The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-10-19

The Cotton Growers Convention met
in the Hall OF the House of Representa-
tives last night. 1t was a large gathering
of representative farmers. The body
was called to order by Mr. s. L. Patter-
son, Commissioner of Agriculture, who
said:
MIR. PATTERSON'S SPEECH.
ut the suggestion and request of Col.
John s. Cunningham, chairman of our
State Board of Agriculture, | issued
about month ago Il call for & meeting
at this time and place of the Cotton
Growers of North Carolina, the purpose
being, that in coming together they
might confer with one another on vari-
GUS matters of interest incident to their
business, and more particularly that
they might devise some plan, il possible,
which would enable thm to market siteir
cotton this year at price in keeping
with the shortness of the crops Gnd :hc
increasing demands of the spinners.
Since this call was issued the only
change in conditions has been evidence
of a greater shortage of the cotton crop,
and a corresponding increase in value.
How are our cotton planters best to Sc
cure this increase now, and in the future
will be one of the questions 10 engage
your attention tonight.
Under the common law OF supply and
demand the planter is entitlci to On
increase of price in proportion to the de-
crease of his crop. The same expense of
seed, fertilizer, planting. cultivation all
have been necessary to make ita saving
to him only in the picking and market
ing; and in an untrammeiled market,
under the same law, he would secure the
relative increase in value. 1t has occur
red in the past that smaller exports have
returned more to the prOducc". not only
in price per pound, but in actual value,
and so it would be again. If natural
causes were let alone to produce natural
effects.
But, when, as there SENS to have been
now, a studied and determined effort to
create Il false impression in the great
markets of the world as to the size OF
the cotton crop of 1899, for the purpose
of depreciating the price, at any rate
until after those farmers who are pincn'
ed by mortgage Indebtedness and crop
liens, have been forced to put their crops
on the market, it is time for intelligent
and self protecting men to take serious
and thoughtful action to thwart such
nefafious schemes.
The worlds demand for cotton IS year
ly increasing. Prices of all mlnrfactur
ed products have shot upwa.Gs, and of
much of the raw materials. Cotton
spinners have met, and have fixed
minimum prices for cotton goods, in ad-
vance of last YEARS prices to correspond
with the advancing cotton; the farmers
goods next year will cost him more than
for years vast; to thwart by false rep
resentation the natural law by which his
share in the rise of prices is denied HIM
would be the basest robbery, and the
perpetrators deserve punishment like
common thieves and criminals
1t may be of interest here to briefly
consider the cost of raising cotton.
The United States Department of Agri-
culture has recently issued a bulletin
Div. of Statistics Bulletin Is p, 90
giving in tabular form the average item
lied cost of the production a. cotton.
Data are given to show the relation of
the use of fertilizers to the cost Of pro-
duction. Circulars were sent out TO |
planters in all the large cotton counties
in the different cotton States. Without |
going into detail, mays summarize The
results by saying that some $500 replies, |
representing over 700 counties, were con |
sidered in reaching the results. "FrOm |
the data obtained in the estimates it was |
found that the average cost of producing |
an acre of upland and sea island cotton
in 1896, was $15.42 and $21.95 respec-
lively. The lowest cost of producing |
100 pounds of common lint on upland
plantations was found to be S5.51 i'll
oklahoma, and the highest $6.29 ID Al
kansas. The average cost on all upland
being $6.03 per 100 pounds"
/ do not know at what cost for labor
and supplies these estimates were based,
for | have only summary to quote from
and not the data in detail but certain
ly the figures are not derived from any
calamity bowling" source.
! wish to call your attention to the
fact that we are indebted in large mea-
sure to the factories in our midst for
the recent advanced prices, and not to
the Liverpool market. But after their
demand is supplied, the prices
must be governed by the for
eign demand. One cent pound
means an enormous amount in
profit or less to the farmers of the State.
the States yield in round
lumbers ut $4,000 bales of 500 pounds,
me cent means $500, 900, equal to all
State, county and school taxes for the
year.
| shall not anticipate the action of