The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1902-10-29
DAMAGE TO TEXAS CROP.
President Peters Of Cotton Growers
Assn Takes Mr.. Bustou 10 Task.
RAIN AND INSECTS CAUSES OF INJURY.
Mt euston Far Wrong from Actual Crop
OF Last Year--Farmets Must Market
Their Cotton Slowly.
AIN AND INSECTS CAUSES OF INJURY.

~ ANtH
Calvert Texas, October a7.-As presl.
dent Of the Texas Cotton Growers PRO.
teetlye association. felt the necessity OF
making q general survey or the state for
the purpose Of ascertaiuing II possible II
the conditions Of the cotton crop had
changed during the last thirty days TO such
an extent as to warrant the extravaeant
statements INDUCED IN by Mr.. A. j. Bus.
ton In his recent estimate. The result
IS am constrained TO pronounce him 4
worthy successor 10 his distinguished con.
temporary, MI. Neill who prior to the
recent prominence Of Mr.. Buston had no
superior as a crop booster Throughout any
land
Analysing some Of Mr. Bustons state.
ments- notably he stetes the crop in
Southern Texas has suffered mostly from
drouth, when as u matter of fnc,, ii Is
common knowledge that the greatest dam
age was from excessive rains followed by
hoods and boil weevil; indeed the truth Is
Il we, had bad contnded and more ex.
tended drouth. the Crop In South Texas
would have been Is per cont better than
II is tor the simple reason that no cot
ION nas peen made since the rain, all new
iruit resulting therefrom being destroyed
hN the weevil as fast MS maze
In North Texas the plant has suffered
manly from the Unprecedented drouth
dntlns from last years we had no winter
rains aud August This year was the dry.
est IN the history OF he State, the average
rainfall FOR the month for the entire State
being 3 OF on inch with many counties
having absolutely 10 rain and excessively
hlgh temperature In this section the boil
worm was more widely distributed and
yea;.
WHAT THE BOIL wEEvIL DID.
AS TO the boil weeyil which ho dis.
misses with the statement that IT attacks
only portion Of .he plant am willing
10 admit he is right; however, that por.
ton of the plant which escaped is beneath
the surface Of the ground {. G., the root
Had he investigated closely he would have
found also that the insect since coming
to the United stutes has reached high
state OF culture and among other things
has shown almost human instinct In that
he viii not climb a hill If he can make
living on the level, or In other words. he
will not seek an elevation n he can Gud
bottom 10 his liking: It has clearly been
proven, however, thar as soon as the low
lands are exhausted, as a feeding ground
he MES himself to tho uplands mtil those
Who are studying his habits are convinced
W VIII ~ lliue luu MS way TO NOlOrHQO.
u the succuent plant should be grown
there, unless way to check his progress
is discovered.
MIR. Bustou says further the actual crop
of 1902 was l06s0,6S0 bales This Is
confirmed by MIR. Hester, but II Is loo, 900
bales more than tne gins according TO the
census say were ginncd. The difference
therefore, must represent linters, city crop
and old cotton.
VIC know that in Texas last year 2so..
900 bales Of old cotton were compressed
and went into and was Countrd "A part of
the commercial crop. Add TO this 90, 900
bales of llntors and city crop und we have
100000 bales from Texas alone. Who can
rightly contend shat az least Il proper
tionate amount of other States did not
80 into the old crop, Therefore, If MIR.
customs estimate of li,20G.000 bales is the
actual growth, rs ne "ays 81 Is, then be Is
at least l,000,0OO bales on this year and
instead OF missing The total estimate only
800 bales, these hugfes viii clearly prove
that be missed II last year fully 100000
bales on the actual growth
AS TO Louisiana. we have tho report is
sued by the State commissioner OF agricul.
ture, who is thoroughly cOnyersnut with
the conditions In that state, His esti-
mate made up from reports from each
parish shows an increase OF i7124I bales
from last years crop.
At Macon Ga., about two weeks since,
at meeting of the southern Cotton Grow.
erS' Protective association, an egtimnte on
the crop OF the connrry was made by the
GOO delegates present, representing every
cotton growing State, Not one had the
temerlty TO say The crop was equal to
last year, while a summary of all gave
9,340, 900 500.pound bales.
If Mr. Buston had ridden through the
cotton fields as | have duriug the past
twenty days and could have seen the
thousands of head of cattle turned into
fields where the plant Is so high that it
hid the cattle from view, he certainly
would not have told the world that the
situation In Texas was greatly eXag
gerated.
| have been watching the crop In Texas
month by month and day by day very
closely for ten years, out In the open, not
from Pullman cars and from long ex-
perience ] am certain no nun can form
an accurate estimate of crop conditions by
inspecting a small part of the enormous
cotton growing area hnrredly once "a
year.