The Van Buren press., 1895-06-15
COTTON PRODUCTION,
Can tho Staple be ProHtably Produced q
Prevailing Prices

\
Prevailing Prices?
The south. is suffering to-day from
''underconsurnption" rather than over
production. The increase of popula-
tion and the march of progress should
demand. the present season, over 1O,-
100000 bales of cotton at fair prices.
The general financial depression limits
the worlds capacity to buy it. Hence,
low prices and stagnation of trade.
Cotton responds more quickly to finan-
cial depression than do food products.
1t is the sensitive plant" among agri-
cultural products. The external man
must suffer before the internal, and
clothing is bought in limited quantities
only when incomes are barely sufficient
to supply the table. The high tide
of universal prosperity, eliminating
arst in the Argentine Republic, then
IN Australia, has been followed by the
lowest ebb Of prices ever known all
over the world. These low prices are
due to the worlds incapacity to buy
rather than to overproduction.
The present crop Of cotton is esti-
mated ut 9,250,000 bales. This will
give an average acre yield Of about
200 pounds of lint cotton, with about
four and one-half cents per pound to
the producer, or nine dollars per acre.
To this may be added the seed, about
twelve bushels, worth now to the
planter not over ten cents per bushel-
an extremely low price, caused by a
combination Of oil mills. An aggre-
gate value per acre for cotton-raising
is thus 5000.
Can cotton be profitably grown at
such prices? Under existing conditions,
no, emphatically no. Shall the future
crop be reduced, or shall new condi-
tions be established and the present
size Of the crop maintained? We can't
afford to surrender cotton-growing to
the competing countries Of the world,
and any material reduction in our crop
would cause increased prices next year,
which might stimulate enlarged pro-
duction in Egypt, India, Brazil, Rus
sia, etc. We must destroy the compe.
tition OF other countries by growing it
cheaper than they can do it. How can
we do this? by adopting new and i'm
proved methods of cultivation, diversi.
flying crops, readjusting labor and
changing our system OF finances. De.
pleted soils, unreliable and unintelli.
gent labor, and high money rates, are
the causes Of low yields and unprofita-
BILE returns
The soils must be improved. This
can be best accomplished by introduc-
ing rotation Of crops involving corn,
oats, cowpeas and cotton. Corn and
oats will furnish feed ( stock (now
largely bought in the west), and a
heavy annual expense saved. Thew
will raise hogs and furnish bacon for
laborers, which is now almost ex.
clusively purchased from the west,
The cowpeas would furnish hay (now
largely purchased) besides improving
greatly the soil. Judicious fertiliza.
tion in conjunction with the above ro-
tation would largely enhance prod
ucts. Improved plows, planters and
cultivators must be more largely used.
The cotton chopper; and cotton picker,
instruments now imperatively de.
manded in every cotton field. will, it is
hoped. be soon perfected. If SO, their
use would materially lower the cost OF
raising cotton.
I. The raising of horses and mules
would save many millions annually to
the cotton planter, and they can bs