The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1896-02-13
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
ATLANTA. GA Feb 1904

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
ATLANTA, GA, Feb. l, 1895.
Just now the question of the probable
cotton acreage for the coming year is
attracting worldwide attention, and as
this is subject Of primary Importance
10 each and every farmer in Georgia,
as well as the entire south, we present,
q few facts for the careful consideration
OF those who are contemplating the at
tractive, but deceptive prospect of big
cotton crop and remunerative prices. In
the monthly talks for December and
January we endeavored to expose the
tallacy OF such expectations, and urged
that our agricultural interests for '06 be
built on a stronger foundation.
The Cotton Growers Protective Asso-
citation Is doing a good work in attract
Ing attention to our fatal errors in the
past, and to exposing the costly folly of
a large cotton crop at the expense of the
perhaps more important provision sup
| ply. To induce a concert of action on
! this subject among farmers is important,
but it can only be reached when each in
| dlv1dual farmer is convinced that year
| In and year out it is to his best interest
] to raise his supplies at home and make
| his cotton purely a surplus crop and for
! this reason we should bring every argu-
ment to bear which will help him to
| this decision. Once his mind is thor
oughly made up, we will see the cotton
| crop curbed within profitable bounds,
| and while the income from this source
will be maintained, the other crops will
be cultivated and gathered, and thus
represent an additional clear profit. The
south can raise cotton cheaper than any
other country, and therefore no rival
can successfully enter the field if we
| manage our great staple crop on sound
business principles. An American crop
which forces the price below 10 cents is
certainly too large. We should plant
as near as possible to a 7,OOO, 900 bale
basis, which will insure a fair margin
Of profit. If by an increased acreage
and an increased use of fertilizers and
other expenses we produce 1900, 900 or
10, 000, 900 bales, every bale will, accord
ing to oil precedent, be sold at loss
of OF least /, 2 or perhaps cents
a pound. A 100000 bale crop at 10
cents will bring $3.50, 900. 900. A9,0Oo, 900
bale crop will bring at the highest
only Z cents pound, or 1915, 1000, 900, q
loss Of $S5, 700, 900, not counting the
additional cost of producing the larger
crop. If it costs 8 cents pound to
raise the 100000 bale crop, which is
about the average cost of production.
that represents $3.50, 100000. This crop,
| if sold at 10 cents, will net the farmers
10000, 900 over and above the cost of
production, with plenty of provisions
for another year-9,00 900 bales at a
cost of s cents per pound for production,
will represent $360,000,0 900 and if sold
for cents will only bring 315, 100000, a
loss of $45,000,000 to the producers.
Adding the profit on the lesser crop, to
the loss on the greater we have $115,-
100000 in favor of reduced area and &
smaller crop
Facts and figures gathered from past
I experience carry more weight than any
mere words of advice, and to thought
full men, the following will appeal with
| unmistakable force:
1t has been conclusively shown that
outside of the cotton grown and con-
sumed in other countries that is Asia,
Africa South America and Mexico, the
United States furnishes about rs per
cent of the cotton of commerce. In
other words the world is dependent on
/ the southern farmers for three fourths
Of the cotton which it uses and which
cannot be produced elsewhere. From
| this simple statement it will be seen
what power we hold among the ma
tons of the world and what lever to
| lift ourselves and our section into pros
I perity. But when our cotton crop is made
we cannot eat it, nor can we wear it
until it passes into other hands. Now
if our necessities for food and other sup
plies are such that we are obliged to
part with our cotton in order to obtain
these, we are necessarily compelled to
take whatever price the buyer offers.
1t thus appears that our lever is power
less in our hands, unless we rest it on
the fulcrrm of abundant home supplies.
If man has plenty of home supplies
he can afford to wait. The world is
obliged to have his cotton. This was
! demonstrated during the civil war,
when the enforced suspension of cotton
production in the south caused the price
of one pound to reach the astounding
figure of $2.85-although foreign coun-
tries were making the most superhu-
man efforts to supply the demand.
The following is also worthy of care
full consideration In the last 10 years
our cotton has brought to our doors
5000. 900, 000-that is, that enormous
sum has been received for this one crop
alone. 1t is also shown that, as COM
pared with the exports of other crops,
the value Of the cotton exported from
the south in 10 years. is over 50 per cent.
greater than the combined value of the
total exports Of wheat and flour for the
whole country-for the same period,
and more astounding still we find that
the total value of the wheat and -four
exported from the United States for "a
years is 81, 200, 100000, or $4,000 900, 900
less than the value of the cotton ex-
ported from the south in 10 years
Whether or not the individual farmer
has reaped the full benefit, the fact re.
mains that the south has had poured
into her lap a fabulous sum, fully
enough to have enriched and made hel
| indeDendent