The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-03-27

rroductiOn Of cotton Inc NdiuS VI
the wool. however. rather exceeds thaI
Of the cotton. In examining the changes
that have occurred in the relauFe pro
duction OF the two staples II VIII pear
more closely upon the subject If COM
--srfsoD IS confined 10 conditions found
in this country. The following figures
are taken from the United States cen
eus reUorts OF the years stated. and
tbev agree very closely with other
o#ciaI data which had preceded them :;
Tinted States cotton production
1870 sS7. G79. 500 lbs; 1883, 1916 .255,-
5G0 lbs: increase per cent, 29.3. Wool
1roducffon-1S79. is. 6s1 .751 lbs: 1889.
276. 600 600: increase per cent, 11.3-
These figures do not convey the full
effect upon the South OF the changes
in the relative productions or wool ana
cotton. even in this country In 1860
our cotton crop was nearly 10 2,lOO,-
GOO 600 pounds. which was greater than
the croD of 1881. In 1850 the total wool
PRODUCTION OF this country was only
e. SOC. 600. pounds, Of which lO,25O,OO0
mounds. or % per cent. were produced
nv the Southern States. Last year the
gross production OF wool in the United
states was not less than 3O0OOOOOO
mounds. OF which the South furnished
10 600 900 pounds. or only 4 per cent.
Of the whole.
IL is seen that the worlds cOnsump-
ton o. wool is increasing at "A vastly
greater rate than the consumption or
cotton. Not only is the general supply
OF wool increasing in this country,
that increased rate of production great
" exceeds the growing production or
cotton. and in the expansion or wool
in this country the South has no share.
4. To- frG
produce wool. and should aim to in
crease and not give up his share of
production. This is urged more espe-
ciaIIv because Of the fact that wool is
only a secondary product Of the sheep.
and it's production cannot. like cotton,
be arbitrarily reduced. but must nat
urallv augment with the worlds in
creasfng demand for mutton. The
Southern States stood still in this coun-
try's increasing growth OF wool until
their proportion dwindled down from
90 TO 4 per cent. During the past thirty
wears. ND TO the present one, wool has
been a heavily protected product whHe
the situation of cotton could command
no aid. Several acts of Congress, but
notably that of 1867. gave a marvellous
impetus to wool production in the
North. A United States government
report upon 1.-THE Sheep Industry of the
limited States states chat those tariff
provisions greatly increased the pro-
duction of wool beyond the MISSISSIPPI
nj" and further. "the farmers OF the
Northwest were led to believe that
wool. in time. would actually super
cede the production of cotton" This
protection aided the Northwest. and
operated against the great industry or
the South. II has also. in another dlrec-
ton. so far favored Northern capital
lists as TO enable them TO remove the
cotton for manufacture vast distances
from where il is grown. Happily this
condition of things is destined TO cor
rect itself. In 1870 the consumption OF
cotton in the South, according to Off
ciaI statistics of the United States De
partment of Agriculture. was only 1OO.-
600 bales. or exactly 10 per cent: in
1892 it was $40 900 bales, or SO per
cent. of the cotton manufactured in
this country The South must not only
grow. but make up it's cotton.
The increasing total production and
consumption of wool is pressing heavi-
" upon the South. more heavily than
the foreign production of cotton. THe
two great staples have reacted upon
each other. and have brought prices
to what they are. and this continued
low. The price of cotton cannot appre
Gladly rise with wool at present values.
and wool is not only growing in favor
as an article of wear but is now with
in the reach of the mass of buyers.
s-EXHAUSTION OF THE COTTON
LANDS.
In considering local causes of the
agricultural crisis. the first act is to
inquire into the fertility of our soils
and TO determine whether their crop
ping power has been maintained. or in
what measure il has declined. II viii
be misleading and useless 10 compare
the yield per acre of individual years.
because the crops fuctuate widely
from wear TO year. For example. this
wear preliminary estimates make the
crops to be approximately 100 pounds
per acre. We. therefore cover n term
of twenty years. from 1870 to 1889. in
elusive which is divided into two pc
RODS. as follows: prepared from sta
tistics furnished from the United States
Department OF Agricultural
PeriOds-1S70-1S79 average number
of acres grown. 10. 427 ,S42; average
Weld per acre, 191 lbs: average price
per III. TO the farmer. 1913 cents. 1881
1889. average number of acres grown.
17.731.172: average yield per acre, 1917
lbs: average price per ID. 10 the farm
er. SS cents.
The above figures show that the
average production OF the lands IN
cotton during the ten years of the
latter period was 1917 pounds per
acre which is 23.7 pounds. of 1872 per
cent. less than the average yields OF
the preceding period. What does this
actually mean? 1t means no less IMAM
this. that the volume of cotton which
was produced by 1O.427.S42 acres. dur
ing the 1S7O-1S79 period. required IL
800 900 acres during the second period:
No less than /. 395.05S acres more had
to be cultivated to furnish the same
weight of cotton. and today. upon
%. 600. 900 acres. this excess OF acreage
required $500 900 acres. The situation
presented by the above table is deplor-
able. Fallen prices and reduced pro-
duct per acre