The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-10-09
Hold Your Cotton.
Lanes Advice to the Farm
ers-He Says they Should
Get 10 l-2 Cents a
Pound for it.

Mr.. Hector D Lane. president of
the American Cotton Growers Pro-
tective Association, yesterday issu d
circular to the Association, dated
this city, advising them that they are
masters of the situation, and begging
them to hold their cotton until they
get ten and one-half cents pound.
The circular is as follows:
New Orleans, September %, 1895.
"To the American Cotton Growers
Protective Association Twenty days
ago, in advance of the bureau report,
issued a circular stating the crop
conditions and warning you against
hasty disposition or marketing OF
your cotton. The cotton buyers and
bear Spectators ridiculed that CIR
cular, but when it was more than
confirmed by the Government bureau
they began to have some respect for
my Investigations
"Since that time the crop has de-
Perforated to such an extent as to
amount to disaster No such
weather has ever before been seen
in the cotton districts. The worms
have continued to do great damage,
and, even from districts like the Tai
iahatchie River in Mississippi, where
the crop was said to>be good, comes
reliable information of a 40 per cent.
deficiency.
1.-The best authorities put the
Texas output at l,75o, 900 bales or
less The cotton plant is now prac.
tically dead throughout the South,
and frost to night would do but
little if any damage In my opinion
this crop cannot exceed 6,500,00O
bales maximum
Gwen Mr.. Neill has been com.
PEELED to reduce his estimate to a
maximum of 1000. 0oC or 7,250.O00
bales, with possibilities Of much less
What he termed possibility when
his circular was issued is now all es-
tablished fact: and it is difficult to
see how Mr. Neill. as statistician,
can fail to recognize this fact when
he issues bis next circular
"The situation as to the price Of
cotton is plain The European man
ufacturers, relying upon mistaken in,
formation given them about the size
of this crop, and rot realizing in
time thai the world is on 9 trade
boom. have sold manufactured goods
ahead until July of next year. To
make these goods they must have
your cotton or run themselves by
violating their contracts They, as
we'll as the American spinners, are
caught in trap This crop is too
small for all Of them to get their full
shares. America. Mexico, Canada
and Japan will consume a minimum
of 3,00o,0 600 bales This will leave
$500, 900 bales to be distributed be-
tween Great Britain and the Cont
net, against 6,S00,000 bales last
year. This will wipe out the visible
supply and create panic among
cotton buyers The price of cotton
has come to stay, and to go very
much higher.
"Last year the manufacturers reap
ed a golden harvest by buying five
cent cotton. 1t is now your turn.
They know that the crop is all open
and can be marketed before Decem-
Der l. They expected yoa to bite
at the bait held ont by the present
So called great rise and rush your
cotton forward and press it for sale.
They will then stay out of the mar
ket hoping that the weight of the
cotton offered would depress the
price. implore you not to do this.
Sell. as they try to buy, from hand to
mouth. And before January you
will have the American, English and
Continental cotton buyers outbidding
each other for every bale Of cotton
| you have to sell
"Do not be deceived by the advice
Of New York bear circulars dis
guised under bulls hide. Under
present crop and trade conditions
your cotton is worth ten and one
half cents. Do not sacrifice it be.
cause last year it sold at five cents,
and now is selling for eight and one
half cents
Your obedient servant,
fIIEcToR D. LANE,
"President of American Cotton
| Growers Protective Association y