The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-11-13
Good Advice to Farmers.

Messra Middleton & Ravenel, the we'll
known cotton brokers, of Charleston. have
issued very interesting circular on the
cotton situation. The open letter will be
sent to all of their correspondents
throughout the South. It contains many
striking facts and figures, and 1t will be
read with keen interest by the cotton
planters and cotton men in this and other
States. The writer's say in substance that
the great danger which menaces the
country Is that an enormous crop of cot
ton will be planted next season. They
predict that If this is done that prices will
not only 60 lower than they now are, but
that cotton next season will be practical
drug on the market. The circular, how
ever, explains itself more fully than it
can be explained. It is as follows:
Charleston, s. c., November 5, 1895.
To the Cotton Planter: The condition
of cotton at the present moment is one
that should give cause for deep thought
on the part Of the planter, and he should
pause before he enters into any arrange
ment for planting another crop. To-day
we see every indication of q small crop;
receipts are light and decreasing every
day. The great standby of the English
spinners (Mr. NELLY predicts small out
turn Of the present crop. All reports from
the cotton sections show the cropis shorter
than ir has been for years, and the Gov
ernment report confirms these other re-
ports. The business in dry goods is
good, and the demand ia increasing, and
everything on it's face shows that at least
for this year the cotton planter is to be
ing price for his cotton, but what are the
facts. Wesee cotton declining every day,
January contracts having been forced
down 3-4 of cent, or 1915 per bale with
in TWO weeks. or course, this was only
the natural result Of an overloaded specu-
lative market, and if it had not affected
the actual cotton would have passed by
comparatively unnoticed, but the foreign
spinners from that moment seemed to
have dropped completely out Of the mar
ket, evidently waiting for another move
to force the spot cotton still lower and en-
able them to buy cotton at their own
sweet pleasure and price.
Thus we see that the spectators in
New York are playing directly into the
hands of the natural enemies of cotton.
The situation seems now to be narrowed
down to a battle between the cotton
planter on one side and the foreign spin
ner on the other, backed up by the spec.
ulators and gold powers of the North. It
seems that either gold or cotton must be
exported to avoid the issue of bonds, and
az another bond issue might imperil the
chances Of the democratic party, the cot
ton planter must be sacrificed and the
price of cotton beat down until he Is COM
pelled to sell. This is all wrong and can
be avoided by a little judgment and COM
mon Sense,
One of the greatest clouds hanging over
the cotton market is the talk of a tremen-
dous crop next year. Some predictions
nave already been made that the next
crop will be IL 100000 bales, the enemies
Of cotton forgetting that the cotton planter
has learned lesson or two in the last five
years. fit was known and understood
that the cotton planter had been fooled
into planting tremendous crop for the
last time and that the crop for next year
would be only moderate one, cotton
spinners would enter into the market;
we would see better prices for the present
crop and better prices for the next crop.
A large crop next year means low prices
for what cotton Is not already sold this
year and lower prices next year.
Let the planter plant his crop on the
same basis of this years crop; plant plen-
ty Of provisions and keep down the cot
ton acreage. The balance Of this years
cotton and next year 8 crop under existing
circumstances should sell at 8 cents, at
least, at the ports. Keep down the cot
ton acreage and save yourselves from q
repetition of 5 cents cotton and disaster.
Yours truly,
MIDDLETON & RAYENEL,