The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-19
THE CROP REPORTS.
COMMISSIONER COLMAN MAKES
A VIGOROUS DEFENSE
or the Departments Estimate Of the
Cotton Yield OF The
Country.

Some time ago Mess's. Hill, Fon-
tame & Co., of st.. Louis, com
planned by letter to the Depart
ment of Aer' culture that the de-
paFtmenrs estimate Of the cot on
crop was too large, and. rs a re-
sulT, the pre- ducsrs had lost large sums
OF money on account of depressed
prices. The crop OF lest year, now
neing in, by actual count, shows that
the departments estimates were
slightly under the actual amount pro-
duce6. In reply Commissioner Col
man has prepared and sent the follow
ing let er, which will be read with
general interest by all persons en-
z ged in the cotton bus ness:
GENTLEMEN-Your repeated favors
relating 10 cotton and Geprecat'ng as
snmed over estimates OF this depart
ment were duly considered, yst while
they were garnet and persistent, they
were not convincing because of the
completeness of our systematic in
formation of opposite TENOR. You
VIII remember your protest of more
than a year ago against the reported
official acreage. AID later your charges
Of official exaggeration of condition in
November, your warning that there
wa7 "a surprise in store for big crop
es mates" aud that "rexss alone is
over estimated 200 1000 bales" 10
your circulars are assertions of re.
duced pric s in pant from false official
fstima' es, and i'll telegram as late IS
Ftbrua y, when thtr5 was in SIGHT
some 100000 bales more than in 1885,
is charge that the department es
Inmates had cost the planters loss of
$50,0O0,000. Lite in the season, when
CONNIE rcial records attt sted largely
il creased produc ion, you advanced
your crop views to 100000 bales, ad-
mittiug about 900, 900 increase. What
is the result? Which was right, you
or the department? The statement
Just published Cf the cotton move
ment by the National Cotton Exchange
is as follows;
Year. Bales, VT. n bale. VT in MS.
1885 Sc .......6, 575,6 SOL 1895 1872 ,95O,5S1
1SS4-S5...".5,7O6,lt5 4sO 70 2,742,966'Oll
Increase. S6e,526 S.25 439, 3Si,52O
This is an increase OF l6 per cent. in
weight, equiva ent to 9l4,051 bales of
the weight OF those of 1SSi-S5. In
actual bales Of heavier weight, 1858, 526
or 375 .691 more than your estimate
late in the season.
What were the estimate s complained
Of?
he October returns ware reported
under two heads: Condition" at rs,
which is under average, and "Yield
in hundred,h OF bale per re" at
SO rs 100 of bale, which would give
early six and two-thirds million
bales. 1t was said in round numbers
that this result indicate, million
bales mora than the present crop, sub
j. ct to future meteorological condi-
tions," but that "the figures must not
bs considered final, IS the date OF
killing frost and the autumn weather
may e9sily cause variation of
$4,000 bales" The medium between
these extremes of range is S75,U0
bales and the comm srcial count makes
an increase OF s69,526 bales OF larger
size, or Ola 051 bales of The same siz b.
The final statement, after the picking
was complete, pr ,mised crop slightly
exceeding {, $780, 90 bales.
You will see thai the returns are
fu ly vindica ed, aud that they fore
tod result prsc ic ally identical with
the record OF the commercial move
ment, varying at most only fraction
OF Que per cent, not only for this
year, but with equal eyactness for
Ihree seasons ont II four siuce 1881,
and the fourth varied by only about
par cent.