The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-12-29
The Wilmington On. CD Star reviews the
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| matter of cotton culture as follows:
As cotton culture has been and Is, II
win continue TO be for years to come. the
| principal agricultural Industry in the cot
Ton belt OF the south. There are reasons
why this has been so aud reasons why II
Will conunue to be so, whether the crop
as a whole pay well or not. With rev
exceptional Years Il has not paid well as
whole, and this will doubtless be the
case until there Is revolution IN the sys-
tenn and cotton ceases TO be the main de-
rendence Of the cotton grower. IL Is mol
an easy thing to quickly reyoluuouize the
habits and customs OF generations, or Tor
a farming area Of such extent as the cot
ton belt. varying as 1t does In soil and ell
matte conditions. to drop an almost uni
versally cultivated crop and take to other
crops. This Is especially true When suck.
ing to cotton has become to some extAat 4
necessity With the average farmer In THIS
area. Cotton Is crop thar Is always mar
ketable, easily Kept without danger Of In
Jury By the keeping. is good coliateral
Tor borrowed money aud is one OF the few
crops on which supplies can be secured ana
money advanced before the seed IL put IN
the ground These are some OF the rea-
sons for the large aud increased acreage
OF cotton, and why so many farmers grow
IL WHo can not afford 10 grow IL, but grow II
because they find 1t easier TO grow than
lille it is and Is to ho the principal
crop of the cotton belt, It's cultivation ought
to he governed by business seltse and as
little as possible itft TO chance, which Is
necessarily a large Il ctor In the growing Of
this as IL Is IN tie growing OF other crops,
perhaps more 50 IN this than 10 other crops,
Tor lt has to contend not only against tickle
seasons storms, rayaging insects, etc, hut
against the market manpulatorS and price
maEers after the crop Is gathered and ready
for the market
There are men who make money growing
cotton, and make good deal, as there are
men who make money in almost everything
{ney pnaeItaHe. Bu{ these are men VINO
nave business methods and are masters OF
| themselves and OF their crops, But the
average cotton planter does not make
money out of the crop when that Is his
main dependence, as II Is of TOO many
Some Idea OF how little the crop pays rs
a whole may be gathered from the state
ment by the United states department. Of
agriculture showing the yield of lint per
acre for the respective cotton growing
States aud Territories. Let us take North
Carolina, for Instance. The yield estimated
at cents a pound tau1 that's more than
It's likely TO hriugl II would give the
I grower Sll.d8 from which TO deduct cost
or picking ginning, bag5ing. ties and mar
keting, which would he partially Offset 10y
| the value OF seed he might dispose OF. But
! out Of this Sill 30 an acre he has to pay
| the debts contracted to make the crop.
/ Estimating the cost OF production az D
| cents a pound (which Is rather under tina
/ over the mark for this Statel the grower
| has left SIG for his labor tlme, invest
ment ana wear and tear OF farm imple-
ments, stock, etc TherH Isn't a crop that
/ the North Carolina farmer could raise that
/ wouldn't pay better than that
| Can he reap more proNtg That L. the
problem for him and for others whose pros
4 perity Is directly or indirectly dependent
! upon him, 70 consider. lie can, but to do
! 1t there must he a change OF methods, and
/ whether the acreage of cotton be smaller
or larger than Il IS now the planter must
! put himself In position that he can con
troll his crop and not let 1t control him, lie
/ can never do that while cotton Is the crol
upon which he must rely, upon which hl
must depend to meet his obligations, Il