The age-herald., 1901-06-20
Famous Expert Says Next Esti- mate on Cotton NH
 Be Accurate GREAT THINGS FOR SOUTH MT. Hester Says When Warrior Canal is Completed Birmingham Can Command Worlds Markets
 -DIscusses Petroleum.

H. G. Hester, now and for more than thirty-one years secretary of the New Orleans Cotton Exchange and famed the world over as the greatest of experts on the cotton crop, spent yesterday In Bir- mingham.
 Secretary Hester, accompanied by his son-in-law, Thomas B. Bate of New Or leans, arrived here In the forenoon from the east The two gentlemen left town at 10 o'clock last night for New Orleans They passed through Birmingham two weeks ago going to spend their vacation at Asheville, N. C., and to make short visit to Washington on business.
 'The purpose of my visit to Washing ton was to urge the superintendent of the census to hasten the report on the acre. age of the cotton crop of the south" said Secretary Hester yesterday after noon.
 Ills Talk With Merriam.
 "I had most satisfactory interview with Superintendent Merriam, and also with MT. Powers, chief of the census bu- reau of agriculture, and MT. North. chief of the bureau of manufactures.
 
 would be done to hasten the reports on acreage and manufactures, and Mir. Powers expressed the opinion that he would be enabled to make public the acreage report by the middle of Novem- Der.
 This Is of the greatest importance to the south, for the official figures as 10 acreage will give us reliable basis of fact upon which to form our estimates hereafter. Acreage estimates now are esti- mates merely. We have had no official figures since those of the census of 1S9O eleven years ago, and when the census cotton reports of that year were made public they demonstrated that the fig ures of the estimated acreage were wrong to the extent of several million acres. So there are no means of guessing now just how far the present estimates will differ from the ascertained facts of the census
 ''The official report which we hope to receive in November will givo us the actual number of acres planted in cotton for the crop of 1s99-19O0, and we can see made since the last official figures were secured, for the crop of 18S9-90.
 Moreover, MT. North of the bureau of manufactures will give us as soon as possible the number of bales of cotton ginned. the census enumerators having secured the facts from every ginner in every cotton county of the south. These figures may not be absolutely accurate, but they will be as nearly so as possible, and will be ample for all practical pur poses. The returns will show the ntSfn- Der of bales ginned and the weight of the cotton in every cotton community, and these will be tabulated by counties ana the counties by states.
 Estimates More Accurate.
 Having thus arrived at the actual number of bales ginned, the official report as to acreage. which will also be tabu- lated by counties, and the counties by states, we will be enabled to ascertain with great accuracy not only the general average production to the acre, but can know the average by counties, districts and states.
 Upon all these figures, those from the bureau of agriculture and those from the bureau of manufactures. we can base estimates which for accuracy will surpass all previous estimates regarding the cotton crop, though the official bull letin of the census bureau bore out with | the last cotton crop.
 "Knowing weather conditions, state of cultivation and general conditions in every district of the south at any given time and having the official figures for every district as to the immediate past, with the acreage and the averages. we shall hereafter be enabld to make our es- inmates with practical certainty; that is to say, as nearly certain as anything of the kind can be made.
 "All this Is of immense value to the south-of almost incaleulable benefit, was about to say-and l am greatly pleased to state publicly In this manner facts of such prime importance, and all going to show the very great interest the government Is taking in southern agrl- culture
 Satisfactory Census Report.
 ''The report of the census on the cot ton-producing industry will, I am con fident, be the most nearly perfect and all together the most satisfactory ever issued in this country; and I would say as much ,.-s..---- - . . -......-- TT NE T A hINE