The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1895-10-27
WHERE IS THE COTTON
THE FARMEES DECLARE THAT
NOT MORE THAN HALF A
CROP WAS=MADE.
SOME COMPARATIVE FIGURES

Situation-The Receipts in Raleigh
Have Dwindled Down 10 Almost
Nothing, + fleeing all Lines of BUSH
ness-The Buyers Think the Planters
are Holding the Cotton, but the
Planters Say There j. but Little to
Hold.
Yesterday forenoon q NEWS AND OBJ
SERVER reporter stroled arounu our n
ket square, and was surprised to tind :"
little activity. It WIS Saturday ana
Saturdays ually, at this season Of the
year are very lively days, especially on
the Raleigh cotton exchange At II
o'clock Yesterday there were just twenty
three bales Of colt ON the streets here,
this was more than bali Of the entire days
receipts the same day a year ago
the receipts here were three hundred
and sixty bales The reporter began in
yestigation, to ascertain, if possible, tie
the cause Of the great falling off IN re
ceipts. Several Of the buyers attributed
it to q concert of action on the part OF
the farmers 20 hold their cotton for
higher prices. Others of the buyers
thought that this was only a part OF the
cause that the prime cause was the short
ness of the crop, and just here q
few comparative figures may be OF
interest. According to the tables
kept by the Secretary of the Raleigh
Cotton Exchange the receipts during the
past week were 440 bales. Rec ITS dur
ing the same week last year were /, 391
bales. difference in favor Of last year
of 942 bales. There has been received
in Raleigh since September 1st, this year,
6,243 bales. Receipts during the same
week last year 10, 765 bales, a differ
eDce in favor of last year of 4,522
ba 'es. Referring to the books Of
Messrs. Barbee Il Thompson it was
found that on the 10Th day Of Au-
gust, 1895, they bought fourteen bales
of cotton, which Mr.. Barbee said was
yearly or quite half the days re-
ceipts at an average price OF s 3-8 cents
per pound On the 10Th day of October,
a year ago they bought Isl bales at an
average price of 5 per pound. Seven
prominent farmers living in different
sections of the county we're interviewed
and asked
1st. How many bales of cotton did
you make last yeaI2
I'd. How many bales have you made
this year,
Each answer vas noted down and &C
cordiDg to their Own figures these seven
farmers made in 1894 $40 bales d
this year $50 bales. a difference of 1870
bales. One very reliable farmer and
one of the largest cotton raisers in the
county was seen in the afternoon and
asked the same questions. II made
last year on my home place % bales"
she replied this year ! made 80 bales,
EOf course on this place" he continued
''T cut my acreage down considerable.
On another farm / made last year Is
bales, this year 6 bales. On another
IA bales last year, bales this year
son another, As bales last year aud
% bales this year. AT two other places
I made IS bales last year and 10 bales
this year f"
What is your idea about the percent
age of this years crop as compared " tn
last year 2" was asked.
my experience is that the same land
this year has made about G5 per cent. of
what it made last year The crop in this
section is not 80 per cent. of what it was
last year. because of this falling off in
yield per acre aud the decrease in acre.
age"
Mr.. W. w. Pace. Of Little River town
ship; Mr.. T. A. Council, of Swift Greek;
Mr.. G g. Gcosson, Of st. Matthews; Mr..
". T. Howle. of Raleigh; Mr. NJ. T.
Leach, of Raleigh, and several others
were interviewed, and the highest esti-
mate for this section was one half of last
years crop These farmers, too, nearly
all of them, declared that the crop had
all. or nearly all, been gathered, and that
as great a percentage of it had been
marketed IS was usually the case at
this season of the yesr. Several
of them contended that owing
to the favorable weather for gathering
the crop and the high prices that had
prevailed prior to Last week. q Crater
percentage had been marketed than in
former years Capt. j. j. Young, one
of the largest planters in Johnson
county, was here yesterday.
"There has been no holding back cot
ton in my section. he declared, 'and
about as fast as it has been gathered it
has been carried to market"
'Our people have made, continued
Capt Young, 'about one half to three
fourths of crop"
Whatever the cause may be the
light receipts in Raleigh and other
interior towns is getting to be
serious. Think of eight bales of
cotton on the Raleigh market on Thurs
day of Fair week. 1t is predicted by
buyers here that these light receipts in
interior markets are going to cut
great big hole in next weeks port re-
ceipts, and that if these condi-
tons continue few weeks longer it
would be well for the bears to
go into winter quarters, New
may sell eight hundred thousand bales
OF wind in one day, and only hundred
and forty bales of real cotton, said one
gentleman. land with ali these bales of
wind it may hammer prices but sh4 can't
make six million bales eight million bales.
II she does at least two million bales of