Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-01-05
THE COTTON CROP.
Its Dimensions Taken by the Nashville
Exchange.
How the Problem is Solved by the Com
mitIee on Statistics IniOr-
nation.

lle appeuutu IcEyOil5 NOA1-ol iiiiis -
cotton problem which IS still exciting great
interest North aud South, was submitted 10
the Nashville Cotton EXchauge yesterday
by the Committee on Statistics and lnIOr-
nation. and ordered printed 1t IS based
on a simple but comprehensive array oi
facts. lust obtained from various Southern
points BY telegraph which must com
mand attention everywhere Our Ex-
change has shown both originality and en-
terprise and we take pleasure in presenting
the result Of lis investigation;
NASHVILLE, Tenn, Jan. 4, loI5.--Io
the President and Board Of Managers OF
the Nashville Cotton Exchange-Gentle-
men: Your Committee on Information
and Statistics being impressed vita a De-
lief that IS. mates based upon the receipts
st the norris and interior markets would
apurOximale more closely 70 a correct solu-
tiOn Of the crop problem, than those de-
duced from following the crop through IT'S
various stages and conditions, respectfully
submit the following:
The receipts Of The crop Of loTO-1l at
The ports 10 3jst Of December were 4O4 per
cent of the total. 1S7I-I2 the per cent
ACE was 51A, and for 1S72-I3 80 per
cent. while Tor 1S13--74 it was 80 per eeiit:
I'm attempting the sOlutiOnOf this method
there is but one important unknown guam
titv to ascertain. tO-wit: the force 1t the IN
AUences which have retarded or pushed for
ward the crop. There are OF
course. serious difficulties TO be met
in determining this question, yet to our
minds it is a more simple plan than any
other. In a comparison of aseries Of years,
we no,g and then find one that is an extra
ordinary exception to those which nave
nrece6ed or followed it, such, for ilustra-
tion. as the crop Of 1S7O-7l. Although
the trade was well aware Of the determined
effort on the part Of merchants and planters
to hold back the crop, led thereto by the ex-
istiug war in Europe, yet no one Jhat We
know OF compfehsnded, even remotely, the
extent to which this influence was check
inc the movement Of the crop. The best
evidence Of the truth Of this is the fact that
as late as Feb. II, 1871, ''B. F. NJ "a gen
tleman who is always 20 be found among the
longest Of long crop meE) wrote an extended
article for the Commercial Gnd FtnQncidL
Chronicle. i'm which be then gave the esti-
mates As running from three and hall 70
four millions, and so far beyond ali eXpec-
tatiop had the influences at work held the
crOp I'm check that even those seemingly
Iar6e estimates fell below the actual result
350,OOO to $4,000 bales.
The crop Of 1S7l-72 was marketed Win
ont sny influence Of material importance.
In 1872 3 the movement was retarded by
unfavorlble weather. October was unusu-
allv cold. November gave rs as cold, II
moi the coolest spell ever known for that
month. the intensity Of which increased as
tbe winter advanced. And further serious
interruutiou was met with in the horse
disease. which reached the cotton States
late in November, and spread rapidly over
The manic of September, 1873, IS fresh in
the memory of all, and though its elect IN
retardiug the cop movement was very
great. vet we find that so per cent. OF II
WAS into the ports by 3lst December. we
have next in order the present crop, the
| prDgress Of which, from one extreme 10 the
| other and back again, are without prece-
/ dent. and have wrought great CONFUSION IN
/ the minds of those who have endeayOred
| to follow il and base estimates OF the
/ rssult upon its varied conditions, and
We feel inclined TO assert that the cOmbina-
/ tior, nj Influences which have been forcing
/ II 10 market are more difficult Of cOmpre-
/ bansion than IFS vicissitudes Of weather.
/ II is fmpOssible to compare the movement
Of this crop with any that has preceded ~
but II NAV Justly be cOntrasted with that Ol
i 1901, and in doing this we Ieel saie ~
| asserting it has gone much farther on the
other extreme. In considering lLs move
meut to resent date we find most remark
| able combination OfcircUmstances IayOraOi'
| to an unusually rapid movement. FOreeS
to an early and uniform opening by Sc
we're drouth, il was easily and qulekly gain
cred; then impelled by the urgent Eecesi
ties Of the planters, it has been forced lor
ward without encOunterlng the shgnles
| check. or even impediment, andWlth rap
idity which the planters themselves nav
| failed to realize. Early and uniform ma
turitv, pressing demands Of planter.
splendid weather, fine condition Of road
and increased railroad facilities have a
consplred in favor Of a steady and Iapi
movement, and while We have good reasO
to believe that the Incompatible weathe
alluded to has added fully 10000 bales
the crop, yet allowing fully for 'he infit
epces at work, we are forced to the cOnclJ
sion that a much larger percentages Of tn
crop had reached the ports by the 31st ul
than has been attained by any prev
| ously. If this is not a fair an
legitimate conclusion, then all est
/ mates as to the extent Of the ere
are built upon sand and must be change
| lust as each day or weeks receipts a
| above OF below the general expectation.
Notwithstanding the numerous eonndel
| | and in some instances disinterested iOI
crop estimates, we could not resist the col
elusiOn that fully 60 per cent. OF the pre-
ent commercial crop had reached TIE por