The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-01-07
The G0T7ON| CROP OF 1902.
Ths Ginners M AXE Their Reports
TO the Goverfment---The Crop
Appears to be Large.
WASHINGTON,

last. is 9,3il, ,333 bales, irrespective Of
shape or weight, equal to 8.905, SOB,
according to the commercial counting.
This is 90.2 per cent OF the crop.
The followinglis the number OF gin
neries reporting in the several States
and territories
United State 1, 3o,194; Alabama,
3, 8S9; Arkansas, 2,510: Florida, 284 !:
Georgia, 5,o46 Indian Territory, 428;
Kentucky, 3: u puisiana, 2, I45; Missis-
sippi, 4,276; Missouri, SO; North
Carolina, 1858; Oklahoma, 218:
South Carolina 8, 1877; Tennessee, 815 !;
Texas, 4,542; Virginia 100.
Following is the number Of bales Of
cotton ginned to and including Dec.
i tinted jHi States, a,su. .8s5; Alabama,
896, 9@; Arkansas, 768, $751;. Florida,
r Tszzisory M esEalsI2 Kaasaefy aaS 9sl lo1aa M
Louisiana, 67o| 486; Mississippi, 49, =
s557; Missouri, t9, l85; North Carolina,
.517, ,O68; Oklahoma. 1880; Seth
Carolina, a63,9S9; Tennessee, 272, 135;
Texas, 2, l67p 472; Virginia, 1851. -.
+ Following isl the giaaners estimate
sas.o the quantity to be ginned from:
this cropsaftaRf Dec. i3:: $50
:, yaited States, ], ,05T; 77f !; Alabama
Eg655,46s; Arkansas. 149, rs; Florida
sGs598; Georgia, 66,714; Indian Ter
.rito1y, 81, ,83l !; Kentucky, S150; Louisi-
Eana, l59, 9O8 :; Mississippi, 225, $50;
Missouri, 8, liz; No1ti, Carolins, %, :
82; .Qklahsma. 56a; ,South Caro-
lllliila. 4, 75A Tlen1essaA 3a.44oa:;; Texas,
tless9g8;; Virginia 2,A9l.as - /, !. -. ]
B EalloRing is The car Yassing agents
Estimate OF the per een5. OF fhe crop
sginned to Dec4 I3:
United States, le0.2; Alabama, 94.2s
Arkansas, 81. II; Florida, s7.9; Georgia,
k95.4; Indian Territory, 87.2; Ken
,tucky.sS7. 8; Io1isianas83 3; Mississips
Epi, 82.8; Missouri, e94.:s; North Caro-
lima, 94.9; Oklahoma, S4.5 South Car
Eolina 96.4; Tennessee 83.8; Texas 9l.7;
Virginia 81. Oh
|. Ihe~abeYe statistics Of the qnatity of
cotton ginnedfto December 18th are. e1-
pressed In bales as. pressed at the
:gianesies, irFespecttive Of shape or
weight. In She: total OF 3lb $50
bales there are Sl2 661 round bales
averaging from 24o to 800 pounds each.
Counting such round bales as half
bales, as isl the customin the, com
smereiaIi community, the total ginned
Ito December 18th is S,905s5g3 The
sginners have not yet returned their
bale weights for this cop, but 40 cot
ton compress companies distributed
throughout the cotton states advise
this office that they compressed and:
sactually weighed from the growth OF
1902 up toaE December 18th, ro66o, 43A
:.k,a3es averaging each 5o3.8 pounds.
gross. Using this weight as the aver
age for square bales and; for round
bales 253 pounds. Che average obtained
from the weight returns of the home
Offices Of tho companies such patents,
the equivalent number Of 500 pound
bales ginnedEto December 18th is found
to be 8, ,974,;722. Deducting the weight
of the bagging and ties (22 pounds per
square bale the number of equivalent
500 pound bales, net weight, is-found
to be $500, 75S.
By two most thorough canvasses
this season SO, 52S ginneries, active and
idle, have been located and reported,
of which number 30, 1874 have been
operated for this crop. In their
December canvass the local special
agents ascertained the quantity of
cotton ginned from the beginning Of the
season to an b including December 18th
and also secured from each OF the
active ginnlerrs his estimate OF the
Quantity of cotton to be ginned by
his establishment after December 13.
The estin5 ate of the percentage Of
the crop gil med is based on the es-
innate of 63e canvassing agents, who
were Instructed to confne their es-
Inmates to the territories canvassed by
them and Ito the knowledge gained
therefrom. One estimate therefore
serves as check against the other,
According to the estimate of the
ginners 1912 per cent. of the crop re-
NAMED to be gained after December
13, while according to the estimate OF
the canvassing agents the percentage
was 9.5. Applying these percentages
and the cd neral average bale weigh int
obtained round and square bales, the
crop according to the glnners is 8, 996, :
300 bales, and according to the can
VdSSSTS ., 9o1, 1OO Uo4Co VI on @'OieAesS
gross weight of 500 pounds. The census
Office ass1r nes no responsibility for the
accuracy of these estimates. This re-
port will bic followed by third and
final repoft at the end Of the ginning
season, alb out March 10Th, which will
distribute the crop by counties, segre-
gate upland and sea island cottons,
and give weight OF bale.
In giving out the report Director
Merriam made the following statement /:
HIt seems important to again state,
in connection with these statistics of
the cotton crop of 1902, that is so far
as they relate to the bales Of cotton
eianed to December 13, last, they in
yol7e no s,uesswork at any point, no
estimate lby anybody, and no uncer-
tainty of any kind They represent
the exact humber of bales of cotton that
have passs sd through the ginneries. All
that has been done by the census Office
is to NAL lse and verify the additions
ANYBODY lis at liberty to exmaine the
whole pr ocess adopted by the census
Office in handling these returns. The
~.