The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-07
OKLAHOMA'S COTTON CROP.
AS IMPORTANT INDUSTRY ~ the
NEW TERRT1 DRY.
Openins Of the Comancho and Kiowa Reser-
walton VIII Add TO the Cotton. Growing
Area-success In a Product Formerly sup
posed 20 Belong E1 clusively TO the South.

Of 1900 In the Territory Is coming TO market
The big cotton compress here, with It's acres y;
storage platforms, is In the hands Of cleaners
ard repairer. and In a few days will have -
ceived enough bales to warrant starting the
engines. The gins In the country districts
farther south began running last week, but
those here are yet receiving repairs and Will
wait a few days longer Then the rush will DO
on and the big crop with which the Territory Is
blessed this season will roll in. Tho southern
fields are particularly fine. n there was less dam
age from the hot winds than farther north
The rains that gave the crop a needed moisten-
ing IN that section also made a more perfect
quality SO that on the whole the crop II going
TO average well-much better than was expected
when the plant was immature.
SSo,ton Is R See"omips 4 leading product of
20 one thought of ii ~ a possible product, but
five years trial has shown that IL will grow IA
sees an increase in the acreage This has been
especially so this year. for the price Is some
thing 20 make the farmers heart glad
At Norman last week the farmers who came
into the cotton gins with their vagonloads Of
FUZZY balls received the magnificent price Of
q ro ~ z R sERRd sS,r5 50 Grs sN S,S STGT and a fey yec %Crs 'i 70
cents a pound This i marvellous To tie cot
ton-rqiscr, Last year he received 0 and cents
and thought he was IN luck The year before
be got 4 or S cents. aud even that was above tho
usual figure Of the preceding seasons Men
talked Of 2:cent cotton and shook their heads.
Down OF Waco, Tex, n big meeting Of cotton
growers was called. and a plea was issued 10
every farmer IN the cotton section Of the South
and Southwest to cut down his acreage 20 per
cent But the farmer trusted his ueighhors
20 do that while he went on rs usual Then,
when the price was 80 low. hundreds OF acres ul
Oklahoma cotton were ploughcd w because
the farmer could not afford the expense Of lHr-
ye~ttng hauling and ginning aud have any
thing loft TO pay iQr lis own labor But 10
1895 Oklahoma raised 10000 balc- and received
therefor 100000 In 1890 the decrease in
acreage cut the ield down TO 100000 bales, and
WAAf aa NAA 0HWn Ia. tRlla lRl IlVV.a. Al .VI una
nearly as much paid TO the farmers They took
courage again, and when the boom In prices
kept on through the winter they we're more en-
The cotton is planted in April and This year
the acreage increased Con~idc. ply over That
not known. because the Territorial reports ara
not yet in. A leading dealer here estimate II
The Irice Of labor is also higher. When
only 50 cents a hundred for their work. Now
rickers make 81 10 ESQ a day. The fam crs
who have large famIlie~, naturally lead in cot
ton Tnisi1NS, e. for the 1 chlldr car ga 9on mo'e q, lo
seeding, which is TOW done mostly with a dril.
s snd in G iSe t. fa Th'vy v iSG ''T Ti1tiag "H Is T IN GG @rdci'.
they are In their element The teacher are tho
ones who object for cotton riCkine and school
likely to he in the field than a the do~k.
The. colorcd population Of the country dis
trlCtS is mol lNTHts UtnNt lltIf u ll'l NV ~dIle
help from the colored rickers as In tho South.
II ls the lack Of, cheap help, that, cripple the
cotton raiser and paEsi u dlnicgi, Tor him to
For several years the cotton raisers. have
endeavored 10 secure a cotton mill IL this city
that II Il a big waste 10 pay freight on cotton
In one direction and on cotton goods In another,
and call attention to the fact that a cotton mil
growing population q the transmississiIpi
country. But as Yet the cotton DEALER go on
product goes 10 japan and Europe; obviously
the former shipments 60 by way OF the North
srn PdClne' USUALLY, HS ;akins so ehe Win f1'G Gsiye T9oTe
the Atlantic coast exporters taking the Euro
pean shipments.
ton" said a leading dealer here, "s that We
have no local capital sufficient TO build one
and Eastern capitalists wont invest Hnless
people understand that; they are bpildiqs
mills AL over that state, a. dozen vii Pc E IN
capital had TO do It, Eastern mill owners
are CLOSE TO Eastern investors and they dis
courage all efforts Of this kind.
100000 capital. divided into shares Of s25
each. These were sold at personal subscrir-
then a on t sm'bI5 as inve 81 Ssil GSrS S Srs'H Ioa 'S p pave
mAnts They paid 10 per cent; down and p
a month thereafter so long as the assessments
par. II 10 estimated by promoters Of the mill
on its cost through having the nearly, ipoHl
SShant other towns Gan do. and II may be that
Oklahoma City will see the advantage OF such
a plan after awhile, but NOT this year"
The opening OF the Comanche end Kiowa
reservation Will add about 10000 acres Of cot
ton land TO Oklahoma This land all lies south
Of the Washita River and borders on Texas.
Wichita Mountains take mp some Of the land
but their influence on the climate s%qftening ne
ment Of experienced surveyors. and cattlemen
who know the country Thoroughly that though
further west than the eastern hal, OF OkIaIon,d
and raise as good cotton as any section Of the
Territory The Texan knows this and he Is
coming across me mea hl ,osL IN . h nar, III sva rS
farm on which he settles when the grand rush
takes place a cotton field.
It adds 10 the probability Of cotton. mills aud
warrants growth In the number 81 gins. scores
Of country gins are now va lH Nba1i1 m "per"'7T%fm;
farmer thus gets his cotton In bales before taxi
ing il TO the railway station to market
Very picturesque are some OF the teams ,that
come In with the product Land that will not
produce ons-half bale To the acre IL the eN-
cepion, while full bales are common Yields.
Asa baleis5O0pounds, the profit isconsiderable-
Few Of the wheat farmers can get So much Tor
their land. Cotton at Q cents IL a bonanza;
In Norman, FL Reno, this CITY and other places
are cottonseed mills. These mills take the
seed that the gin removes from the cotton, eN-
tract the oil and grind up The Temaindrr tni9a4
II difncult To get enough corn AT n price to make
beef, utilize this excellent ~fattener. Nearly I'll
mix IL with their cattle ration and find II inNpl
liable itis shipped all over the nation and lis
use is. especially in the West, becoming more
and more common.
The cottonseed mills gin the cotton for the
farmer. retaining the seed and giving him a
bonus, 81 a bag usually. He Is more ant
to take II to a gin. however and either
more a pound The compress puts the
thirty-fve cubic feet 81 the gin bale into
A space Of twenty cubic feet and then IL
goes on lis mission. having furnished both
wealth and food to the producer. Out Of no
other crop does the farmer receive so much real
good while prices remain as nov.
The future Of cotton depends largely on price.
but with a fair figure Oklahoma will will us
virgin soil and exnandlL- territory have m,uoh
over the Southern States. When
The new reservations are added toits boundaries
II is estimated that tho Territory CAN'T properly
DEVELOPED. raise as much cotton as Georgia,
IL will be more difficult, owing 10 the
~ hand labor and the eXpensiyeness
Of IL In The Territory.