The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1883-01-20
selling Cotton Seed.

The rapid increase of cotton seed
oil mills in the South has already
created a scarcity of seed to keep
them all in operation, and made the
planters somewhat firm in demand
ing an advance in the price paid by
the mills for their seed. The editor
of the Tfadesman, of Chattanooga,
has this to say on the subject: 1t is
questionable among cotton planters
whether it is economical in the end
to sell their seeds to the oil mills,
and there are many planters who
have persistently refused to sell
pound. AS fertillize- its value is
so we'll known that they prefer to
return the overplus to the ground.
Hence. the combination that has
recently been entered into among
cotton seed crushers along the Mis-
sissippi to fix the price of seed at
s11 is being met by the planters in
spirit of determined opposition.
Thev claim that the seed is worth
at least SIX, and that the supply is
not SO large as to warrant a liked
lower priee>at this time; The con-
svTss - = e.-Rs@-seed- -lS-inc-eas-s
ling with sefeat rapidity, SO great
that it is thought the crushers have
calculated without due considera-
ton of the law of supply and de-
mand, the. growers refusing to sell
at any fixed price determined by
the crushers alone. In this con-
nection a meeting of the former
was held at Brunswick Point, War
rem county, Mississippi, recently,
to take action in this regard. At
this meeting it was decided and
agreed not to sell cotton seed under
compulsory price, and to store the
seed. or use it as a fertilizer until
better terms could be agreed upon,
or to sell only to those mills that
are not party to the combination,
which it seems extends from New
Orleans to St. Louis. One OF the
concluding resolutions adopted at
this meeting referred to prevail
ing sentiment in plain terms. 1t
read as follows:
"Resolved, That in conclusion
we wish to give notice to comblna-
tons of every description, whether
tcotton seed or otherwise, that we
are no longer slaves, that we are
free men and perfectly able to take
care of ourselves; can sell our pro-
ducts to whom we please, and tor
a fair price, and we do not propose
that the price for the same shall De
! fixed by any combination when
plainly shows itself inimical to our
= vital interests" n
Whoever thinks about it at all
will agree that this cry OF comb
!, nation" is altogether new thing at
the South. But so naturally 90
trade combinations follow trade
. currents that it will not surprise
anv one to learn of this or other
: combinations following the devei-
u onment of new industries at the
Sourh. This section has simply
l ahead of il the same or like experi-
ences that have marked the course
~ of manufacturers at the East. There
= has always been, there must con
ts time TO be warfare between the
le Droducer and the manufacturer, as
'e there is continuous rivalry betweer
- noanufacturers themselves. Int
- same difficulties that seem to De az
!. tending the development OF tn'
= cotton seed industry may De e1
y pected to a greater degree IN a.
g other new and underlined interest
- that are likely for the future to iol
- low in rapid succession througnou
- the Southern States. There Is n
= - way known how this ditflcuIty ma
"a be evaded One thing, howeve'
:. NAV be regulated. 1t is the bitter
e ness it sometimes occasions. Mo-
- Grafton and compromise are II
only safe means by which these III
g " familiar questions may be adJuste
- It is a bad time for combinatio
~ beyond all doubt, but it is also n
-. ~ a good time for lack of spirit
hs ,ss compromise on the part of the pi
-. M ducer. 1t will require the col
20 - bined labors of both the produe
;es - and manufacturer to open the
new industries and bring them Z
.v healthy maturity.
on The cotton crop of Mississippi
4 y