The Farmington times. [volume] (Farmington, Mo.) 1874-1902, 1899-08-10
THE COMING COTTON CROP.
u New Promises to lie a bix aud yaisaeis
Ons-Th- Prospects ~ tn Frsoa aud
Qaa;ity Cotisn Goods tflEbos.

the cotton factors Of ~. Louis cotton
has never been 20 low In price ns IL Is
right now. last year md the year he
fore that the crop WIS enormous. Each
year witnessed the production Of about
II $4,000 bales. This year, up 10 date,
the prospects are bright for even a
larger crop. although IN many Of the
cottm-growinE aciious the acreage
has been reduced. Right now, however,
IL the critical juuciurr IN the growing
crop. and too much Of one kind of
weather OF not enough ot another Kind
may make all predictions look wild.
One year ago to-day cotton Was sell
ing about thrce-qunricrs Of one cent
higher than II II now. The crop of that
year was almost perfect. Cotton fac
TORS believe that prices win nj least he
sustained even II this years crop Is as
great as it's two predecessors. lbey
base their hope on the enormous de-
mnnd now existing for cotton goods,
not only In America, hut ucross the At
laniic also, a falling un of the crop
would naturally have "a tendency TO in-
crsasc prices. There are now 100000
nalcs more Ia the visible supply than
was the ease one year ago, but the
dealers s1y that II is mostly poor stock.
Very little ct u is finc grade cotton.
The demand " sure tn continue
good, aud within the next few mouths
something Is likely 10 occur that viii
have the effect Of strengthening she
market &c u considerable extent. About
oue-haif 70 the cotton now raisel IN
the Unit S,atcg is exported. The
other half is consumed by the nllmi-
factories nj homo. The exported por-
tion gurs tD England. Fnucc, ter
many and Jarau. 4 few years ago Jn-
pan waG buying from 1000 tu 5000
bales a year from this country. Last
year that country took JOU.pnO. The
increase indicates how rapidly Japan
Is developing aE manufacturing rnun.
try, and that ~ the near future il Is
Eoing Ia bc a competitor in many lines
Of goods that IL is now only beginning
to manufacture. Japan Is q center Of
AAtAhl thNFNAH NV AhiHl W w AAlNiiFAN III
ing Is very low, compared with tie
cost In this country. England and 9th
or European countries.
while cotton. the raw material, Ia
Hrlling ;hrrr-quartcrs of u cent lower
than It did at this period last year,
manufactured cotton goods are SELL
ing Sc,ru-righths uf cent higher
now than then. This ~ due. II ia
claimed, To the great demand for cot
ton goods on the two continents. In
oil New England. Il is snid, there is not
a spindle idle and the mills ARE run
ming night and day tu keep up with
their urdcrz, and many NJ them have
found II impossible To supply the de-
mund. others have orders thn' can
not he fllcd before thc early mnn.hs
of 1900, Two aud three wears ag com
ditioas among the New England mau-
ufucturics were entirely different.
There wc,r thousands ~ Idle spindlcs
and thousands Of idle hands, l.a",t Of
work in that section oi the country. as
well us every other section, reduced
the demand for goods. The people did
not have the money 10 spend and they
were not buying as they are now. The
same condition prevailed to some cN-
tent abroad, but the difference In the
demand wns not 80 great.
One year ago prints vcrc selling for
two cents yard, The snmc guodS arc
now selling for 2H cents. Other cot
ton goods have undergone even n
greater advance at the mills and no
one IL Ia position just now 90 pre-
diet what the near future will he.
Reports ON cotton goods from every
country arr exceedingly optimistic In
tone. Everywhere everything is said
10 I've sold up and the mills are crowd
ed with orders. II such condition
continues 1t would seem that, even
though this years cotton crop turns
out to be as large as Us two prrJe-
crssurs, cotton will advance despite
that fact. AZ present dealers are fig
uring ON u crop Of iO.50O00g bales.
Such crop. many believe, would SURF
ly sustain present prices. Some are IT
the opinion that u would result IN the
enhancement of prices. Few. II any,
dealers look for 1t TO go any lower. no
matter ~hnt the yield Ia.
St. Louis factors are handling
more cotton now than they ever
did before. but ST. Louis, as n city. is
not handling MS much as IL h1S la
years gone by There was time
when NEARLY all the purchases OF 81.
Louis men were shipped to u. louis.
Now 9 grrat proportion OF II II shipped
direct from the interior TO the eastern
mills or Go the port from which Il Is
exported. Most Of the export article
goes to liverpool Manchester and
Hnvre.
The best grades ot staple cotton s,iii
come from the Mississippi and Arissn-
sas bottoms. The acreage in Arkasr
sas this year Is rvduced. That of Mis-
sissippi isRbout the same M II was last
year. So far there has been too much
rain In the bottom lands for the crup,
and dry weather IL needed their I-um
now until the crop natures. In Nils
sissippi, while The rains have injured
the crop In the bottoms II has helped
that of the uplands.
There has been slight increase Ia
the acreage In the Indian territory this
xssus. wnI sha <.prx.. .x.,,s,.ss..a a. 49, -