Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-18
Tarv ARE "sKEERED OF TEXAS"

S,J9G.u.iJ bales of cotton, and the tendency
is that 2yay. Suppose she does; what be-
conc OF the cotton planter in other sec
ticrs:'' In the same issue OF the Southern
Cui.iva;or Hon. W. J. Northen, governor
of Georgia, has paper over his own sig
nature which leads of as follows:
A few days sitce had Texas farmer
dine with ne. He told ME he had just pur-
chased second farm for which he had paid
$4,000. This statement put me to thinking
of the profit to come 10 Il Geogia farmer as
compared 10 the profits received by Texas
farmer.
Not many farmers in Georgia who own
their farms nave Sfalizcd enough profit from
their crops TO buy and pay Tor $4,000
farm.
What makes the difference? My Texas
friend uses no guauo, and mahcs an average
of one bale OF co Ton TO the acre. Georgia
uses 81, JJO,OG0 worth of gGano, and makes
hall Il balc " cotton 10 the acre WITH THIS
immense difference IL cost and the sale ex-
actiy the same, can Georgia farmers COM
pete with Texas farmers making cuttonE L
have pu. the Georgia average very high,
but even al the figures given the disad-
vantage is so great as to make 1t an lni-
portaut question for Georgia farmers to
consider. in Florida oranges are grown in
the open air. IN Tennessee, if grown at
all, they must be grown III a dollhouse. This
is about analogous 80 growing cotton In
Texas without fertilizers as against grow
ing cotton in Georgia At heavy expense for
fertilizers. The question again comes, il
Tennessee cannot successfully compete
with Florida in growing oranges, can Geor-
Eil. under similar conditions, successfully
compete with Texas IN growing cottonf If
this question IS to be answered in the mega
tive we must begin al once TO determine
what crops are to take the place of cotton.
4 nNfh hon, mot DIV uC %
name Of our citizen who dined with him,
but he WAS evidently Il farmer who knows
how to raise cotton. We have many like
him, while, . the same time we have not u
few a good deal on The side Of otherwise.
Buta bale OF cotton to the Texas acre,
without fertilizers, need be regarded as
nothing at all remarkable for the man who
well understands how to cultivate cotton,
and who puts that understanding TO full ap-
plication. AL such men are entirely out
side the track of the hard times cyclone
that we are hearing so much about. They
can buy anything they may desire to buy.
Governor Northen continues:
do not believe that the time has come
when Georgia farmers are TO abandon the
cultivation of cotton entirely. l do be-
lieve, however, that Georgia farmers are
giving to the cultivation of cotton 4 great
deal of land from which they cannot posi-
bly, receive such compensation as will JUS
tify the investment.
Under the most favorable circumstances
the price OF cotton is too painfully near the
cost of production to grow it upon our thin
land in competition with the fertile soil of
Texas.
To all these suggestions some farmer
may reply we are compelled TO make cotton
as a money crop. IS IL not little singular
that we call cotton u money crop, when II
never brings US any money and when the
conditions are such rs prevent the POSSIBLE
ity of proht9
Now what are we to do, What is open
to the farmers of this state if we abandon
cotton TO any large extent? The stereo-
typed answer comes, as IL has been given
numberless times before, small industries,
stock, grass aud grain.
Governor Northen then proceeds to hold
put the idea that cotton culture should be
mainly abandoned in Georgia save ON the
comparatively few farms that are qualified
to compete with Texas IN production of
the staple. The sooner it is abandoned the
better" he says The farmers should turn
their attention to something else, is his
earnest suggestion.
This is all well enough. so far as it goes.
Heretofore we have heard of the cotton
states but Just now the signs Of tie times
would seem 10 be indicating that ere u great
while in the future that plural Will be
dropped, and it will be written the cotton
state" The state raising The greater por-
ton OF the cotton will be clearly entitled to
the definite the
Please understand that we are not gloat-
ing over this natural but evident misfortune
Of cur ncigh0ors. Texans are not that kind
of penyie. They will be Just rs sorry for
the Late cotton states" east OF the Missis-
sippi river as they could be, and they would
do more Tor them than feel sorry, was there
anything else left within their gift. Of
course they viii not DC able TO blame them
selYes IN the least for this peculiar turn III
affairs, owing to the fact that they had no
hand whatever in the making of Texas.
TIE editor Of. tho Southern Cdltiyator
puts It correctly ii his statement that
Texas is large enough 10 raise 5000, coo
bales of cotton annually, and that the ten
dency is in that direction. And he might
have added that even when those S,000,0G0
bales are annually appearing upon the mar
ket, in return for correct cotton culture,
not so much Us one tithe of our good lands
will BE- devoted to the crop. What them
We don't wish 10 throw out SO much as one
discouraging hint 10 our sister states, but
it may not be amiss for Is TO suggest for the
ponderation of the whole people, that if
Texas lands are SO much better for cotton
than areithe lands Of Georgia and other COM
monweaIlhs east of the Mississippi river as
TO cut of the possibility of successful COM
petition, is it not reasonable TO suppose
that they are equally rs much better for
all the general crops that could be raised
over tEere}
This is offered more in the spirit of state
pride than in desire to draw population
from any of our less favored neighbors
We eau see in Texas a very desirable state
to live in, for the falmer DESTROYS of max
ing money, and we cannot get the consent
of our feelings to make secret of what we
80 plainly see.
on PECAN PLANTING, ETC,
Almost every day we are asked for arti-
cles on pecan planting and culture. Already
the entire subject has been handled through