The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-01-26
TIMELY LETTER ISSUED.
Sound Advice to the Farmers that They
Will DO Well to Heed With
out Delay.

The following letter sent out by
Latham, Alexander & Co., Of New
York. is most timely and interesting:
1t seems to us that the most vitally
important lesson for the South to
learn is that ver-production Of cotton
is seriously harmful to the material
prosperity of that section.
We have repeatedly written on this
subject and feel that VIC have exhaust
ed the argument; nevertheless, with
the result of the current crop, we are
constrained to write again, even at
the risk Of reiterating what we have
said before.
Whatever share the merchants and
planters Of the South are to have in
the revival of business and general
prosperity of the country, now appar-
emily we'll started, will depend upon
the profit that is made in the produc-
tion Of cotton, a crop worth $780,
600, 1000.
The total crop. Of 1S95-96 was ;
l57 ,34S bales, and it vas sold at the
average Of 500 cents per pound, or
s40.S2 per bale. according to the rec
ord Of exports and the official figures
Of the bureau of statistics at Wash
ington. The planters that year made
large food crops, and when the plant
ing season the next year began, they
were fortified with every requisite to
produce cotton cheaply.
Last year the total crop was S,75i.-
964 bales, and the average price was
7.42 cents per pound, or S37.40 per
bale, the crop yielding perhaps larg-
er net profit than for many years, be-
cause planters had few supplies to
buy.
The success resulting from the con-
servative policy which was pursued
these two years did not induce plant
ers to adhere to that line of action;
ON the contrary, they increased their
purchases of fertilizers this year, and
many Of them drifted back almost to
the all-cotton principle, and planted
the largest cotton acreage ever known,
hoping that the wsrld would pay re-
munerative prices for the staple, no
matter how large the supply.
The disastrous result of over-plant-
ing this year is already clearly shown
by comparison with last year. when
the acreage devoted to cotton Was de-
cidedly less.
Last year the amount of cotton mar
keted to January lst was 6,39S, 1872
bales, the average price realized was
7.33 cents per pound, S37.97 per bale,
or S242, ,939, $50.
This year Z, ,26O, Obj bales were mar
ketcd to January 1st, the average
price realized was 6.05 cents per
pound, 5000 per bale. or s22l ,35S,-
4O6.
The planters shipped to market
SCI .S41 bales of cotton more by Janu-
ary lst this year than last, and re-
ceived for them s21, ,5SO,944 less
money. In other words owing to the
lower price, induced by over-produc-
ton, the people Of the South have
lost on cotton shipped to market by
January lst this year, the total value
of 61,S4l bales, namely, S32 724, l02,
and s21, ,5SO.944 besides, making q
grand total loss Of s54 .3O5, ,0+6.
TO further illustrate the ruinous
effect Of over planting, VIC make the
following summary of crops and
prices: lS93-94 crop 7,549,Sl7 bales,
average price 7.69, proceeds 1922 932,-
500: lS94-95 crop 9,9O1 ,25l bales, av-
eragc price SO, proceeds S2SS,9lS,-
5O4: 1896 crop Z, ISL, ,346 bales, av-
eragc price 500, proceeds 1892 2,34, 2334
4377; 1861 crop 8,757, 1854 bales, av-
eragc price 7742, proceeds 1927 ,547,-
S54.
1t will be seen that in lS93-94 a
crop Of Z, $40 ,6l7 bales sold for ST.
Ola ,395 more than the large crop Of
9,9Ol ,o5l bales the next year: in
1S95.96 crop of only {: :l57 1856 bales
brought S3,315, ,933 more than the O.
9O1 .25l crop, and that the crop Of s.
7S7 ,954 bales last year brought S3S,-
629 $50 more than was received for
0g01 .25l bales marketed in 1S94-95.
Such incontcstable facts show what
enormous losses the South has sus-
tanned by over-production, and are
sufficient to cause radical change in
planting operations.
1t is conceded on every hand that
the price thus far received for this
years crop has yielded no profit to
the planter, and even though more
than two-thirds of the crop have beer
sold to this date, prices are even yet
below the cost Of production.
On account Of the large crop and
low prices resulting thcrefrom. it is of
vital Importance, not only to the
South. but the whole country, that
the cotton acreage for next year be
materially reduced in order to advance
the price of the greatest staple pro-
duct of the United States to a paying
basis.
If the planters of the South suffer
loss the people of the whole country
must share in it.
The South cannot stand another
cotton crop of the same dimensions as
this years without bringing about
disaster and bankruptcy to planters
o,,1 how'd lorc nf cnttnn cN1 rnlotiyn