The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-03-13

Cotton has heen landed as king" and
stigmatized as ''tyrant." 1t is KING III iaa
broader sense than it is a tyrant. tAH
from food crops it is today the most I'LL
portant product of agricultural lhuuSDi9.
1t occupies the chief place III the coinhei
of the world. More fortunes are 1naue anu
lost in dealing in cotton than III any o'iioi
trade commodity. 1t always ana every
where commands the ready cash. 1t never
rots or spoils and will keep indefinitely.
For these and other considerations t nc
might be mentioned it well merits tlie ~
of king of trade commodities. The same
considerations unite to make IL one VI tue
most convenient money crops OF the SCUM
err farmer. But the subSerVlehce VI tne
average cotton planter to the sway VI .n0
cotton monarch has had the effect OF chdiis
ing the form of gov a"nnleht from tll''l Nv,
limited monarchy T. ne of despotlsnn' Inc
s,o+ bae raoiIir4 IS slaves to make
brirl-s without s to produce the
kingly fleece at q cost greater IMAM tiie iii'll
ket price. There are thousands Oh Iarilels'
however, who have risen III ieoT 80,
against these despotic eXacuCnS, they nave
thrown off their allegiance as slaves anu
arc insisting that while cotton may rule
the commercial world in a certain SeISe' IL
shall be but Il servant to them, mere con
yertent form in which to exhibit the ploitS
Of their farming to the markets OF tne
country The number of these farmers Is
Increasing. and it is one of the most en-
couraging signs of these hard tunes. Inc
wifle-awake intelligent farmer IS no longer
willing to produce a bale Of cotton at a cost
of s35 and sell it for $35. 1t is surprising
that any should have done so in the past
and if is more than surprising that any
should continue to do so. Only rev years
ago many farmers were convinced, because
they wanted to be, that they could Duy
corn cheaper than they could raise ia
thing that was never true-Dut II mas peeh
a difficult matter to convince many FARMERS
that they could buy their cotton cheaper
than they have been producing II. ANA yet
the latter proposition is absolutely as true
as the former was false. 1t can De easily
proven that there are some farmers sun
living at least they exist, and call them
selves farmers, whose cotton crops cost
them more in actual labor and money out
Law than the crops viii sell Tor IN market
Then why should not such farmers open
their ewes to the fact that they can poy a
cotton crop already made, picked, sihhea
md baled cheaper than they can grow II
They convinced themselves that they couid
buy corn cheaper than they could raise II,
therefore why not buy their cotton as Wen
as Inv their provisions? OF course, to 40
such a thing would be simply ridiculous
auDarentiy but not so ridiculous after all
IL would be simply to quit cotton larflllhS
and 90 to specializing in futures we uoh
recommend the minor proposlton-to spec
ulata in futUres-but we say that the ma
ior proposition is reasonable ana senslple-
that such farmers ought to quit cotton
farming A.,
It is useless to talk about advancing the
market price OF cotton by anything that the
farmer as an individual or the farmers,
as n class can do. 1t is entirely beyond
their reach-out of their power. ConVeh-
tfons will not accomplish a reduction OF
area: resolutions of representative podles
are worthless to the same end All that
farmer may do will be to reduce the cost
of making cotton. This he can DO ms lone
self To do it he viii be obliged, as "a rule'
10 plant a smaller area and fertillze more
literally. but judiciously- To reduce the
cost > or > cents per pouad most farmers
would have TO cut down to one-thlrd OF the
Usual area Remember success does not
deDend on the number Of bales farmer
makes but en- the number OF dollars ne
makes on each bale, and this viii depend,
of course on how cheaply he produces each
1,aund of cotton that goes to make up the
hale High nanuring the best ana only
the best acres on the farm is the open Sc
cret of successful cotton growing. one
great point of merit in cotton as crop IS
that it Will bear high manurng as well as
ii not better, than any sumner-SroWlnS
crop. The prevailing practice OF planting
broad fields of poor land applying Il sack
OF auano to the acre, and harvesting one
bale. to three or four acres is downright
folly There is precious little money in
making q half bale TO the acre. one bale
Fhatlld be the minimum production aimed
pt and the maximum anywhere from one
ca three bales r. j. Kidding.