Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-13

jumping to different kind of music The
United states largely supplies the world
with cotton simply because she has got at
throw somebody permanently in the
way of that supply and it will not be long
ere you have learned that the United States
lacks great deal Of having cotton-produc-
ton possibilities all to herself.
Wen never quit raising all the cotton we
can possibly raise. The fiedgeling who ar
CUES in favor of that kind of thing is simply
offering a fools argument. We cannot
quit; we cannot even curtail. Nature, edu-
cation, labor, all forbid it. The climate is
suited 10 cotton culture. The soil is suited
to it. We are raised TO know how to raise
cotton, and while we have the present Ia
Dor TO depend on we cannot afford to quit
raising cotton. But can we raise It cheaperl
MIR, Hunnicutt thinks we can, and that how
TO raise it cheaper now stands above all
other questions before the Southern farmer.
How are we TO reduce the cost of producing
cOttOn2 We can do it in divers ways, says
Mr.. Hunnicutt. We can reduce the cost of
raising cotton by using more and better ma
chinery. Machines do not eat or wear out
clothing. nor cost anything when not used
All other occupations are utilizing ma
cAinery, and we cannot successfully com
pete with them with hand labor Machine
work - cheaper, and often better than
hand work. TwO-horse plows, subsoil
plows, improved distributors and plant
erS, and harrows and cultivators,
all do something TO cheaper the cost of
removing rocks and stumps.
We can lessen the cost by working to-
%ether 10 contract labor. Never employ a
hand or rent laborer a house until he
brings showing that he has settled salts
factoriIy with the man he left. This will
place every laborer upon his character, and
90 Il long ways toward settling all the labor
troubles.
We can reduce the cost by reducing the
acreage, and thus reduce the mule and
hand bill. Then fertilize this reduced acre
age more highly, and you raise cotton
cheaper, by raising more per acre" The
cost remains much the same as to produc-
ton, if you get one bale to the acre as it
would did you get but oue-thlrd of a bale to
the acre.
The cost of raising one-third of bale to
the acre may be safely set at 9 cents i
pound with no profits, of course, should
cotton sell al cents. If you 90 Il little
better and raise half bale to the acre, sell
ing At cents, YOU get about 81. - net on
i
than this, 10 the extent of bale to the
acre, YOU will find, on summing up all con-
sequent OUTLAWS, that you have net profit
of $40 10 to the acre. Not a few planters
manage TO raise two bales TO the acre
which, at . cents pound, gives them a
net profit of $4S on the two bales
Mr.. Hunnicutt has tables showing the
OUTLAWS necessary to produce the different
quantities of cotton TO the acre, but lack of
space has forced Us TO omit the tables and
content ourseif with the resultant figures
As footed up.
We can produce cotton cheaper contin-
ues Mr.. Hmnicutt, by improving the land
and by better methods Of culture. And we
can do q great deal in this direction by re-
ducing the cost Of living. Corn raised at
home IS cheaper than corn raised any
where else. Oats is = cheaper and better
feed FOR horses and mules than corn. Hay
is cheaper than fodder. Grazing IS cheaper
than feeding.
Horses and mules are eating the life out of
the cotton belt. 1t is cheaper to raise mule
Than TO buy him. We can live cheaper by
keeping our money here. You had better
pay YOUR neighbor 500 for mule raised
mere than a drover 500 for one raised in
Kentucky or Tennessee.
We can produce cotton cheaper by study
ing the nature and habits of its gerrniua-
ton, growth and maturity How much the
picking of cracked bolls annually costs the
South will perhaps never be known The
lint IS not grown until the boil has been
open from three 10 five days
II our people would unite in an investiga-
ton of this matter they would soon be able
to inaugurate plans by which they could
produce cotton on an average cost of > or
cents pound. Some would produce it at
even lower figures. Cheap production
would not necessarily reduce the selling
price, hence as result of this cheap pro
duction millions of dollars not now coming
to Us would be spread among the people,
knocking agricultural depression entirely
on its legs and establishing comfort, pros
perity, plenty and happiness over all the
land and III every Southern home