The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1903-12-15
TWelVe-Cent Cotton.
Sy tiaPvie JORDAN.

some = our largest planter ~ho e,4l3
nave held. have sold ii hurry whsle
numbers OF small farmers have q fev
bales in their back yards that command
handsome premium today
WE Sell TOO FAST
The strongest factor ia aepre-> an
holding down the market duIlng thc past
sixty days has been heavy recchgt~ The
producer fairly played into ti,e hands 81
the spinner, and speculaturS ~ the rapid
ity with which the gnne1 and marketed
their cotton How much better 90 cot
ION producers would have been today i
they had used some business Judgment n
their sales and moved the crop 10 mar
ket slowly, selling one-tenth ot their nro-
duction each month. every man can nov
figure out for himself Fully two-thir1~
of the entire crop has been sold in tie
a.t three months. and the heavy advance
for the past three weeks VIII 20 INTO tl-
pockets c1 people who dld not spend a
single day IN working or producing the
crop winch IS so yaluabl To all the civil
IZei nations OF the world The middle
man. the spectators and tho spinners arc
the people who VII revel IN the untold
millions that this crop viii ultimately
command while the farmers who produced
this fabulous wealth are hardly making
both ends meet
It is estimated that thousands OF far
merS have been unable TO meet their ohh-
cations. and their creditors are beng
forced TO carry them over for another
year.
The sensational advance IN prices re
Gently, due to the fact that the govern
ment reDOrt was to be issued on Decem-
Der 3rd and the public could no longer
be kept IN the dark. comes in ninety days
after the opening Of tire cotton season.
and yet we find but few farmers who have
much cotton on hand for sale The
staple has passed from their control into
the hands principally Of foreigners.
PAYDAY TOO EARLY
Southern cotton producers have thi. sea
son, as they have done for years IN the
past lost millions upon millions of dol
lars IN being forced to market Their en-
tire crop early IN order to meet the years
4 obligations which fall due from October
/ Is to November l. Making the ycars
debts due on single date, which requires
4 the forced sale OF almost the entire cot
ton crop to Iquidate. is bad business for
! tie producers. and j. matter which
needs prompt correction.
i As the president Of the Southern Cot
4 ton Growers Protective Association, I
| have for the past three years earnestly
urged action upon this matter by the pro
ducers. Our accounts should bc gauSe1
to meet the situations. Sc that We could
without delay begin the plan of market
ing slowly One-third Of our accounts
should be paid in October and November,
one-third IN January and February and
the balance paid in April and May Under
this arrangement receipts could be held
down to gradual movement Of the crop
/ and prices maintained at a much higher
level each season.
All these things viii come to pass only
through better education Of the farmers
as business men Subscribers of this pa
per for the past three years VIII remem
her that in the summer Of 1900 actively
began a campaign for ten cent cotton and
while many farmers ridiculed the idea q
ten cent cotton ever coming again. II
must be admitted that we have each year
since that time had months in which cot
ton has easily sold for ten cents per
pound. The writer's recent prediction for
12 cents cotton. and its fulhllment IN oar
local markets today i intensely crafty
ing
The agricultural editor Of this paper i
heart and soul interested IN the better
ment OF the material ana financial con
ditlon of the farmers Of the South. and
spends much OF his time IN the lnvestI-
cation Of the actual supply and demand
Of cotton by the country and the world
at large HIS predictions, therefore. are
not matters of speculation, but are based
upon sound business propositions, which
are borne out by actual facts. 1t Is hard
to say what price cotton viii now COM
mand by spring if it be true that the crop
this season l. not over 10000 900 bales.
This means shortage Of / 900 600 bales
for consumption and - cents may be seen
by April. IOur only regret j. that the
producers have sold out too soon. have
not sold my crop a.s yet.
CROP ROTATION.
IN our last two articles The subjects
Of ',Humus in the Soil. and Bdrnyard
Manure were Diseased. But - make
the series complete, as bearing upon
the importance Of rebuilding our worn
lands and increasing production per acre,
We will in this article consider the az
vantageo OF crop rotation. A well do
fined system Of crop rotation adopted on
the farms Of our country would at once
lay the foundation Tor improved agricul-
ture and present the quickest and most
economical means Of developing prosper
it, for the individual farmer and the
ultimate method OF enr,ching and max
ing fertile mis- lands. ANY practical plan
that has this object IN view should Ie-
ceive the careful attention OF farmers
In considering this subject We must ID
50 en- its merits and present 4 IN sucA
form as 70 render the proposition thor
ouehly practical plain End simple. Al
things are made comparatively easy ar
ter We have fully understood and learned
how to do our part. Now what is crop
rotation? y plan dcfriticn would be =
constant changing Of crops on the same
lend year after year. An abandonment. q
system which means the cultivation q
the same crop on the same land eac4
wear. II makes no difference wnat kind
OF crop YOU are growing i wOE be prof
liable TO grow that crop continuously on