The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1900-01-24
SAFE THING FOR FARMERS.
A MATTER THAT PLANTERS SHOULD
KEEP IN MIND.
A Nine Million Bale Crop Yields More Profit
Than One of Eleven Million, ABig
Advance in Everything the
Farmer Uses.

The address of Commissioner Stew
ems of this state, delivered to the COM
vention of Associated Commissioners
of Agriculture of the Southern States
at New Orleans on Wednesday, con-
tanned a great deal of good advice to
southern farmers. The part of the
address, however, to which we desire
to call particular attention Is that IN
which the farners are advised not to
make the mistake of increasing the
cotton acreage.
If they but think a moment they
Will see that a small crop is almost GER
tain to bring them more money than a
large one. If large crop is produced
"a crop as large as that -99-the
price of cotton will probably drop to
AZ or cents a pound. On the, other
hand if a small crop is produced the
price will be IL cents and probably s
cents pounu. Commissioner Stevens
thinks that if the acreage could be cut
down so that the crop will not exceed
100000 bales the price of cotton
would be as high as 8 cents a pound.
A crop of IL ,O00,0 bales aU cents
pound would bring 1926, 100000, while
a crop of 10000 at z cents pound
would yield $3l5,0O0,000. And it is ap-
parent that it costs great deal more
to raise and market a 100000 bale
crop than it does a crop of 5000, 900
bales.
A matter that farmers should keep
in mind is that 1T is going to cost at
least 60 per cent. more to raise crop
this year than it did last. There has
been a great advance in the price of
commercial fertilizers, mules, agricul>
tural implements, meats and manufact-
ured goods of all sorts. To raise big
crop of cotton, and to incur debts IN
doing so, would almost bankrupt the
cotton growing states if the price OF
cotton next fall should be low, and
that the price would be low, If there
should be be an enormous crop, is all
most certain.
Every farmer is ready to admit that
it would be EnWise to plant for big
crop, but the comparatively high price
which cotton is now bringing is very
great temptation to farmers to plant
the entire farms in cotton. Each farm
err seems to think that his neighbor
will take the advice about cutting
down the cotton acreage, and that,
therefore, little harm will be done II
he increases his acreage. If the farm
ers act on this idea there Will be a
great increase in the cotton acreage,
and consequently in the size of the
crop. The safe thing for each farmer
to do is to reduce his own acreage, or
at least see to it that there is no in
crease In it.
Commissioner Stevens is of the opin-
ion that the south is more prosperous
now than it has been at any previous
time in thirty years. The opinion is a
sound one. The cotton farmers raised
their last cotton crop at very small
cost, fertilizers and all kinds of farm
supplies being cheap, and they got
about cents pound more for their
cotton than they expected when they
began planting. Besides, they planted
rather extensively of food crops ana
were not compelled to go into debt for
food supplies. They are now pretty
we'll out of debt, and it is safe to say
that the great majority of them have
more money now which they can call
their own than they had for a loug
time previously. Let them live eco
nomically, keep out of debt, and diver
sify their crops, and at this time next
year they will have excellent reasons
for being thankful that they resisted
the temptation to greatly increase
their cotton acreage.-Savannah Morn