The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1903-09-10
A DOUBTFUL REPORT.
Reliability Of Governments Cotton
Crop Statistics for September
Questioned by Those Posted.

To those In Washington who have
been accustomed to watch the crop
reports and their eject on the market,
the sensational break in cotton last
Friday is fraught with extreme suspis
cion that there is something egregious-
" erratic In the foundation for the
slump. which is nothing less than 9
question of the reliability Of the gov
ernment's report itself. g
The condition of s1.2 which seems
to have been tipped of to the New
York bureaus Is particular theme 0f
wonder. The condition last month
was 1877. The improvement reported
for September over August is unpres5
eedented, slight though the gain may
be. In other words, for 25 or 80 years
past the condition reported for August
has without single exception. bean
followed by a decrease. The Septem.
Der report has never even shoWed
that the August condition held it's own.
save in one year. z, ~:
Moreover, the reports which have
been published by newspapers whose
custom has been to collect the most
reliable information Of crop cendt
ttons, particularly such as The Hons
ton Post, are wholly. at variance With
the report for September promulgated
by the department Of agriculture: One
of the biggest surprises was the de.
partment's report on Texas. That
itself Is marvellously different from
what was expected In view OF the re-,
ports of the ravages Of the boil weeyn
and the estimates OF intelligent OBJ
servers Of Texas condition.
It was expected that instead OF
showing an increase Texas .wo.ld
show falling OF of at least l0. per
cent. The deterioration Of the crop.
in Texas has been too notoriously
known, in the opinion Of people posted
on the situation, not to warrant early
inquiry as to the correctness as to the
department figures. It Is believed that.
the conditions reported for other;
states by the department, are almost
as much out of the way or the true,
facts as that OF Texas. 3, - s
The question is asked, has the de.
partments worked faithfully to Its
customary sources Of information, OF,
has it taken a new departure and
suddenly satisfied itself with outside;
information whereby Secretary Wilson
was to be justified in predicting seven
cent cotton and infinite mischief TO fol.
low bull gambling.
It Is to be noted in this connection
that the statistician Of the bureau,
John Hyde, Is absent In Europe, and
his place is filed by Edwin S. Holmes
Mr.. Holmes was never a cotton man,
his place in the departments bureau
of statistics having been always here
tofore devoted to grain statistics. II
is believed that had Mr. Hyde been In
Washington no such report would have
been made. y =
Be that as 1t may, the fact remains
that the departments report has
caused an enormous loss to the cotton
belt, as It is hardly possible, no mat
! ter what, subsequent conditions may
disclose that there can be no recovery.
The damage has been done and the
black eye will keep discolored until
the crop is pretty nearly out OF the
hands of the planter.
So serious is the situation that It
| is believed that 1t will not be par.
mitted to pass away without a demand
for such an investigation as will show
up the methods used and the exact
sources upon which the department.
has based its wonderful September re-
port.