The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1898-04-16
Is the cotton Grower a Fool or q
PhiIanthrOplst?
To the editor Of the Cotton Plant
ers journal

To the editor Of the Cotton Plant
ers journal
Since the publication Of my ar
ticle on five cent cotton in the Jan
uary number of the Cotton Plant
ers journal, the cotton grower
has finished the largest crop eve.
grown. It's marketing is now be
ing closed. 1t exceeds the calcu
lations Of the most sanguine prog
nosticator, "a little short of clever
million bales, hence five cents PEI
pound. Wonder is that the pric,
holds even this high
During the last three months al
have been thinking and calculating
for the future. Certain it appear,
to be, the grower has made up his
mind that at five cents it shal
stay,-if he can keep it there
Can it pay at that price. We al
seem to think SO, che we are the
most consummate fools on record
The universal opinion is that every
needed prerequisite to another
1000, 900 bale crop is being com.
piled with in every cotton State
Texas may seed Il little extra
wheat and oats, but for every one
acre thus planted two new acres
will 90 into cotton. Herambition
is to grow as much cotton as all
the other States combined. She
will get there after a while. The
alIuvial regions, which boast Of
such superior capabilities for cot
ton production, and none or little
for anything else, with their
chest" (2) labor and best land in
the world for cotton growing, are
sticking to a time honored convic-
tion and "going it heavy" The
"old and worn out hills" of the
Atlantic and Gulf States are see
ing the raise and going a few bet
ter, trusting to domestic and com
mercial fertilizers and peavines ad
libitum to help them out.
Now what of all this? To what
end will the grower find himself
to get a proft1 What economies
will he practice? Where will he
begin2 Where will he end! He
is convicted of having given US
hope of higher prices as a depend
ence for profit; hence he must
ook to closer, clearer cut lines of
Individual economy; keener per-
,eption Of the value Of small
.hings; an appreciation of the
yalue of percentage" be it ever
10 small.
Heretofore the calculation has
,ver been based on no smaller
hing than "a bale of cotton, and
le has lost largely, if not bank
'upted himself, The factor, bank
II, merchant and private money
ender have calculated against him
IN a percentage basis, and they
lave won.
What has been ten per cent. in
crest, with commissions and take
ifs" in insurance, storage, etc, to
he grower, in his deal with his
actor for money, supplies, mules,
eed stuffs and farming impIe-
nents2 Mere atoms; too small u
hing to bother with by 50 great d
nan as cotton grower, be- he
laIitcr, small farmer or tenant.
Who holds the purse, though,
n this friendly bpsitAess relatIon' |
need not answer. Experience
it.
1t is not my purpose to denounco
r inyeigh against any one, or any
lass of business men. An allu-
ion to existing conditions, that
We may reflect over them, is ! |
Iope, sufficient
The cotton grower finds himself
n a maelstrom of leechings, bleed
ngs and feecings from start to
inish of his crop. Many of these
le is responsible for and can rem
,dy himself, There are Others
which he cannot ayoidunaided, but
which he can help mitigate by a
determined purpose to try and push
There is no crop grown that sup
ports so many people in manipu-
alton from producer to manutac-
surer, as does cnttou. None that
passes through so many hands,
Ill of whom must have "dig" at
i. which acts as a discount on net
prices to tho grower. This has
neen the custom from a date inn