The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1897-03-10
Possibilities in Cot

The February number
Southern States" magazine
lished at Baltimore, contai
conspicuously able and note Il
articles from the authoritative
Dr.. Charles W. DAbnsy. Jr.,
ant Secretary Of Agriculture
deal with practical questions
utilization of cottonseed aSS
prospects and possibilities of the
for the next twenty five years
The extent to which the
might be used is manifest in
statement, based upon scientific
culations. that, properly handled,
seed Of The crop Of 1896 ought
yield in round numbers S100, 900
600, instead of S53, 900, viii
may be expected. At present Il
seed are used as feed, fertilizer al
fuel. in addition to oil producers, adj
secondary product Of feed and fra
is fertilizer. There may not be
present sufficient number of mills<
and of cattle to turn all the seed
into cash, but there should be an i'm
petus to greater efforts in that direc-
tion in a consideration of the poten-
tial value of the cottonseed crop.
This is reckoned at S94 ,239, 1872 after
deducting 10 per cent. for loss and
seeding The total is derived from
SAL, 10000 in oil, s3.100,000 in
linters, S36,O56,765 in hulls and meal
made into live weight Of cattle, and
$13,332,627 in manurial value Of
huls.
An increase of $40, 100000 and
more in the total value of the cotton
crop without increasing the size of
that crop is q possibility worth con-
sidering by the farmer.
It's importance during the next
twenty five years will become greater
and greater as the demand for cotton
naturally expands This will amount
to 2o,0O0,o00 bales ty 1920, DIR
Dabney reckons And he shows
that the South ought to be able to
produce it if the force Of lahorers is
developed propcrtionally. Of tae
$4,000 square miles in the cotton
regions, but so per cent is in farms,
but 20 per cent is improved, and
cnly 5 per cent in cotton. There is
room, therefore, for expansion to
meet the demand without trenching
upon the land tha, ought TO make
each planter practically independent
of his cotton for living. and with
out reference to the economy arising
from a steady advance in the in-
provements in methods OF. cultiva-
tion
In the last 100 years the total pro-
duction of cotton was worth
SIS, 600, ,000,0 ,00O,> exceeded only By
that of corn. It's value in the next
century will reach figures that hardly
may be realized.
These two articles arc compre.
hensive in treatment. and form
storehouse of information of practi-
cal value to the Southern agricultur-
list and the student of Southern con-
ditions The facts are startling, the
suggestions novel, and their pnb!ica.
I'LL x7i6o
Supplementary to Dr.. Dabney's ar
ticles, and appealing with the logic
Of accurate figures to the Western
farmers casting about for compe-
tency, is the article on Cotton
Growing VS. Wheat-Growing" In
it are compared the costs of raising
an acre of wheat and one of cotton,
and the results of the sales of the
product in 1894. minimum year for
both wheat and cotton. The con-
clnsions derived from official reports
of the Departments Of agriculture
are most suggestive. The average
loss per acre ON wheat was 1888,
and in Kansas, where it was grown
cheaper than any other place i'll the
country, 81 SO. On the other hand,
the average prof: per acre i'll cotton
in the worst years we have had was.
81 4S, and in 1875 it was S5 %
This particular advantage, when con-
sidered in connection with the cheap
er land, the cheaper labor ard the
more genia! climate, ought to leave
no doubt in the Westerner's mind
about the place where his profit lieth.