The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1903-12-16
THE GREAT COTTON QUESTION.
Is Soufil's Ability to Raise Cotton De.
Creasing1

Baltimore, December 10.-The Man
ufaCturers' Record in an elaborate re-
view of cotton production during the
last thirty years, gives among other
facts the average yield per acre for
each year as basis for the discussion
of questions affecting the future, such
as the claims which have been made
by some of the deterioration of seed
by reason of selling the best seed to
the cotton oil mills, the deterioration
OF the soil by reaeOn of the negro ten
antry eyetem, and the insufficient cup
ply Of farm lebor. because of the rapid
growth of the industrial employment,
to enable the South to materially in
crease its cotton yield.
low prices which prevailed from 1891
to 1893 had been as Improbable to
Southern farmers as the low prices Of
wheat and corn some years ago, when
in some places it was moro profitable
to burn corn as fuel than to ship it
East, were to Western farmers, the
Manufacturer's Record shows that
eince the upward trend of cotton prices
few years ago the total value Of cot
years has been $2,575, 900, 900, against
1,775, 100000 for the preceding five
years. or q gain in the last five years
OF S800,000.000 over the amount re-
ceived by the South for its cotton crop
in the preceding five-year period.
These stupendous figures indicate
something of what the higher price of
cotton means 70 the welfare of the
entire South. The value of the cotton
crop ef 1909 9s. including seed, was
! $685., 100000. Tho value Of the present
crop, including seed, may be safely
estimated at $685., 200, 900; but added to
the very great increase in the value Of
the South's cotton crop is the fact that
it raised probably the largest corn crop
which it ever produced, the value Of
which is many million dollars greater
than the corn crop of last year. The
$500, 100000 received by the South for
it's cotton during the last five years is
nearly. twice as much as the entire
capital invested in all the cotton mills
of the United States in 1900; it ia more
than the present market value of the
entire property of the United States
Steel Corporation, more than the mar
ket value of the Standard Oil Com
pany and more than the entire capital
Of all the national banks of the United
States. For the first two or three
ern farmers used their increased earn
ings to pay up debts; then they began
to accumulate o little. and this year
they will be in shape TO epend more
freely than for many years.
In the last one hundred yeara there
have been only two periods, one from
1840 to 1845, and the other from 1891 to
Eas. 1saa = EsSn 81 : I5S; ;sTass DIioe ior the
which it was fraction less. Review
ing the average .'ield per acre in thre0-
year periods, beginning with 1871, the
ManHfacGurers' Record saye:
'These figures, showing the average
yield per acre, indicate that for the
three-year period, ending with the
crop Of 1884 to tho similar period
ending with 1881-92. covering twenty
one years, there we're no material
dicate any permanent increase or de-
crease in the productivity OF the soil. /.
The average Yields for three-year
periods during that time hnotuated
between 191 pounds per acre and 166
poundD; but beginning with the three
year period from 1S92-93 to 190A-9T,
when the average was 1915 pounds per
acre, or more than the average for any
similar period during the preceding
marked increase in the yield per acre,
reaching 228 pounds in the three-year
period, 1095.98 to 1897-9s, 30 far above
any yiaii prior TO that period, except
for @ single year since 1871-72. that it
stands OUT Zone as period of pheno-
menal prodnotion per acre. The next
three-year period showed a small de-
crease, but was still much higher than
since 1S7t-72. For the two years end
ing with 100000 the average was 1888
pounds, O further decline, but still
above the average for the twenty one
years from 1871.72 to 1891-92. The
yield for this year will probably be
much smaller than for many years, but
the weather conditions were go abnOr-
NAL that no fair deductions as to the
productivity OF the coil or seed can be
based on this.
'If We look back for six years only
we see asteady decline in the average
yield per acre-a decline that would BY
itself seem so alarming as to command
the most serious attention of the coun-
cry; but IL we go back Of that for TWEEN
ty years we find that the high averages
between 1895-98 and 190O.O1 were ab-
normal, and, therefore, the decrease
so seriOus as 1t looks on its face. On
the other hand, these high averages for
the whole South between 1892 and 1893
may in part be due to the heavy OPEN
ing up Of new and fertile soil in
Texas, Indian Territory and Okla
h0ma, oftsetting decline in the older
sections.
"At any rate the cotton situation is
one which demands the widest investi-
cations by the National Government
and the experts of every agricultural
college In the South. tfhe welfare of
the whole country. the vast foreign
commerce based on cotton, the enOr.
nous cotton-manufacturing interests
OF America and Europe are at stake.
If there is no danger, the world needs
to know it beyond the possibility Of
sum, whether it be one million or one
hundred million, is too large for the
National Government to spend in over
coming 1t, for In the long run the best
tntereats of the South, as well as of
the worlds textile interests, will be
advanced BY Q very great increase In the
.cottOn production of the Southern
Statee, and It is altogether probable
that within the next 1--we or tan years.
~