The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1892-07-07
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE cROF OUTLOOK.

| duction-Sugar Planters Kicking.
So much has been said and written
concerning the financial status of the
planter and store-lleeper in the cotton
country, even in the absence of any
thing like at1 investigation, that Brad
streets, with it's unriyaled facilities
for work Of that kind, has undertaken
something in the nature Of d census of
existing business conditions throughout
the south as bearing upon the agri-
culturist, merchant and manufacturer.
| The mass of data received from 2,37S
correspondents in 500 counties in ten
states is so large that only the barest
summary of it can be attempted within
the space given over to it. There were,
on the average, fourteen questions re-
piled to by each correspondent, 80
that what follows is based upon
900 inquiries. Taking the Carolinas.
Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi,
Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Ten
nessee together, a reference to the &C
companying tabular exhibit shows, ac-
cording to nearly two-thirds of the re-
| plies, that planters are worse off finan-
| clally thar one year ago, while only
| few in excess of one-half say the same
for the stCre-keeper. AS the status of
the latter financially depends upon the
| planters ability to consume and to pay
| for goods, there appears to be dis
crepancy here; which may be accounted
for by the greater ability on the part of
the merchants to resist the prevalent
depression, owing to the fact that they
have not yet been obliged to respond
fully to conditions prevalent among
planters or to their having experienced
the worst in many instances and kav-
ing proceeded toward recovery But, it
should be added, there are very few
data in our reports pointing to the
truth of the last theory
The uniformity (about 90 per cent?
with correspondents, scattered from
Wilmington, N. c.. to Brownsville,
Tex. state that factors, brokers, store
| keepers and others have cut down adj
vances of money or supplies to planters
| from % to As per cent. is striking, and
| points conclusively to the fact that the
cotton crGf Of 1892 will be made more
cheably, for reasons beyond the con-
! troll of the growers, than for many Years
past. In all cotton states where fertil-
izers have been largely employed they
will be used much more sparingly
than heretofore. On the Atlantic coast
there are twelve replies to each one to
the contrary. which state this, and in
the Gulf states seven to every one. One
company, selling fertilizers extensively
in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi and
the Carolinas writes that its sales this
spring have fallen off 80 per cent
| Other manufacturers and dealers re-
port in some instances a decrease
of as much as from 35 to so per
cent Eight correspondents say the
acreage planted with cotton this year
will be smaller than in 1891, for one re-
porting that the acreage will be. the
same as last year, and seven to every
one stating that the acreage Will be
either the same or larger than in 1891.
But it should not be overlooked that
it is not yet too late for SOME planters
to change their minds on this point if
their circumstances permit, particularly
if the impression is widespread that re-
e.
The falling off in area to be planted
with cotton this year, as reported, is
from 20 to p per cent. The south has
evidently learned the Importance of d.,
versified crops, as 1911 reports are that
a larger acreage will be planted than
ever before to corn and oats and other
cereals, potatoes, peas, rice and to-
bacco, and that hog and cattle
raising will receive more attention.
Only 122 state that the acreage to
crops other than cotton will be the same
or smaller than one year ago. Manu-
featuring industries, with the excep-
ton of cotton mills, cotton-seed oil
mills, and in some states lumber mills,
have been generally unfav0rably affect
ed by prevailing conditions of the south. |
Labor leaving plantations because of
reduced wages, together with the low
price of cotton, helped the southern cot
ton-mill industry.
Mercantile collections throughout the
leading cotton states, as might be ex-
pected, have not been generally prompt.
and do not appear likely to become so
in the near future. 1t is plainly brought
out III 'oIuLnIHOuS reports at hand that
raising cotton, enforced in part by con-
tracts to pay rent and for supplies with
cotton-raising it on credit wear
after year at high rates of in
terest, with rapid shrinkape in
prices-has forced the cotton planter
into full view Of the necessity
for rigid economy, reduced buying on
credit, diversified crops, and will ulti-
mately bring him to position of self
sustenance and shorter credits of cash
payments. There are counties in all
the cotton states where the entire
dependence is not upon that staple
counties where stock-raising, corn
planting, rice and sugar cultivation.
etc, are carried on, and, as NAV be
learned by reference to appended de-
tails, from those quarters the word
comes of relatively less depression.
Successive droughts have intensified
the depression in portions of Texas, and
it is declared money is scarcer there
owing to the alien land law. Complaints
of unsteadiness of negro labor come
from Iabarna and, A rIyape,,e U.....1