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

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tendency in other branches Of agri-
culture and in all other industries
/ where we see capital and labor being
concentrated.
We believe the first step TO be taken
is TO cut down the acreage and con-
( centrate capital and labor. Let the
I poorest lands drop out of cotton, and
be planted in green crops for grazing,
or green manuring; or let them lie
still. and nature will slowly revive
them. Concentrate power upon those
lands which will respond at once. Now,
whether an acre OF land produces 100
OF 300 pounds of cotton, many of the
factors OF cost are approximately the
same. The rent and taxes are not re-
lative 10 production; the breaking and
clearing of new ground, blowing, seed,
cultivation. chopping 70 stand and all
such processes, cost no more on good
than on bad land. II may cost less
TO pick an acre of 100 pounds, but who
will compare the expense of picking
those 200 pounds from one acre with
the cost Of gathering the same weight
from three acres?
Upon the reduced area planted in
cotton a more modern system of cul-
tivation must be practiced In the
plain acts of culture we must be more
thorough Let the ground be well
Diowed. which will be possible with
/ less 20 plOw. and what is equally i'm
pOrtant. il can be pIowed at the right
time. Let the planting be done care
fully and at the right season, which
will be possible upon a less acreage.
| ThorOughness of cultivation has been
shown TO be the greatest economy. In
| 1892 thirteen practical Texas cotton
planters undertook to furnish state
ments TO the Texas Agricultural Col
| lege and Experiment Station of the
| actual cost and production of their
! respective crops (see bulletin. of that
| institution No 26). and the following
are the data rendered To emphasize
| the value of concentration of capital
| and labor. we divide these statements
into two classes-those where the cost
| OF cultivation exceeds $50 per acre
and where it is less:
Observation-Disclosures of eight. cost
per acre. s32.73; pounds per acre, 642;
! cost per H.. 81 cents. Average of five.
cost per acre. s15.01; pounds per acre.
| 267; cost per h.. SO cents.
More than good cultivation is want
ed. The soils are exhausted. The ma
terials of plant growth must be sup
piled. But how can the planter build
up the producing power of his soil
again2 He must make use of prepared
fertilizers. and exclusively. until the
increased production and diversity of
his crops provide the natural materials
he needs. The Texan planters in their
statements show that the judiciouS use
of those fertilizers gave them clear
increased profit of s4.21 per acre. and
one of them says: Fertilizers increas-
ed the yield without increasing the
more impressive statements of the
values of fertilizers. but we have
chosen TO use the results of these prac-
tical men.
In the purchase of prepared fertiliz-
ers it is imperative that each State
shall protect the planters against the
sale of bogus material. 1t is also, in
the instances of farmers who are rent
ers, required that legislative provision
be made, in the form of an "Agricul-
tural Holdings Act" to secure to those
renters the full value of any vested
improvements" they put into the own
er's land.
With improved methods of cultiva-
ton and a judicious use of fertilizers
the best variety must be selected for
each locality and soil. Experiments
made at Calhoun. North Louisiana.
SIOWcu lildl WHeH lHlGIN-IWO
were planted side by side and under
the same conditions, one variety gave
$50 pounds of lint and one other 129
pounds. the other thirty varieties rang
ing in yield between these amounts.
We have spoken of the measures by
which the area can be reduced and
the volume of production maintained
We stand firmly against reduction
of the American supply of cotton, even
| before a strong opposite opinion. If
we controlled the production of wool
or even the balance of cotton it would
| be another matter But wool of which
| total this country grows about one
| tenth. is expanding; the older cotton
| growing countries are maintaining or
/ increasing their supplies: and even
/ Russia. a government report informs
us. has begun to grow cotton. and ''in
| the space of ten years has become able
! to grow one-third of what she con-
! sumes,' and as a result has reduced
her imports from the United States
80 per cent" These data may be used
by others TO show the futility of the
I South maintaining its volume of cot
! ton. But reduce the production. and
the direct advantage, if there be any,
| goes to the foreigner: and year by
| year he Will produce a larger per cent
of the total supply. Even at a present
| temporary loss the South must hold
! its ground. Shall we who produce
nearly thTee-fourths of the worlds
I cotton, make the first move backward ?
| Cotton is the great product of the
South. and the industry must not be
| wrested from us. But il is only in
lessening the cost of production that
the volume of supply can be maintain
81
duce at less than the old countries.
! Certain of those are now feeling the
! pressure. A recent advice from Eu-
rope says: THE Turkestan cotton
growers have petitioned for higher
duties on the American cotton, be-
cause they cannot produce at such low
| prices as the Southern states" A
United States government report tells
us that the sheep farmers of the North
west have improved the breeds of
/ sheep so much that the yield of wool