The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-01-22
rERTIL1zERs AND COTTON.
THE PRICE OF ONE KEEPS PACE
WITH THE OTHER.
Fertilizers arc Necessary to tho Sue
cess OF the Farmer-They Pay as
Well Now as Formerly.

Well Now as Formerly.
| An intelligent farmer, who Is no,
disposed to believe everything that h
hears and does not take anything &S3l
granted, talked to a Reporter for The
News and Courier the other day in a
very, entertaining way about the farm
ers and fertilizers. His views were so
Interesting aud some of his conclusions
SO surprising that what he said is given
as follows
"The drep in tho price of cotton
from sevenN to five cents" he said,
"may we'll cause CONSERVATION TO the
planters. Some ten years ago it fell
from twelve to eight cents, and then,
as now, planters were advised to plant
less cotton, to ra2e more corn and
meat and, before all else, to quit using
fertilizers, but this advice was un-
needed and, for reasons satisfactory
to himself, the planter continued to
plant all the cotton he could, to buy
his corn and meat and to use fertillzers.
with the drop in the price OF cot
ton from soven to five cehts the same
advice TO plant less cotton, &iSee iSee-IsnGGr1E mere
food and use no fertilizers is offered
the planters. But the situation under
which we face five-cent, possibly four
cent, cotton is entirely unlike any
before known by the planter AS for
planting less cotton and thereby en-
hancing the price High priced cot
ton has it's disadvantages. 1t has in
duced the most strenuous efforts to
produce cotton in other countries, and
these efforts have been worry success
full and are recognized as a menace to
our boasted supremacy is cotton pro-
duction. AS foreign grown wheat has
forced down the worlds price, so it is
that foreign grown cotton alone has
forced down the price in this country.
This foreign competition has come to
stay, and we must meet 1t by improved
methods and increased economies, SO
that possibly we car grow even four
cent cotton at a profit, and thus recover
our former supremacy in tho markets
of the world. With fiye-cent cotton
the cotton belt has all tho natural
factors for manufacturing low grade
cotton goods for large portion of the
world. The advice SO persistently
given for years that we raise moro OF
oar own food is now being so well fol-
lowed that this season ~ good portion
of tho planters commence the year
with enough corn and meat of their
own raising for the years supply.
AS to the advice that less or no
fertilizers be used, there is more to be
said than upon eithor of tho other
points referred to above. That the
South will continue to plant cotton in
much the Same proportion as hereto
fore there are good reasons to believe.
It is now largely growing it's own food,
and Is so thoroughly satisfied with the
result that it will continue to grow its
corn aud meat in increased proportions
each year. When cotton sold at Is
cents a pound, on much Of the land it
could not be grown at q profit without
the use of fertilizer. About 1870 fer
tilizers were introduced and their use
increased from year to year from that
time until last year somo 100000 to
900,U 200 tons were used undcr cotton.
"Whcn cotton sold for Is cents a
pound fertilizers sold for $75 ton
Fertilizers that timo furnished less
than one-half the percentage Of plant
food that they furnish now. At first
only fifty pounds per acre was used.
1t was found advantageous to increase
this quantity, until now the average
for this 200 pounds with cotton at Is
cents q pound and fertilizer at $75 per
ton took 80 pounds Of cotton, or $3.50 ;
with cotton at 10 cents and fertilizers
at $40 ton it still takes 80 pounds of
Cotton, to pay for the POO pounds of fer
kiier for one acre. Cotton at 9 cents q
pound and fertilizers at $50 u ton, 30
pounds of cotton pays for 200 pounds
OF fcrtilizcrs with cotton at cents q
pound and fertilizer at $40 u ton, so
pounds OF cotton still pays for 200
pounds Of fertilizer. The planter has
always paid the proceeds of so pounds
Of cotton for tho fertilizer for an acre.
This he did, and found a satisfactory
profit in it, when fertilizer sold for $75
per ton. Through all the stages of the
decline in price Of cotton from Is cents
to cents per pound the cost Of fortili-
zer has kept an even pace with it, SC
that for the past twenty years the for
tilizer for an acre In cotton could be
paid for with the proceeds of 90 pounds
of cotton. Remarkable as this state
ment may appear it is nevertheless ab-
solutely true. To this statement may
be added the fact that for his 80 pounds
of cotton the planter now receives twice
Us much plant food as he received for ii
twenty-four years ago"
"Therc has been no time in tho his
tory of cotton growing when fertilizer
could be used ut u better percentage ol
profit to the planter than now. Upon
the ordinary impoverished soil lOt
pounds of cotton is IL fait average yield
This means starvation to the planter
hcnce for years the planter has felt i,
q prime necessity to pay for his supply
of fertilizer, as without that he coulC
not farm. With 200 pounds of fertili
zer per acre 25O pounds OF lint is fail
average 053p. This shows net gair
OF 100 poI ids Of lint per acre from fer
tilizer costing 80 pounds Of cotton OF
200 per cent. Without fertilizer the
planter will make nothing over cost O
cultivation, or would show q positive
loss. Using fertilizer it returns it:
cost in cotton, also a profit Of double
its cost. or course the price at which
the cotton is sold makes Il great diifor
ence to tho planter, but his percentage
of profit remains tho same. LII cottoI
is at cents pound, but 81 profit pei
acre is made by the use of fertilizer
but this is net profit, Enodgh cot
ton having boen raised to pay for The
fertilizer leaves the prico Of the lOt
pounds as clear profit from the use o
q fertilizer, which is 200 per cent. on
its cost.
There are dominating advantages
in favor of the planter in the presen
situation that should be considered
They need pay out nothing for corr
and meat; all goceries, clothing
tools, etc, cost not more than one
half OF what they cost fow years ago
many OF them less than one-half. Un
til very recently food and all Other
supplies were bought on years credi
at very large prOiits to the merchant
With SO much OF the cost OF living q
is represented by the cost OF corn ant