The Savannah morning news., 1901-12-26
A SHORT COTTON CROP.


crop at relatively high prices is the
greatest calamity that could befall the
South"
The ground on which the Times bases
this opinion is that the tendency of
short crop and high prices is to en-
courage the production of cotton in
other countries. There are. Of course.
many parts of the world in which cot
/ ton can be grown with considerable
success-in fact, where it is grown
though not with sufficient profit, ex-
cept in a few localities, 10 justify the
belief that its production will be great
I " increased in the near future.
For years and years the cotton
/ planters of the Southern States have
been told that they are giving too
much attention to cotton-that they
are keeping themselves poor by the
one crop system. Now the Times tells
them that to cut down the size of the
crop and thus bring up the price of
cotton would be the greatest calamity
that could befall them and their sec
ton. We see of course the danger to
which the Times calls attention, but
it seems to us to be too remote to
cause anxiety. Notwithstanding the
cheaper labor in other countries there
is no one of them that can grow cot
ton in competition with the Southern
States of this country at the prices
which are now obtainable. or which
are likely to be obtained.
s- I, ;ot,
affords the planter a profit, and so it
did last year. But when cotton was
bringing only five cents a pound the
cotton planter was becoming steadily
poorer. 1t cost him as much to make
his crop az it brought him, and, in
many instances, a great deal more. As
long as its costs the Southern States
as much to make cotton as it does now
short crop and relatively high prices
for cotton will not be calamitous to
them. A big crop and relatively low
pI ices would be calamitous. That was
pretty clearly demonstrated when cot
ton was selling at five cents pound.
Before the South can afford to make
five-cent cotton there will have to be
of it, and the harvesting and handling
of 1t, that there will be a profit in it
at that price. We have no doubt that
IL the intensive system of farming
were more generally practiced and the
land cut up into small farms of a few
acres each. the farmer and his family
doing practically all of the work, cot
ton could be grown at a profit for five
cents a pound, but there viii have to
be many reforms before that time
comes.
European countries of course resent
their dependence upon this country
for cotton, but they have done that
for half of a century or more. They
have been experimenting in different
quarters of the world with the view of
freeing themselves from this depend
ence, but they have not been success
full. Russia has made more progress
in growing cotton than any other Eu-
ropean country, but she has been only
moderately successful. 1t seems that
at the present time she produces, in
her Asiatic provinces, about half the
cotton she needs, but the opinion is
expressed by those who appear to be
in a position to speak with knowledge,
that the production cannot be greatly
increased.
The Times is right in assuming that
the cotton planters trust does not
amount to much-that is, it does not
have much effect in holding back cot
ton from market. In fact, the organ
ization for that purpose does not in
clude very large percentage of the
cotton planters in any of the cotton
growing states. The organization will
never reach the proportions of trust.
1t is impossible to get the majority of
the planters in any state to hold back
their cotton. No doubt there will be
such Improvements in the cultivation
of cotton that in the course of few
years it will cost less to raise the crop
than it does now, but in the present
condition of affairs five-cent cotton
would be a calamity to the Southern
States.