Crop Prospects

TJic past winter hus been iroted in sonio sections for its few snows and their thawing, in other8 for the great length of 'time ■w.hich the snows havo lain upon the ground. Ihe juisfortuno of the fir&t is tUat the sudden thaws canseti most oí' tho ïnelted snow to run oif into tho streams, and furthcr that they were followed by jKessive degrees of cold and long-contihued Tho fact fuinishos a key wheroby wc may easily solvo the cause ot tho deiith of ovorgreons; at wherover it has existud in a grain-growing región tho 'tintev wheat has been killed. Over how large au extent of country this result has been brought about cannot acourately be determiiwrt.in the present meagre systein ot' oi niuUoiological ri:poi'U ; but from hn Bources-at command wv ustimato that tkeav.ft ot' winter killed wlieat cannot bc vitv larga iu thut raotion of our country which pjroduoesthe grit bulkof our gi-uin otop. lis i:ict, in tho new gruin-ficlds of che Xorthwest tlu; substitntion oï tpiingfor winter whoiit lius becouie ulmost univrsal, und it growth is attempted in oniy a few couuties of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Xebraska. The status furnibiiig:-ii' no tbau half of ourtutal wheat erop are lUinois, iStdiau. ühio, Michigan, Wihconsin, Minnesott, Ia,. California, and Pennsylvania. Of these, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Minnesota sow but little winter ïleat, and hunco, with such seasons as havo been reportcd, there is evciy rcason to expect from thera a good erop oL wheat from spring planting. From lili.ois tliu repoots uf tho wintfirwhont are very good, írom Michigan poor, íroin Ohio fiiir, from Pennsylvunia an average, from Indiana good, while from California wt :j.r informed thut tha average planted has been liirgely iiu;reased, and the ippoarance of the erop iacexoeUent From tho South tho reports aro favorable, and now whoat lits alro.idy made its appeeranoe in the iftrkt;ts of Atlanta.ttiul Öhattauooga. While such is tho report of tho erops in our own country there is n gpeat scaroity of grain in the depots of-Europe, andcorrffpondcuts, while speakinj; huiiufully of thu grain crops, are wary in tlieir statelaionts, and it xoay bo that the =aiie cau6fs wbich out off their product last year will yot-prevnil this season. In our own land tie thousaud of acres every year added t ) the tillablo soil ttsi.d to increase our af , giMgutn product, though inoteorologieal inüuences may canso a deoroaeo in oue or the othor particular section ; heneo it is safo to ini'or that our wheat erop will not full bolow tho last, though its average eost of production per bushei may bo greater. Throngh the introductioh of the steani plow, and the concentration of energy and capital upon largo farms, ma y be effectod the production of greater quuntities of whoat per aere at a mueh reduced price per bushei ; and at tho same time greater exemption bo attainod from the etfects of severo weather. It is a well ascertoined fact that the amount of rainfall in the month of May directly innuences thp quantity of the hay orop. Whcther the latencss of the season this year will allow the rains of early June to go to tho credit of May oan only be told when the erop is gathered. At jirMont the indioations are fnat the erop of hay will not exceed that of 1871. At tho same timo, as during last year, it is probable that the quality will be botter than if there had been a moro favorable soMon and an excossivo erop. In the South a largor acreage in cotton than last yoar has been planted. The accounts that reach us of the stand and the growing prospect indicato at least an average. Cotton is, after its easly npringing up, in great measnre sun p'itint ; and further, the great bulk of tho cotton is produood on a soil which will not oofT moisture even in such excess as would not at all injure corn. If the latter pnrt of June and the month of July íioald bo moderatoly dry in tho grent cotton-growing sections of Alabama nnd Mississippi, and a warm, dry Augnst, there rnsy b oxpected a large prcr.uct of o#tton in the flelds, and whethr it will bo picked is a branch of the labor question we are not called upon to arguo. Corn is ono of tho spring grains, and henee has none of the dangors of sovore winter to undorgo. The reports from the various states indicato a goo.i projjcot, though in many places the cut-worm is doing groat damsge. The fruit erop of this yoar will hardly exceed two-thirds that of 1871, hut, as is usual with a loss erop, the quulity is evprywhero expectijd to be better. It is ostimated that Delavir will produce hut little over ono-half of last year. whilo New. Jorsey is not looked upon to bestoit upon is moro than two-thirda of the delicious, rosy-tinted peaches from her southern sands, or of the later, but to the housekeepor not less welcome, "whitos" from the hill of Morris. From the West we have news that their fruit erop is expocted to be especially good, whilu tho grapes may lack quantity, but will excel in ilavor. Tho apple erop will not in any section more than exceed that of last yoar, uuless in the southorn Alleghanies, from which, uowever, wo obtain no supplies. The fruit erop of California which, from rapid transportation has becomo an item of interest to us, is stated to be largo and of the usual quality. Tho grapes will be better than ever bei'ore, froin the incroased production of improvcd varietics. From the South the welconio news comes to us that tlie fruit erop there is likely to be very great, and henee from Savannah, Charleston, and Norfolk may be expeeted sueh a quantity as will make up the deficiency of our neighbors in Delaware and New Jersey. -