The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-03-24
The Cotton Crop Problem.

Iftho farmers Of the South are wise they
will adopt the policy commended to them
by the American Cotton Growers Protec.
tive Association in the resolutions
adopted at it's Convention last Monday.
These resolutions urge our farmers to
make the Cotton States self-supporting by
reducing the cotton acreage and devoting
more hard labor and attention to food
crops. The resolutions declare that "there
has never been time in our history that
movement looking to the increased pro-
duction of corn, hay, oats, hogs and other
food crops was 30 important and neces-
sary."
The Augusta Convention was not COM
posed of theorists of fancy farmers. Its
mem bership was made up of practical and
successful farmers, whose only consider
alton in this matter is the general welfare
of the section they represent. The policy
they recommend is fortified by expert
ence. 1t was tried in 1895 with most bene-
fetal results, it was abandoned in 1896
i and the South lost many millions Of dol
, lars in consequence.
Ou Gu0 tuO aug w AS
held Hon. Patrick Walsh received letter
from Mr.. Alfred B. Shepperson, the fa-
nous cotton statistician, in which he con-
tends that the only safe course for the
South is to "first make provision for
ample food and forage crops before con-
sidering the matter Of cotton acreage"
Mr.. Shepporson sustains this position
with strong array Of facts and argu-
ments. He says that but for the drouth
last summer the cotton crop of the South
would probably have reached 10 600, 900
bales, and in that event prices would have
been fully 12 cents lower than they ere
to-day.
Mr.. Shepperson says:
IT think middling cotton would havo
sold at 5 1-2 cents in New York. and this
would have been disastrous to Southern
farmers and serious injury to the en-
tire country on account of the disturb
ance in foreign exchanges which would
have been caused by 30 great shrinkage
in the value Of our cotton exports. do
not believe that one planter in thousand
can pr 'duce cotton 30 cheaply that he can
sell : the basis of 5 1.2 cents pound
for. :. ding in New York and get back
even !. cost of production, to say moth
ing Of any profit.
'It is well for our Southern farmers to
remember that the cost of production ex-
erts no influence whatever on the imme-
diate mrrket value of any commodity.
| The present price is governed entirely by
the existing conditions Of supply and de-
| mand. When commodities are sold for
| less than the average cost of production
that fact will necessarily curtail produc-
ton and diminution in supply will fol-
low later on which will then cause an ad-
vance in price. Farmers, however, can
not wait for these processes as they are
generally compelled to sell their crops
promptly in order to meet their obliga-
tions.'
There is no man whose opinion on this
| subject Is more valuable than that of Mr.
| Shepperson. We commend his counsel
| to the farmers of Georgia and the South.
| He shows that the present low price of
| provisions does not weaken the 1orce of
his argument in the least. He says:
ut is true that corn is considerably
lower in Chicago than 1t was year ago,
while oats and provisions are trlfle low
or and wheat and flour little higher.
The reduction in the price of some Of
| these articles, however, should be no rea-
| son for planting more cotton and less Of
| grain, for OF what avail to the Southern
| farmer wonld be the low price of grain
| and provisions II his cotton had to be SOLO
| for 30 little as to leave him no surplus
money with which to buy these things ?
! The world does not need as much Amer
ican cotton as can be grown on the pres
ent acreage. If all Southern farmers
would raise their own food and forage
crops (including meat and farm animals)
| and make OF cotton surplus or money
CROP they would have in their own hands
| amplest protection against low prices for
cotton, inasrnuch as the over-production
of the staple would be avoided and
they would never be forced to sell
their cotton in the periods ofits greatest
| depression"
When al association Of practical farm
ers in the Cotton States and the best in
| formed of all men on the cotton market
earnestly commend greater attention to
the production of food crops and a reduc-
| ton Of cotton acreage it is time for the
farmers Of the South to give serious at
| ton to the reasons which are presented in
| support of that policy. Ifthey do 80 and
bear in mind at the same time the lessons
of their experience in 1895 and in 1896
they will not fail to adopt the wise and
profitable course.-Atlanta Journal.