yield per acre as follows, the figures being subject to modification by fuller returns: Virginia, 180 pounds; North Carolina, 175; South Carolina, 152; Georgia, 135; Florida, 105; Alabama, 130; Mississippi, 175; Louisiana, 190; Texas, 143; Arkansas, 200; Tennessee, 160. The indications point to a crop somewhat larges than in 1883, gathered in unusually fine condition, of good color, unstained by storms, and free irom trash and dirt. A Great Corn Crop. The November returns to the Department Agriculture, of the rate of yield of com indicate a product somewhat in excess of 1,800,000,000 buslmls,' on an averagerate a small fraction twenty-six bushels per acre. The best yields are, as in 1883, in what has been designated the great American desert The “arid regions" in the vicinity of the 100th meridian have produced heavy crops of maize of high quality. That line of longitude has ceased to be an absolute barrier to com production or general farming. The quality of com is better than in 1883 nearly everywhere, and in the Northern belt it is worth 25 to 75 per cent more. The potato crop is nearly an average yield, or ninety bushels per acre, and exceeds 190,000,000 bushels. Contagious Cattle Diseases—Dr. Salmon’sKeport. Dr. D. E. Salmon, Chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry, has submitted to the Commissioner of Agriculture a voluminous report upon the contagious diseases of animals, the report being the result of experiments and.investigations made by the veterinary division. Considerable space is given to the detailed history of the recent outbreak among cattle in Kansas, and to description of its symptoms. Dr. Salmon reaches the conclusion that the disease was ergotism, due to eating the fungus known as ergot. Upon the treatment and prevention of this disorder he says: When the first signs of this disorder appear the most important point to be attended to is to m’Uce a complete change of food and to see that it is of good quality, nutritious, and free from ergot. It would also be proper to give a dose of physic, in order to remove as much as possible the poison still contained in the digestive organs, and to follow this with soft food. In the most severe cases—those in which part of the limb is already lifeless—treat ment will avail but little. The greater number of cases, however, have not advanced to this stage when lameness is first noticed, and these will be greatly benefited by removing the cause and placing the animal under conditions favorable for resisting poison. Another condition believed by some to have much influence on the development of ergotism is the water supply. With plenty of water always at hand it is believed larger quantities of ergot may be taken for a longer time than when, the water supply is deficient. Don’t Get Deft. To show how rapidly this country is developing in resources and wealth, as well as in the ability to consume products, a contemporary adduces the following figures: In 1873 our population was about 40,000,000; now It Is 67,000,000. In 1873 we raised 281,000,000 bushels of wheat—the largest crop the country had produced np to that time. This year the wheat crop will be over 800,000,000. In 1873 our corn crop was 932,000,000 bushels: this year it will be 2,000,01)0,000— more than one-half greater than It was eleven years ago. In 1873 the oat crop amounted to 280,000,(XoO bushels; this year it will aggregate f. 00,000,000 bushels. This vast increase of production has been made in a little more than a decade, despite five or six years of depression during that period. All our material resources have kept a pace of development commensurate with our progress in soil production. Comment is unnecessary to show that it is useless lor the peoSle of this country to think that because thereas been a panic in the stock market and general decline of prices there is to be a long halt In the race of progress. The man who now sits down, and resolves to wait a few years before he undertakes a new enterprise, will get. left behind. The train will start and be out of sight while he is musing. Cheer Up and Brace Up. [From the New York Sun.] Now that the Presidential election is over, and all the rest of mankind at peace, why should not everybody return to his regular pursuits, and do what he can toward making everybody as happy ns he can? We have a boundless expanse of fertile soil, an abundance of food and clothing, a. great number of factories, with almost unlimited capacity for production, and the most extended system of cheap transportation in the world; and yet business is everywhere stagnant. Under the stimulation of the lowest prices known these twenty years, it is only reasonable that affairs should begin to revive, and they doubtless will, but the business men of the country can help it along by calmly considering the situation, and seeing how good it is after all. The Business Outlook. A well-informed business man from York, in speaking of the prospects for business during the remainder es the year, said that the merchants of New York, whocan disentangle their thoughts from the political excitement, are calculating the chances for some improvement in the mercantile business during the remainder of the year.