The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1897-04-04

forage crops, cattle, sheep, hogs from
import adjuncts to the successful rails
ing Of cotton. indeed, are the founda-
ton on which 1t must rest in order to
make it absolutely safe.
DR.. Charles w. Dabney. Jr., assistant
secretary of agriculture, in his widely
circulated and widely read article on
'The Possibilities of Cotton, states that
the value of the hulls aud meal from
the crop of 1896 ought to yield when
made into live weight of cattle $36, 056,-
100; in oil, $41 700, 900; in hnters, 49,
100, 900; in manural value of hulls, $13
332 627 a grand total of 1914, $780,
393, whereas we get only SOB, 0OO,-
600 for these products-a loss of
of 10000, 600 to the southern
ern farmer A big leak somewherei
These figules APPLY illustrate the point
under discussion, namely. that the
southern farmer, in reaching out to an
uncertain cotton market, actually
throws away certain profit at home.
COTTON is CASH.
1t is true that cotton represents cash,
and the farmer can always sell his COT
ton, whereas he often finds it difficult
to market his other crops. But where
40 b1O aufduG VI d CASH Mdrk6U IOf
cotton if, by reason of iniudicious man.
agement, he is compelled to accept less
than it cost him to raise it?
Mr.. Dabney also estimates that in
the year 1920, the world will need 90
O00,0U0 bales of cotton. That is a long
glance into the future, but l trust that
when that demand comes the south
will be able to supply, as today, the
r. kls-o- ,,lr ka1l 10
always provided that the demand is
backed by price which will Justify
the large outlay of capital and labor
necessary to make that crop. Just now
our chief concern should be to make
our present cotton production clear
profiG-and this cannot be done by de-
pending on other markets for home
supplies. and putting all our available
land, our money and time and labor in
such an uncertain investment as cotton
has heretofore proved
OUR CHIEF DUTY NOW.
The re is 3 per cent of our land in cot.
ton. Ii we would expand the crop to
meet the increasing demand, let us not
reach out to increase the area, but
rather by judicious methods of prepa-
ration ana fertilization and regular ro-
tation Of crops, endeavor to increase
the production of the present area I,
for one, am i'll favor of each mans
making all the cotton he can, after he
has taken care that his position is Sc
cured by ample provision supplies at
home. Cotton is undoubtedly our
money crop, but like any other monop-
oily, requires forethought and judicious
management. Suppose the Standard
Oil company, or any other giant mo-
nopoly, was so shortsighted as to over
stock the market to a point where it
would be compelled to sell at a loss, in
order to pay running expenses, would
not such a course be condemned as
wanting in the first principles of a
sound business policy? And yet that is
exactly what the farmer is doing when
he loads himself with a cotton crop for
which he cannot fully pay.
If he has allowed himself sufficient
margin to be secure of a clear profit on
his cotton, be it one bale or hundreds of
bales, he is in no danger. l am con-
WINGED that this question of the cotton
area is one which each farmer must
solve for himself, aud once the great
body of farmers, each man according
to his surroundings and conditions, has
decided on the number of acres which
he, as an individual, can safely afford
to put in, the great question of how
much cotton to plant each year will be
forever settled. To better enable farm
ers to arrive at correct conclusions, and
to throw more light Oh all subjects con-
nected with our farm management,
farmers institutes. farmers chautau-
quas, experiment work and every other
means of diffusing information should
be Systematically used.
What we need is more thorough
knowledge of the conditions surround
ing US. R. T. NEsBITT,
State Agricultural Commissioner.