The state chronicle., 1892-05-29
FOR ELECTORS AT LARGE.
CHARLES B. AYCOCh,
ROBERT Il. GLENN.
AN IMPORTANT FACT no FACE

AN IWPORTANT FACT TO FACE
The Montgomery AGceatSer directs
the attention Of Southern farmers 10
what it calls an additional danger
should another great crop of cotton be
produced. Reports from the leading
grain states show that the three great
cereal crops-corn, wheat and oats.
will be much less this year than last.
should this prove true, and should
the Southern farmer fail to grow his own
cereals, there will indeed be an imnor.
tant fact TO face. With foodstuffs
selling at materially advanced price,
and the staple Southern crop contin.
nally declining the condition Of orr
people would be far more embarrsssin,
than il now is. But the Southern
farmer can provide against such
contingency by making the toodstuffs
necessary for his consumption. He
can grow on his farm the corn and
wheat needed, and raise the meat he has
heretofore been buying from the West
1T would be matter Of Indifference
TO the southern cotton producer il
wheat was worth 81 and corn 81 a bush.
ana meat 70 cents a pound in the
west II he raised enough ct these ne
cesslties To meet his home demand II
cotton could be regularly sold for $50
or $50 bale it might pay the cotton
planter to have his grain bins and hog
pens in the West But, unfortunatelv
the cotton planter is TOO often forced
to pay increased prices for groceries
and wheat when he is selling his own
product at price below the cost 0
production.
During the year 1883 30 the cotton
planters u! over the South relieved
themselves almost entirely Of deb.
ms happy situation was the result Of
fortunate combination OF circum.
stances The Southern farmers raised
surplus corn crop and cotton cron
Just large enough to keep the price up
to living figure.
The truth is, there IS no farmer in
all the world so fortunately situated
AS the Southern farmer. He can raise
crop which is gold at any time he
wants to sell il. and which no other
section OF the country can produce.
Additional TO this he can produce anv
known foodstuti for man or beast. and
when the day comes that his cotton |
VIII be made surplus crop the equal
OF the Southern planter will not be
found anywhere.
The world needs to meet its con. I
sumption a cotton crop of 1000
700 bales from the Southern States .
ms is normal figure Anything
above this means lower prices Anv- |
thlng belo" it means better prices .ur
cotton In brief, the Southern planter
can decrease the cotton crop to a figure
which Will force not only a liv;np
price for it. but one in which there is
profit, while reducing the total co,
ton crop the acreage in wheat. corr .
and oats will be necessarily increased
to give full werk to the hands am
ployed, and, while making themselves
less dependent upon the West for pro.
visions. they will at the same time. b.
producing normal crop of cotton
which can be sold for more cash monsv
than can be obtained for crop much
greater than the annual consumption
This is well illustrated in the fact
that the 100000 bale crop of 1875
brought the Southern planters $lOO.. /
o0o,o00 more than the 5000 900 bales
OF 1891. Think oft, cotton cron
nearly sIxten years ago, of one-half the I
size OF 1891. worth 500, 600, 900 more
than to the Southern planters.
The Southern planter has the situa.
ton In his own hands. The question
is, What will he do! Will he nav q
tax of 100000 to $3OO,O0O. 900
tor the privilege of buying his bread
and meat in the West. or will he raise
his own bread and meat and put the
s2OO,O0O,00O or $500, 900, goo in bs
own pocket"