Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-25
ONE CENT corroN.
a Cherokee County Farmer Gives II

a Cherokee County Farmer Gives HIS
Experience.
Husk. Texas. January ISL have before
rne The Houston Seml-WeelSly Post OF
date February II, 1895, which has an ar
uele headed Cost OF Raising Cotton
by j. N. D., that IS truly wonderful /
wish TO mention only ono or two points
to The Post readers. MIR. u. says that
he and his neighbor plow twenty and
thirty times TO the row, and then the
grass is ~ bad It Is hard TO pick cotton.
This beats all Flowing l ever heard OF,
or II must be n wonderful grass.
MIR. d. goes into all the details TO the
very cent Of the cost TO pr1uuce u JVy-
pound bale OF cotlon, WIN 10 49,,
over jis cents u pound.
Now, Mr.. EDITOR. TINS thirty row busl-
ness ana B's cents cost of cotton Is ali
uphill bus ness 10 "A man who makes Il
GeorBta or Alabama seven burrows sys-
ten, and the cost IN Georgia 20 make u
pound of cotton is only n little over :
cents per pound, and ivSg POUNDS of secu
cotton 10 the acre. and one acre cost
S0l,4U, all expenses tod. 1 have always
said ana contended that cotton could be
mace easily Tor "a or cents. asked
Il heighbor OF mine what has cotton cost
him. He replied that his little chaps
chopped II out and picked It, and II they
hand't done that they Wouldn't nave dom
70 rIuse cotton.
Now, Mr.. Editor. n the one-horse farm
cr With his family can grow cheap cotton
! say the renter can also, because he also
has invariably q big lot OF Children, and
according to this the only person VINO can
not raise cheap cotton " the lahllnfd
OF capitalist with his hired hands l say
that il not SO. ] say the man who has got
the farm and the money can hire LABOR
and raise cotton cheaper than all others.
| have done II and others can do the
same. II you Will give me space | VIII
give the very particulars Of crop; one
OF my renters planted iive acres of corn
In my creek bottom, pl0wcd two times,
then came an overflow and ruined the
corn. lie plowed II up and planted the
second time, The bud.worm ruined tho
stand and the renter threw up his AVE-
acre crop. This was the last OF aiay, /
hired a negro woman for IS per month
to do my Wife's cooking and houseWntN.
and all her time that could be spared at
tho house the should Work IN IHe Gg.A,
The woman was a good HELD hand, nut
very Glow IN picking cotton. The woman 5
time was correctly kept, as 1 was. work
ing close to the nold making machinery.
The woman came 10y coming and going,
and had her time set down, / turned the
ground over with II two-horse plow' !
rolled my cotton seed and adjusted the
/ made the rows is inches wide. never
more than 20 inches. When the cotton
came up 10 the usual size 20 pillow | put
three harrows together which made Y
ten feet wide. The harrow teeth all
flanted backward, ! went across the
rows and narrowed the crop This way
across the rows three times, 1t was all
the cultivation my cotton crop had, eN-
cept five days work hOclng. There was
exactly i've acres of cotton, and IL nnqs
1926 pounds of seed cotton, which would
make seven bales, at lilS pounds OF seed
TO the bale, The lint cotton, including
the baFg ny and ties, weighed 500 POUNDS.
The woman worked sixteen days TO make
the crop forty-nine days to gather the
cotton. In all, siXty-five days work AZ
IS per month, was so paid Tor hc'p. Ine
ballng cost about 70 more, whleh wouie .i
eleven DAYS they worked we Will aay $40,
which viii make SIS all told. a. there was
no hauling, the gin house being ~ NE
field. You will see that l commenced tle
last Of Nav and had n very extra SLOW
cotton picker. paid for everything, raised
$500 pounds OF lint cotton for SO and sun
have seven bales OF cotton sced, worth
500 per bale. Did not cost J cent PEI
mound TO grow the cotton and hire 1t
nude. The land is the same the MoNicans
used TO cultivate when they lived IN Texas;
I have cultivated Il twenty-five years. and
/ think IL gets richer every year, | use
cotton secd one year and cow peas next;
Mir. Editor, in all probability cotton NH
Senr. and a man who viii try 10 raise
cotton below the cost OF production is
surely crazy. for how 10 1t possible Tor
him 10 make his living out of that which
c1st him more to make than 1t IL worthf
A sorry farmer or a sorry farm "a very
cory SPECTACLE. trying TO raise S-ccnt
cotton at a sorry price. G. ". Ford
Mir, Ford sends with his letter tho. ro-
suit Of the Atlanta Constitutions contest,
in which prize OF 500 was given Tor the
best crop on one acre each Of cotton
Ct rn tobacco, sweet potatoes and water
melons, under certain conditions.
The reports from the acres of the i've
croTs have been submitted IN due form
upon the blanks furnished by tho Con-
siitution, and while many have made
COED reports and excellent crops, the
Judges make the following. awards, CIV
inf, 10 each one the 800 cash for the best
acre, m Indicated;
For the best acre of cot,on-Mr. W. @.
Cross of Lorraine. Ca, for 1858 pounds of
seed cotton, raised at an expense OF i52.2g,
For the best acre Of cor1-Mr. q. II.
Crcnshaw of Newborn, Ga, for 7Gla
bushels. raised at an expense of $40.
For the best acre Of watermelons-Mr
V. Green OF Wolf city, Texas, for 1888
melons, raised at an expense OF 5000
DeJsrnette OF South Fork, Ark. for 1852
pounds, raised at an expense of siSs5.
For the best acre Of sweet potatoes--Mr.
w, s, Dill OF Sandy Fiat, $. c., for b29 1-J
bushels. raised at an expense OF s2iSO