The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-08-05
SEA ISLAND COTTON.
General Condition of the Crop
Throughout the Belt.

Throughout the Belt.
Messrs. H. f.. Dutton & Co., bankers,
OF Gainesville, Fla, have the following
to say of the sea island cotton crop:
After a circular correspondence. and
our representatives coming in contact,
with planters. ginners, merchants.
brokers. cotton buyers and parties in
position to be perfectly familiar with
the growing crop, we make the follow
ing predictions as to the crop of South
Carolina, Georgia and Florida as re-
CARDS the acreage, stand, seed. used,
fertilizers, cultivation, condition of
plant, weather and such insect or dis
ease has or may injure the coming
crop:
Reports from South Carolina show
the acreage to be fully ten per cent.
more than last year and other con-
ditions make the general outlook for
the state at the present time some 10
per cent. short. With all conditions
fully equal to last season from now to
the harvesting of the crop, we predict
the crop will be about the same. Cold
nights at time of planting caused poor
stands, and an abundance of rain has
caused grass and weeds to get ahead
of the planter with his work which is
sure to cause the plant to scald, shed
and possibly throw off a large per
cent of it's lower fruit. The fruit is
from two to three weeks late, as shown
by the plant.
The conditions in Georgia, we think
are more favorable than those of South
Carolina, but at the same time hardly
up to last year, owing to about the
same causes. While some sections of
Georgia show an unusually bright
prospect for large crop, the average
for the state will be somewhat off as
shown by reports. The crop is very late
owing to a cold and backward spring
over a large portion of the sea island
cotton territory.
We consider Florida has the best
prospect for a good crop of the three
states, and predict more than an aver
age crop if the season continues a full
average one to gathering time. In sew
eral districts of Florida there has
shown what may prove to be of untold
damage to crops in the shape of the
caterpillar scald, blight and rust.
While there has not been any damage
to amount to much up to the present
time, the plant is in prime condition to
accept of disaster.
We once more feel compelled to call
the attention of the farmers to the
great necessity, if they expect first
class prices for their cotton this COM
ing season, of taking particular pains
in gathering same as to trash, hard and
immature bolls, blue and stained locks,
to be sure the cotton does not stay in
the field too long after opening as it
turns the lint blue and weakens the
staple. There is no question if the
planter will be very careful in picking
his cotton, to pick the wasty bolls sep
arate which grow on male or he stalks,
it's value will be greatly enhanced.
Great care should be taken to carry
the cotton to ginneries where they
thoroughly understand their business.
Slight carelessness on the part of GIN
ners may make two or three cents diff
ference in price. Cotton should be mod
erately summed to make a bright lively
sample. This enhances it's value and
pleases the buyer or manufacturer.
The quantity of fine grade cotton
seed planted this season all over the
sea island belt is much less than usual
because of the small difference in price
realized between the high and low
grade cottons. On account of the want
of care in planting well selected seed
SAiSiC 10 ilO RuCollOils DuL IHGIe Will De
a much larger proportion of a regular
staple in the coming crop than for
years, and the same will continue year
after year, until a greater difference
in price is made in cottons showing
waste and otherwise.
The sea island cotton crop as
whole, we consider, never was in as Sc
rious a condition to receive a material
setback as at the present time. The
large proportion of the crop being so
backward, drought, rains, shedding,
rust, caterpillar or frost would surely
cut our estimates to large percentage
less. There is but little prospect of the
average amount of cotton being mar
keted early on account of the lateness
of the coming crop, regardless of prices
that might be offered. OF course any
prediction made at this stage of the
crop is largely guesswork, but we feel
disposed to estimate the crop of 1901
1902 at $4,000 to 900 bales, as all our
estimates for the last three seasons
have fallen short of the final results
Telegraphic reports from all over the
sea island cotton belt show weather as
a whole favorable to the growing crop
on Aug. 1.