The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-06-07
farmer to-day doesn't do that. And. remern-
Der. this sort of thing has been going on for
fifteen years
FoRESEEs FALLING OFF.


TN line with this reasoning was the prob
ability that owing to a surplus production
of cotton in 1899. there would be a reduced
acreage the following year. And there was.
In 1899 there We're $500 coo acres planted to
cotton in the South, and in the following
year the acreage was DOU,WO, reduction
of Just one-fifth.
Now, you see what my conclusions We're.
With great reduction acreage ana ire
mendous reduction in producing power De-
cause of the frozen seed and the consump-
ton of the vital seed by the oil mills. IT
was easy to reason that the next crop would
year following the lintage would be still
lighter. and that during the fourth year we
might expect a cotton famine.
seemed that everybody must know them.
The figures in the Government reports sup
port every contention that made. For eX.
ample, in 1S9S-99 the production was IL .256, 600
bales: in the season of 1900 the crop was
only e,422 900 bales; in 1901, with the acreage
increased from 100000 acres to 100000
acres the crop was 1889 600 bales. and in
1902. with 100000 acres, the production was
10. 76s 600 bales.
These figures you see, tell a very inter
tons / made in 1899 Now what about 1902
1903? The Government reports show that
there are 100000 acres of cotton. IN the
South. In spite Of this tremendous increase
in acreage, it is a serious question in my
mird whether or not the crop will reach
II 200 600 bales.
MANY persons will no doubt say that
climatic conditions have had great deal
to do in bringing about the shortage in the
crop which l predicted. Some portions or
the South must have had the right climatic
conditions; 1t couldn't have been bad all
over the South for four successive seasons.
In those States where the climatic condi-
tons were right 1t is fact that an increase
in lintage is shown. Take Texas for an ex-
ample Her lintage and productive power Is
lessening each day. and they had pretty
good weather for cotton down there.
DISCREDITED FORECAST.
ION top Of all this the Government came
out with a report last summer in which 1t
was declared that the coming crop would
be the best ever known. In the opinion OF
some cotton experts there was no reason
why the crop should not reach 100000
bales from the remarkable conditions pre-
vailing. l did not believe this could be true,
and to satisfy myself took a trip South.
I'm the Carolinas l found that the plants
were scrubby and were from eighteen to
twenty-four inches hign. In fully three
fourths of the fields that passed through
I saw that the cotton was blooming on top
When the bloom grows on the top OF the
bush the cotton can't grow any further.
and that means the end of the producing
power of the plant 1 saw all that and was
absolutely sure in nv mind that the crop
would not be such record-breaker.
soon after l returned from the south re-
ports were received mere that the plants
were putting on new growth. Nothing IKE
this had ever happened before. The climate
conditions up to a certain time were faVora-
BILE. it is true. We had rains and everybody
believed that would help the cotton. But
with all the favorable weather conditions