The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-21
COTTON PROSPECTS FINE.
DROUGHT HAS DONE NO SERIOUS IN
jury YET, FACTORS SAY.

The Crop in Fine Condition Though
Somewhat Late on Account of the
DrOught-Nr. r. 4. Cults Disagrees
With Commissioner stevens Esti-
mate of the Reduction in Acreage.
About . Per Cent. Reduction in
Acreage and 10 to 20 Per Cent. Re-
duetion in Fertilizers His Esti-
mnte--NO Reason to Expect Another
100000 Bale Crop, However.
Corn Greatly Injured by the
DrOught-Mr. n. NJ. Butler Tells
Why This Loss Would BE Serious.
While the drought which has prevailed
Cor several weeks throughout the cotton
belt does not appear 10 have been broken,
except in Spots. there seems to be little
ap. Srehension on the subject of injury 10
the cotton crop. Mr.. e. A. Cuts, who Is
one Of the best posted men in the cotton
business, was asked yesterday if he had
received any reports which would show
the condition of the cotton crop through
out the South generally.
Il have received a number of reports"
said Mr. Cuts, ''and their tenor is to show
that the emp is uniformly in fine condi-
ton While the long dry spell has re-
tarded the growth of the cotton somewhat
1T is not belle we'd that any material in
jury has been clone. Dry weather in May
and June is not generally looked upon as
injurious to cort on. The theory is that
dry weather cauAes the plant to send its
tap root deep down and thus insures more
stable growth in ne future. When the
rains come the plant will grow very rap
idly. one advantage of the dry weather
has been that it has enabled the farmers
to keep their crops veSy- clean. l recent
" took a trip through me cotton belt OF
South Carolina and North Carolina and
do not remember to have seen the crops
so clean in a number of years"
what do you think o.i Commissioner
Stevens estimate of a Is par cent. reduc-
ton in cotton acreage throL $noul the en-
tire South?R Mr.. Cults was fSSAed.
I am satisfied that the 20 nR ms. fl
is in error" he replied. Thew mas peen
some reduction in acreage, bus ~ Is smali,
from to per cent, as compared win
last year.
The Indications at the beginnirA- of the
season were that there would bet a very
ccasiderable reduction in the use CN Iert-
hzers. The farmers put in a gre,M deal
of fertilizer late in the season, how ever
The proportion Of fertilizers used is . rob
ably 50 70 s. per cent of last years con
SUMPTION This reduction will have It's
effect, of course"
las to the crop of 1S99-1S0o it is too ear9A'
OF course 10 make Representations" saEt
Mr. Cults "All the indications at prev
ent are favorable 10 a fine crop. However, 4
1t is very unlikely that the South viii
raise such another crop for many seasons i
to come as that of last year The con- |
ditions last year We're unusually favora- |
BE, and the largest crop in the history Of
the business, n,2C0O0O bales, was the re- !
SUIT. Ii IS hardly to be expected that |
such conditions will repeat themselves this |
season, and, with the slightly decreased |
acreage ana the decreased use of fertilizers |
somewhat smaller crop may be reasona-
bly, looked for. The condition of The cot |
ton goods trade is 50 satisfactory thar a
very large crop Will be required to sup
ply the demand. Any considerable falling !
OF from last years crop should mean a |
corresponding rls Increase il prices
was asked about his information from
the cotton growers. There is some com
plant of the drought" he said "but no
serious injury has been done as yet Cot
ton can stand great deal of dry weather
at this stage of it's growth. When the
rains come the weed, or cotton STALK viii
grow ana spread ike a young bay tree"
The most serious damage to the farm
ers from the drought said Mr.. Butler
lis to the corn crop. When cotton was
nigh and corn was bringing about the
same price as at present a failure Of The
corn crop was pOt such a serious matter.
a good corn crop now means a great saw
ing to the cotton planters. In Georgia and
throughout the South generally last year
good corn crops were raised. The result
! has been felt in the much smaller amount
of provisions which have been purchased
| Our country merchants called on US for
such little money this year that we begun
| to think We We're losing our customers.
| Inyes tigation developed the facI that we
| had lost no customers, but that the mer-
| chants did not need the money. for the
! reason that the farmers We're buying very
| little provisions. We would willingly have
! advanced a great deal more money than
! we nave been able to put out One Of the
/ largest provision brokers Of the city in
! formed me that ne had handled just about
| half the business this season hat he did
a-
| rains the corn crop may make a fair
! yield, but the outlook is not favorable"