The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1902-08-09
The Cotton (.rOp.

Yesterday the Agricultural
Department at Washington is
sued it's usual monthly report on
the condition of the cotton crop
of the United States. The data
on which the report was based
We're made up to the 25th of last
month. a fact which must be
borne in mind in comparing the
Government average of condition
with popular conceptions as to
the crop, or with the reports of
private individuals and journals
that base their views on data
gathered on irregular dates and
brought down probably to the
LIST of August or later.
The Government report gives
an average condition for the en-
tire belt as $40 per cent. com
pared with SIT per cent. last
month, a moderate loss in cOndi-
ton, hardly in keeping with pop
ular ideas, but not unusual at
this period of the season. The
comparison with the August re-
port of last year shows a gain of
condition of ~ per cent. The
August condition this year is,
therefore, nearly ; per cent.
better than last year, and when
the crop proved to be in the
neigh borhood of 10, 400, 600 bales,
and practically 6 per cent. better
than the year before, when the
yield aggregated 1888, 900
bales.
The general impression is that
there has been an ent
in condition since July %, the
date of the bureaus data, and
that conse quently had the re-
port included conditions up to
the end of the preceding month,
the general would have been
about > per cent. better. The
Bureau makes the Texas cOndi-
tons only a few per cent. better
than the preceding month, not
understanding the drought cOndi-
tiOnS which then prevailed and
the cOpious rains which have
been since experienced.
Of course, the monthly reports
of condition merely represent
the apparent state of the crop at
a certain time, and are not safe
guides to the probable ultima te
yield. Much depends on the
weather during August and
September, and still more on
the date of frost. A dry, open
winter will do much to increase
the yield of the crop, whereas
an early frost and wet, disagree
able weather during the early
winter may spoil the effects OF
ideal growing weather.
Naturally, much interest cen
tiers in the official, as well as un-
Off cial reports of the cotton crop
conditions in this section. The
entire South depends largely on
the cotton crop, and good yields
are essential to prosperity.
Spotted crops, as they are called,
that is, good yields in places
offset by poor crops elsewhere,
are not nearly so conducive to
prosperous conditions as good
crops well distributed.
1t has been held by some that
"a wise policy would dictate the
systematic curtailment of acre
age, with a view to holding up
prices. AS cotton is grown else
| where than in this country, it is
evident that an artificial slim ula
ton of prices would be sure tC
| induce other cotton growing
countries to increase their pro.
ductiOn of the fleecy staple, thus
competing more extensively with
US. The true policy is to grow
as much cotton as can be profit
ably handled on the farms.
Crops should be so diversified as
to make cotton practically the
surplus or cash crop. The South
can produce cotton more cheaply
than any other cotton growing
| section hence will ALWAYS he in