The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-02-06
/ Atlanta Constitution }

i
county. is whether they arr ~ - land
lords or fsaaDSS:''
Mr.. Truitt iS one q tie largest :nl
| most successful planters r the country
He was one Of the first in the early
summer to detect the falac."~ ~ \cill'S
estimate. and 20 make fitt, iecin ration
that he crca wclIki not be- over to.tp'sH
bales So accurate WAS his prp"n oSt lea
ton that the best figures RON attempted
by cotton men range about the o,0OpDo
mark. When the market opened Mr..
J1slitt drove III his 100 bales Jf cotton ~
his market town, Of IaGrln.:-.. ami stor
Cd it rh'rc with the inStrhcI.op - hold
until the lot Wculd b.in- cents per
pound. The opinions or >uci i mar.
! therefore. carry weight ana especially
when discussing tn" condition Of me ru-
| raj community.
Let cur farmers" says he bear in
| MIMI the ~, cents which cotton com
| manded in the season uf 1898. Wnen il
| tGok 100 bales of 800 pounds ca"h - pay
/ off a Sl.2'o note. Let III. IN remember that
| TINS IL, cent, still >tareS rs in the face
and that notwithstanding the whpla>h
| which We have cracked over the market
| this year that an i .OO0NN bale crop
the coming season will pun Us n the foot
! OF the bill again, and that when ii does
SO, we will be pocpcr than when We
| came back from the Confederate armN.
| | know landowners who hav, left their
| possessions TO become operatives in cotton
! factories. II cotton goes down to A..
| {, ntS again. Southern farmers. the very
hest of them. will bc no better of than
! the fallahS Of Egypt. who since the time
| of Joserh have been thr slaves Of the
| government
| a rca son may he wanted for my state
mcnt and | have il readily 1T hand The
| immense increase all along the line ot
/ everything which the farmer needs will
| make it cost during the summer $40 10
| raise q bale pf cotton Of 800 pounds
Therefore. $ cenas a pounds. even If w.
| secured II. would do no more than keep
| En he running gear. and it would take 10
| cents i pound 10 save rs. But very few
men have ever stopped 10 calculate w nat
it COSTS 10 run farm. Implements weai
out. mules die, ana new seed must be-
developed. In my barn today there stand
sixteen mules, only one Of which has
| been there nine years. The avera gt farm
/ life of a mule is but eight years, when
both principal and interest on his pos
session stops, and new animals must bc
bought.
''One OF the worst features Of The pre- =
ent season is that in the cnthu>ia> N ~
higher prices fer cotton and led a>tray
! by advanced prices offered for mules hy
agents Of the British government, VIII"
have been huying them for u>c in the
TransvAai. anu without taking into con-
sido ration the advance III the price II
new mules from the west Of from 500 Ia
$50, cur farmers have largely sold their
stock. only to realize now that where
| they sold Enr SlUU they must be rcplcn-
ished at $50. When | tell you hat the
| rural districts Of The entire South have
been srrapcd during the last fuur
months by such agents and that thou-
sands upon thou> ands Of mules nayc been
sacrificed. il Will readily be seen waat
cur farmers have lost. and what they
mast now lose in order /" replace their
;, lost stock.
Il regret 10 say thai our merchants are
| repeating. the foolish experiment. "f sell
| ing mules 10 negroes on time. thus in
creaSne the prcoaiplc yield Of cotton with
out increasing the character or I'll" sol
:, vcncy of their customers. AS 1t goes.
! bankers run the merchants. the nler.
chants run he negro. and the III gro runs
| blind tigers on the credit corn which he
shvult iced to the mules
L would there fore call upon The farm
erS again il they can ever forget the mar
| kct OF 1893. and lis Sis n bale cotton:
| when h.. n'er, hant would moi l't the wife
! have even n calico dress until rho next
| ;,a!. was received. | tell vou.' SAID NJ
| Truit; ..,,,r v.rurn arc the best in The
world a., th,v vt,,d h.ye struck against
toe fooliSh roI;ry of thc.r hr-f,;Itd, wear.
AGO W. must find n rcn4cdy and that
| remedy i in 1llt. reduction If The. cotton
acreage. If we VIII reduce the cotton
| acreage to 2O.GG0.0N we can command Il
good price fer he products ra.~"d there
| -, For :, f,w days no,. th,. recent :
vii, .ucn nm ~ avoid st,,rc.taya1:o3. and
| tbi, fac, will ne seized anon hv >pecula-
| ,orS a. an eyiGcnc. of l,i:. stocks held
lack when ,nch iS really not the case.