Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-10-13
COTTON IN OKLAHOMA.
An Important Industry In the
New Territory.
FINE CROP EXPECTED THIS SEASON

| The Cotton Growing Area VIII Be
| Increased by Opening of COmanche
and kiowa Observation-Disclosures In
q Product Formerly Supposed TO
| Belong Exclusively to the South.
| The cotton crop of 1900 in Oklahoma
| territory is coming to market. The big
| cotton compress ut Oklahoma City,
| with its acres OF storage platforms, is
| IN the hands of cleaners and repairers
| and in n few days will have received
/ enough bales to warrant starting the
| engines, says the Chicago Records cor
| respondent, writing under the date of
| Sept %. The gins in the country dis
| tricts farther south began running last
week, but those here are yet receiving
repairs and Will wait a few days Ion
| ger. Then the rush will be on, and the
| big crop with which the territory is
| blessed this season will roll in. The
southern fields are particularly fine, as
there was less damage from the hot
winds than farther north. The rains
that gave the crop a needed mOistening
IN that section also made more per-
feet quality. So that ON the whole the
crop is going TO average well-much
better than was expected when the
plant was immature.
Cotton is becoming a leading product
of Oklahoma. When the territory was
opened, no one thought of 1t as a pos
sible product, but five years trial has
shown that it will grow as far north as
the Kansas line, and each season sees
an increase in the acreage. This has
been especially so this year, for the
price is something to make the farm
er's heart glad.
At Norman last week the farmers
who came into the cotton gins with
their wagon loads of fluffy balls re-
ceived the magnificent price of 1915 n
hundred for the crop. A few were IA
vored with extra fine quality and re-
ceived 10 cents pound. This is mar
velous to the cotton raiser. Last year
he received and cents and thought
he was in luck. The year before he
got to 5 cents, and even that was
above the usual figure of the preceding
seasons. Men talked OF 3 cent cotton
and shook their heads.
Down at Waco, Tex, big meeting
of cotton growers was called, and a
pea WAS lSSutu 10 every i.iIltI Ia bIlt
cotton section Of the south and south
west to cut down his acreage 30 Der
cent But the farmer trusted his
neighbors to do that while he went on
as usual. Then, when tie price was so
low. hundreds OF acres of Oklahoma
cotton We're plowed up hecauSe the
farmer cnuld not afford the expense
Of harvesting. hauling ana ginning and
nave anything left to pay for his own
labor. But in 1898 Oklahoma raised
10000. bales and received therefor
SJ.0O0O0O In 1899 the decrease in
acreage cut the yield down TO 100000
bales, and yet, as the turn in price had
come, there was nearly as much paid
to the farmers. They took courage
again and when the boom in prices
kept on through the winter they were
more enthusiastic than ever.
The cotton is planted in April, and
this year the acreage Increased copsid-
erably over that of 1890. The exact
amount of the increase is not known
because the territorial reports ara Tot
yet in. 4 leading dealer here estimates
it at so per cent.
The price of labor is also higher.
When cotton was and cents. the
pickers received on 80 cents a hundred
for their work Now they demand |
and receive - cents. The best pickers |
make 50 to $3.50 a day. The farmers |
who have large families naturally lead |
in cotton raising, for the children can |
materially assist in the work. They |
can do little at the seeding, which is |
now done mostly with n drill, but later |
when the weak plants are to be chop |
ped out to give the stronger ones q |
chance, and in the fall, when picking |
is in order, they are in their element. 4
The teachers are the ones who object, |
for cotton picking and school come to-
gether. and the children are more like
ly TO be in the field than at the desk.
The cOlored population of the coun-
try districts is not large; hence there
is not the same help from the colored |
pickers as in the south. 1t is the lack |
Of cheap help that cripples the cotton
raiser and makes it difficult for him to
keep pace with the southern producer.
For several years the cotton raisers.
have endeavored to secure a cotton mill |
in this city, but thus far without avail |
They point out that it is 4 big waste |
to pay freight on cotton in one direc-
ton and on cotton goods in another
and call attention TO the fact that a
cotton mill would be at the very door |
II the large and growing population of
the transmississippi country. But as
yet the cotton dealers go on shipping
put cotton. Much of the Oklahoma |
product goes 10 Japan and Europe.
CuriOusly the former shipments go by
way of the Northern Pacific. usually
aking the Chicago route from here.
Very little goes via Galveston, the At
antic coast exporters taking the Euro
lean shipments.
THE trouble with the cotton mill
said "a leading dealer
lere, lis that VIC have no local capital