The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-01-24
FARMERS COLUMNS.
THE GEORGIA EXPERIMENT STATION
EXPERIMENT, GA.
A Plain Talk to Farmers.
by DIRECTOR REDDING.l

BY DIRECTOR BEDDING.
notwithstanding the prevailing de-
preston in nearly every department of
productive industry, the farmers of the
south are in better condition in some
respects than they have been in some
years past. The crops of the past year
were generally good. There is more
corn and home-raised pork on hand at
TINS time than at the corresponding
period OF any year in the past ten. 1t
is doubtless true that many farmers in
Geor&a have failed to produce enough
corn ito do" them; and that much
larger proportion will have to buy ba-
con and lard, as they have been in the
habit of doing for many years, But the
general statement is true that Georgia
farmers are in 'sbetter fix" than usual,
as regards supplies for the new year.
The great and almost sole alleged
cause of complaint and encouragement
is the low price of cotton. The fact
stares US in the face that the cotton
crop of lS94-95 cost the farmers more to
produce 1t than it was sold for in the
market. The market price has hardly
averaged cents pound SO far, while
the most conservative estimates of cost
of production will not come under an
average of six cents. There are farm
ers-we believe a good many-who
have made some money producing the
staple at cents pound; but the large
majority have actually lost from SIS to
$25 bale. These have done no better
than merchant who should sell calico
at cents yard that cost him from 8
to cents.
Now, what is the farmer to do'about
it? Shall he go on in the same shallow
turrow, making cents cotton at cost
OF 6, and cents per pound? Surely
not.
Will any sensible man deliberately
lay his plans-with his eyes wide open
with the light of past experience to
guide him-to produce a single bale of
cotton that shall cost him exceeding
twenty dollars, when he has every rea-
son to believe that he will not be able
to sell it for more than twenty-five dol
lars? How much the less will he produce
a single bale at cost Of thirty dollars,
or even more, to be sold at an alb
solute loss? Cotton produced at loss
cannot bring individual prosperity.
Cotton produced at loss cannot pay
debts. Some farmer may ask: what
then must l dO?" / answer, without
the least hesitation: Ifyou cannot grow
cotton at cost-everything counted
of considerably less than 5 cents
pound, then do not plant any cotton at
all. If you can make FIVE bales at a less
cost than cents, then make five bales;
II ten, then stop at ten. But if you are
satisfied that you cannot make anv at a
less cost, then don't make any. am
aware that this is what the doctors
would call heroic treatment" but it
is desperate case, and requires heroic
treatment-even to amputation.
believe that some cotton can be
made at less cost than 5 cents
pound; not ten million bale crop. nor
perhaps the half of it; but there are
few farmers who may not, by selecting
the very best portions of their best
fields, succeed in making few bales at
such cost.
1t is utterly inconsistent for farmer
to say that it cannot be done-that cot
ton cannot be made at cents pound
and then go ahead and plant cotton.
His conduct either proves that he does
not believe what he says, or that he is
foolish enough to plant and cultivate.
amid toll, and sweat, and worry, a crop
of cotton, when he has no reason to be-
lleve that he will get more than cents
a pound for it. So, then, when farm
er is seen next spring, blowing and
otherwise preparing to plant cotton, it
is but fair to conclude that that farmer
has fallen on plan, or has adopted a
system, by means of which he expects
to make cotton at cost of not exceed
ing cents pound or that he is deaf
to all arguments, proof against all
reason, determined to commit what
might be called agricultural suicide. by
tickling so acres of poor, exhausted,
red hillsides, or the same area of pinv
woods sand beds, adding possibly a
half sack of high-priced, credit-boueht
guano to each acre, in the effort to pro-
duce IL or Is bales of S cent cotton. at a
cost of cts, and upwards, per pound. I
know this is plain talk, but it is the onlv
kind that will avail with some farmers.
IL ID uOt uceuSO ny LuOS6 VINO nave not
practiced such farming in the past, or
who have already resolved to reform
and do better.
In the beginning of this Talk" it
was remarked that 1.-The great and al
most sole alleged cause of complaint
and encouragement is the low price of
cotton" Bat is this the sole causeP
Must the cotton crop and the cotton
market bear all the blame? Let us see:
Have the farmers generally done any
better in growing corn, oats, potatoes.
pork, hayF Is the margin between the
cost of producing bushel of corn and
it's market price any larger than in the
case of cotton? If so is it not largely
due to the fact that the great corn
states of the Northwest have made al
most failure in their corn crop? What
if large crop of this cereal had been
made in that section; would not the
price in Georgia markets been much
lower? Doubtless it would And so of
the other crops named. The single fact
that cotton is not grown for farm con-
cnrnnfioD and &c cold 81