The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1896-01-25
Address to the Cotton Growers of
LOUISIANA.


To the Cotton Growers of Louisiana.
At meeting of the Central Louis
lana Agricultural Association held in
Baton Rouge, January 9Th, the under
signed were appointed to prepare an
address TO you setting forth the neces-
sity of reducing the cotton acreage.
The desirableness of this reduction
is universally admitted by intelligent
farmers, but its absolute necessity is
laid over upon one's neighbor, not
upon ones self. Each hopes bis
nelghbor may reduce bis acreage
while he, himself, would retain his full
amount of cotton land in cultivation.
We rejoice to day to see the faces of
our farmer friends wreathed in smiles,
the undoubted result of the combina-
ton of circumstances attendant upon
the planting, the making, aud the sell
ing of this seasons cotton crop. We
enumerate as causes of our present
prosperity: !.
Isl, The excessively low price of
cotton one year ago.
End, The marked reduction CT cot
ton acreage and the increase OF food
stuffs, with q season decided ly IN
favorable TO cotton growing.
Srd, A short cotton crop with an
abundant food crop.
4th, An unlocked for advance in
the price of cotton.
We respectfully urge your careful
consideration of these causes, and
positively assert that they naturally
followed each other in exact order as
laid down, eliminating in our present
favorable condition. Could anything
but prosperity follow such combina-
ton of causes2 We assert, aud dare
your best judgment to proof OF the
contrary, that boundless prosperity
awaits the agricultural interests OF
the South if the conditions of last
cars farming be held in continuance.
Let us figure little:
Ten million bales of cotton st b
cents, $2OO,000,000.
Seven million bales Of cotton at "a
cents, $210,000,000.
The smaller crop is more valuable,
outright, by $10,000,000.
The saving of ginning and baling
5000, 900 at $500 per bale, $4,000, 700
The saving of picking 100000
bales at $500 per bale, $15,00O,OOO.
Thus we have q net saving to the
cotton grower of $31, 100000. with 80
per cent of the cotton land given up to
production of food.
Will this fortune condition be ours
at the close of 1852 Already we
note a change in the above series OF
causes, and we give this note of warn
ing lest distress overtake us. Instead
of a low price now tending to discour-
age production of cotton, it is exactly
the reverse aud we fear we will see
marked increase of cotton acreage and
a corresponding decrease of acreage of
food stuffs, Should the season for
making a cotton crop be favorable, we
may see another 100000 bale crop.
This would be accompanied by tre-
mendous reduction in price of cotton
in the face of diminished food crops.
This series of causes must be
checked now if we would continue
prosperous. Listen not to the sirens
voice alluripg you to plant for a large
crop of Scent cotton-it surely means
debt aud distress to you. Let each
man plant for superintendent crop
of all food stnffs needed for man aud
beast, making reduction Of ct least
80 per cent in his cotton acreage, end
all will be wei.
We say, further, that the law of sup
ply aud demand is memorable in fixing
commercial values. Speculation in
futures is merely Incidental and may,
we hope, be eliminated as depressing
agent in the price of cotton. But
nothing can ever prevent the existence
of a superabundant crop having ten
dency TO make the price very low.
The only way to keep up the price OF
the feecy staple to remunerative
figure is to avoid the production of an
annual surplus. Increasing civiliza-
ton calls for slightly larger supply
each year, but it demands nothing like
the amount our surplus generally ex-
hibits. This excessive surplus makes
the farmers anxious sellers and makes
the manufacturers careless buyers
Let us reverse this condition, keep the
cotton crop within the bonds of fair
demand, aud the manufacturer be-
comes the anxious buyer while the
farmer sells as he pleases.
But "the proof of the pudding lies
in the chewing of the bag" and we
offer, as proving the correctness of the
course to which We urge you, the fol-
lowing illustration of what has been
done by one of this committee (Mr
Shelmire) in reducing his cotton acre.
ago.
In 1892. while he made a fair. crop
of cotton, etc, he felt sure he was not
getting enough pay for his hard work,
so he determined to put 200 acres OF
his cultivated land into pasture. He
thus had, with so acres of woodland. a
pasture of $50 acres; leaving 800 acres
in cultivation thus: 175 in cotton, 10
in corn, lespedeza, sweet potatoes, etc
He then borrowed $2000to help pay
for stock, consisting of Is head OF
grade Jerseys; jersey bull, jack, !
stallion and 81 mares.
The crop account for four years
| h.n,