Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-04-23
THE WORLD WANTS COTTON
Demand for the south's Great Staple
sa"ad to Increase.
A COMMODITY OF UNIVERSAL 'ss,


market are Interesting. NOT to say serious
ana alarming short crop. rlnlng prices
and Increased consumption by American
as well Ra European spinners have united
In producing a situation. tho conseauences
OK which must he far-reachlng. The Inn
mediate effect has been to quicFan specu-
laiion, TO force buying and TO make the
market unsteady because OF constantly
fiuctuating prices. But quotations for the
pant two months have shown u marked
Upward tondsncy. and cotton which sold
for b-s cents In New York n year ago.
brings ebont cents a pound. Values hav-
lnR returned almost to the point held In
lSas, before the panic. and before overpro-
auction had Eiutted all the mills and
wnrehouses from Texas 10 Japan.
The permanent effects OF this rise IN
cottoh VIII be felt not only on every plan
tation In the cotton States but through
all the ranihcations OF manufacture
transportation and trade where the staple
appears. The planters this year are re-
ceiying from 20 to 10 por cent more for
their product than they did last year and
10 per cent more than they Ola In 1891 This
means the addition Of something like $780,
0QO.OQO 10 the revenues Of agriculture In
the South. to he distributed through all tho
avenues OF trade. Over agninst this the
transportation companies will carry less
tonnage. cotton mills In the South and
elsewhere Will pay more for the raw ma
terinl. cotton fabrics win he higher In
price, and that immense chain of indus
tries beginning with the planting OF the
seed and ending with the completed gar
inent ready for wear, or with cotton seed
oil awaiting consumption. will be vlsibiy
affected by the falling on In this season's
crop. In aoiition there win DO less cotton
to be sent abroad and foreign trade will
suffer therefrom.
A SHORT CROP.
Conservative estimates place the ,--p
shortage this ycnr Mt about 100000 bales.
The total product for the season OF lSe4-95
was 1901, 2bi bales, and at the beginning
Of the year there WINS an unsoid surplus
or lS3,1N talos, making ioi0i6.OSS bales avail
ab!e for sale and consumption. or this
amount s7ISeei bales were exported. 2,Sls.-
e7 bales were taken by American mills.
ae,Slg were sent overland TO Canada and
8s.9a3 were burned at delivery ports, leav-
ing surplus stock Of 2SQ0a1 bales at the
end OF tho year. A fair estimate OF the
uutplt for the season OF 1895 Is 6,T00 900
bales. and. on the superstition that the
proc,ict will not exceed that amount
nbout ons-th.rd less cotton will be avail
able from Anesicnn eources this year than
tweive-month ngo.
Tho data upon which crop estimatog arc
made are not wholly reliable. hut there Is
- remarkable falling on IN receipts OF
nll delivery points. and II can be account
Ned for only upon tho supposition that the
output IL limited. or that planters are
holding back their cotton for higher prices
!, In one weak In January receipts at thir-
teen interior tosvny In tho South were only
e. OBS bales. against h.5ss IN 1876 and e. iS2
10 tsyi- These towns lie near the produc-
Ing centars, and the operations OF the
week referred to are only sample of
what has been reported everywhere for the
prst two months. There can DO no doubt
OF ehort crop. tho only question being tho
amount OF shortage.
BFFEcr ON AGRICULTURE
A year ago everybody was reading dis
quiiduonH on b-cent cotton. Planters COM
planned that the price OF tho staple was
below tho cost OF production, md q feeling
OF gloom spread over the South, Con-
grcsses met and Discussed the situation for
days together; tho subject was treated
by experts. and the press suvo publicity
10 all sorts OF arguments and opinions.
The result eeems to have been D. eonsld-
cradle decrease IN acreage, and the grow
lug OF other crops In the hope OF larger
revehnn In short, the overprodnctlon OF
cotton, eliminating IN the enormous OUT
pnt Of Isgt-e5, bfougte about aomething OF
reaction and laid the foundations for
diverrlhed agriculture In the South.
whether the change win he permanent re-
mains to be seen, but tho probability In
| that In many sectioas Of the cotton grow
| ing regions there will he q return 10 tho
one-crop idea OF the past,
/ II liz Internationally true that the grow
ing Of cotton IN the United etatea has not
yet reached ITS limit. Careful observers
are nonndont that the South will yet raise
10,0000O0 bale crop. and few enthusiasts
have been 80 bold M 20 maintain that
| ~, 900, 900 baios annually must 30 the out
put In years to come, If tho teeming mil
lions OF the worlds population continue
| to domaine cotton fabrics at the present
rate OF increase Undoubtedly the rise in
prices viii be the signal for another ''un-
precedented' planting next year, but ex-
pcrienco has taught the Southern planter
| that reliance upon king Cotton" is some
times deceptive. and ne Will not yield en-
tiraly to the cry Of tho speculator. Di-
| versity.ln agricultural operations has been
no effectunlly impressed upon tho cotton
States that lt Is Impossible 10 believe there
! Will DO a return 70 the conditions which
have prevailed The increased revenue
from cotton will be particularly accept
able 10 tho planter but II no is wise II
will CONFIRM In the staples and persistent
attention 10 him In the View that mod
crate acreage other "money" crops will
make u business rather thnn nerfdom OF
agriculture, -.
ErFEcT ON TExrrLE INDUSTRIES.
The Demand for cotton by spinners and
for cotton Rooda by the world is bound TO
increase regardless Of crop shortage or
high prices. No less than sevonfy-three
new cotton mills were put into operation
last year In the Southern Slater. and
though raw material has inorensed about
3 cents per pound within twelve months,
still not a spindle has ben stopped. In the
South ia New England, In Liverpool and
Manchester and even IN bombay, takinEn
have been regular for the last three months
and apinners are proceeding upon the as
sumption that thorc vii be no d2crease In
the demand for cotton goods.
In fact when the subject IN reflected
UPON the conclusion Is Inevitable that the
world wants cotton as much as II wants
iron or any other product The use Of
cotton cloth, thread and yarns 10 almost
universal. and markets for those nrpducta
are opening all the while. Revival Of bus
iness haa eniivened the stie OF cotton goods
| In this country; the cefsatien OF strikes IN
Great Britain ard at on5 or two points on
the continent has put wagos IN the hands
| ~ worlrmen, and has enlarged the call for
cottan: In Africa the natives arc drawing
nonrer 10 civilization, and are calling for
lght fabrics with which 10 clothc their
nakodneEs. Industrial conditions In India
| hsve vastly Improved Of late ana a good
market for cation "a rsportcd from that
| ouhrteT of tho Riohs. denand Tor Cheap
| grades ~ these goods in China IS bounu
| IA improve with every advantage which
\ foreigners rain over the stupid ccnrervn-
| Ism 81 the Mnntchu dynasty and IN NIL
Darts Of Latin America the market for
Manufactured cotton 10 constantly WIDEN
ling. Therefore, there "a gtcrnd for con-
Idenco that the days q b;cont cotton not
cpiy have pasaod, but eiey Will not sion
return ngaln
w. .f... ffr IN - sr.n1nelal "a Tx flV 10