ENPages
Saturday August 1st 1846
Dear Sir The season on the cotton crop has been much more favourable from the 19 July up to this time The 1st August than it was from the 1st of July to the 19th of July We have had a great deal of cloudy weather within the last 14 days but very little rain with it the cotton has improved very much within the last 2 weeks altho the wet weather appears as tho its going to set in again as we had a fine rain on Thursday and Friday last and the prospect very good for more at this time There will be a very poor crop on the bottom crop this year as the cotton shed all its forms as bottom from the 1st of July to the 19 of July so if we have another wet spell in August and the cotton sheds all its middle crop of forms we will make a poor crop certain I have had a good deal of sickness amongst my Negroes but the diseases have been mild so much so that they generally yield to 2 or 3 doses of medicine my average No. for the last 3 weeks about 5 a day altho I have less at this time than I have had for 15 days. The weather is very hot & oppressive I never felt it more so. My cotton still have some rust in places yet & when it has the rust every form & blossom falls off. We will not have any picking of cotton here until the 1st September and the season must be very dry from this time to the 15th of September if we have picking by the 1 September. my own health continues good so far
old Burnett has completed the main whell & nearly completed the two hand whells he has a little to do on the press yet. he says he will be in due time with all his work for ginning and I suppose he will two if the gin stands come to hand on the 23 of July and Atwood wrote me that he would have the other here in 8 or 10 days but it has not come as yet old Burnett thinks them the most ordinary kind of stands & cant be made to gin more than two bales each a day if you intend to send your gin bund leather from Ky here I wish you to send it forthwith as you gave me no instructions concerning it previous to your leaving here. We had a wretched season for gathering fodder altho I saved some very good fodder. Crab grass & cuckleburs grows as fast here now as they did in May and June. my crop is all in fiar order The rope baging & linsey has all come safte to hand tho I believe I wrote you previous to this the had come safte to hand. No news here worth your attention I shall not be able to do much at making levy as it appears grass will never cease growing here this year. The squirrels & coons will destroy abought 1000 bushels of my corn. The barrel of oil has not come to hand yet. Nothing more at present worth your attention. Respectfully Richard Alsop
Col,, R, C, Ballard
Louisville Kentucky Mail
Sbt Sultana Nov 5th 1846 Col R C Ballard Dear Sir I see you have not shipped any of your cotton yet. I hope I shall have a show at it when you ship Cotton is very scarce & more Bts than ever before
I hope to see you soon In haste Your obdt H. Pease
Col R C Ballard
Magnolia