The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1892-03-03

of letter without name of the write
or non de plume, discussing the roa'
problem. There is an unwritten Law
which forbids the publication OF an!
communication unaccOmpanied Will
the name of the writer. / am glad Il
receive pr ,ctical letters dealing Will
practical subjects, but must have Will
them the nam OF the writer, al evl
dence of good faith. The improve
ment of our public roads is matter
that will stand much discussion, ant
any authenticated communication
will be gladly received aud get attcr'
ton in this column.
A FINAL WARNING.
For some months have proclaimed
any benrt that the only remedy Tor the
present and . prospective deprayed
.cDAL! ina III lH1 cotton market lay III
reduced supply, aud that ms could
,o4!y he probably accomplished by Il
decreased acreage. There can be no
uun.'i n that the depreciation in val.
H.. og cotton is due TO excessive supply
over consumption. Last year the eA-
cess vas about 1000, 900 bales, and ac,
coruiu. TO the last report from the
New Orleans cotton exchange, dated
lcbiuafy %, ii appears that there
has been marketed up to date ms
wear, 1881 bales, against 7,oOD,50l
for tAe same period last year. with
tIe certainty OF last years surplus be
ing duplicated, and no reasonable eX-
pecla!iDn of an increased demand, II
follows that unless some calami-
ty befaIls the next crop
or ii is reduced by the action o. the
farmers, we will find the present
rdinous prices largely dls counted next
season. rhis is 50 apparent to all
thinking and observing men, that the
acreage under their control will be
sBnsibly reduced But there are many
who can not do as their judgment
prompts Every farmer Is not his own
master. The renter Is bound down 10
a tw0-lhird aud sometimes three
fJurths cotton crop, and can only rent
o. such conditions. The farmer III
debt, who must mortgage the coming
crop to get his supplies on credit, l.
compelled by his accommodating mer.
chant to plant more cotton than he
otherwise would. And rs these two
oil asses of farmers form Il very large
p 4rcentage Of the whole, any appeal
made to them to curtail acreage is
ii ne lnls'spcnt.
The independent aud out-of-debt
frm3r, will this year, largely reduce
hi cotton area from a senso0I self-pre.
8 4rvation. But unless something
C IN be done to control the demands OF
and cause more liberia
terms to he given by the land baron 10
his vassals, there is little chance OF
c)ttOn reaching u profitable figure in
the near future. TO these controlling
merchant and landlord
/ make q final appeal. 1t is true tina,
cotton il the easiest crop to handle
and market when got into bale shape,
and that the merchant and landlords
would have some difficulty in hand
ling some other crops to secure them.
selves. And that Is the reason why
cotton IL demanded in settlement of
rent or debt. Bat, ON the other hand.
a crop that will not realize much, if
any. more than half the cost Of pro
ducsion, must keep the producer in n
state of poverty, that discounts his
value as tenant or customer. The
more prosperous and contented the
tenant, the more profit to the
land owner; and the more business
and profit to tho merchant. Success
aud cOntentment ut the basement OF
society, means prosperity throughout
the whole structure. 1t is small
sluled policy to compel Others to live
on half rations that we may enjoy n
full bill Of fare. There are many crops
suitable for our cotton lands that
could be easily handled by merchants
and landlords, end give them first
class security, and the farmer n rea-
sonable return for his labor. There Is
still time to arrange for n new crop,
but none to spare. Action must he
taken at once. | have urged "a more
o <ten ed cultivation of fruit and po-
tatoes. The fruit period is gone for
another year, but there is still time to
try Irish and sweet potatoes and
there Is profit in both. An increase
in corn and sorghum, and the
b sndling of hogs would give partial
relief. Then there is still time to
DIant peanuts. castor beans, navy |
beans, and a host of other productions
always In demand at fair prices. AL!
hat IL needed is to study the charac-
,er of the soil and available markets,
md there Ia no trouble about finding |
. substitute for cotton.
wEEvIJ FREEZING
A few DAYS ago met r, A. Hilker,
he representative Of Jack Frost Il Co.
n Austin. This well known finn,
With headquarters in the Attic region,
las pushed business into the Torrid |
me, and the citizens of the tropics
n row secure as cold ice as can
,e inhabitants of Lapland.
10 Is as much luxury aud necessity |
lere IA fire is up near the north pole.
Mr. Xilker knows this, and has for
sveral wears contributed largely TO
he health aud happiness of our peo-
)'a by converting water from the Ii
nd to the solid form. But no is
lmething more than n ice man, he
: a clever observer and shrewd bust
,sJs man. Heobserves that the value
-four corn crop was greatly reduced
weevils. and the idea occurred to
, m that they could he destroyed by
'.eezlng. He experimental. Some
ime i'm November he went to the crib
.nd selected number of ears, all