The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1903-09-28

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DANGER OF 1O-CENT COTTON
Under the present system of farming
in the south and the methods practiced by
a large majority of the farmers. 10 cents
a pound for cotton is none too high. A
farmer WHO barely n.ekls enough corn
land fodder TO do,' with the most favor
able seasons. who buys his lard ana
bacon. who keeps only a few CORY COWS
enough to supply his family with lit
tie milk and butter-and who secures a
yield Of not more than one bale to three
acres must realize at least 10 cents a
| pound in order to make both ends meet
at the end of the year and live in r'tlson-
able comfort. | was going to say he
ought" to got 10 cents a pound for his
cotton, but the word would convey the
idea that under the conditions named
| somebody the market. We VIII SAYS
under obliga tons to count him out nifty
collars for every bale of midding cotton
he carries to town. i is often said that
a farmer ought to get so and so for his
|
II axe it. implying that some other than
the farmer is at fault in Withholding the
.'so-and-so"-the o cents pound. The
obligation or the fault, should be located
| en- the farmers shoulders. The mar
! ket' does nor care button to know what
| it cost farmer 10 produce bale or
cotton The farmer whose cotton cost
him s cents per pound to make it gets
10 more consideration from the market
than doas the farmer whose cotton cost
| him only cents a pound. He is not en-
titled TO any higher price The price OF
cotton is rot regulated by sentiment, nor
by the Golden Rule" The Market is
Ike corpcration-which is said to have
no SOUL and no more concerns itself
about what it costs the owner to produce
4 bale of cotton than does Rockefeller
trouble himself about the poor woman
who pays his agent 20 cents for gallon
OF kerosene that cost less than 10 cents
TO deliver it. And If all the farmers were
in n huge trust. with Rockefeller for
their agent it is probable that they
would put up the price of cotton and
keep it up regardless of cost of produc-
tion--just as oil is kept up.
But my pen is running of on side
track" 1t started to write about the
danger of Decent cotton. Two weeks
ago it was claimed in this column that
rmers should have 10 cents "A pound
for their cotton for ten years 10 come
that so much is due the farmers who
! have borne the burden and heat Of the
cay who have struggled along with !,
5 and cents cotton for SO many years
But The Market IS not going to be CON
! trolled by any sense of generosity. or
! Justice, or consideration of past faNors,
| or Advantages: and if the farmers get 10
cents for their cotton in the future 1t
will be becars Sc of the extension Of manu-
! facturers and the increased sale of cot
ton goods.
! Now If the farmers Of the south shall
be tempted ry lO-cent cotton to greatly
inere the area it is very probable
yea. certain. that the increased supply
Will "overtske" tie increased consump-
ton. and the market will drop to 9, TO 8,
to cents, or possibly lower, in the ysars
To come Moreover. material Increase
! in the area Of cotton on most farms IN
wolves a decrease In the area devoted to
/ food crops and a decrease in the pro
duction Of live stock that depend on
! The Sc food crops.
| The true policy for the farmers tc pur-
sue is to restrict the area So that the
! supply
of the demand. All the farmers, or the
farmers as whole, are not going 10
do aDv such thing. Therefore 1t de-
wolves or the Individual farmer to act
for himself and adopt the policy that will
be safest for himself
Nine tirtes out of ten an increase In
the area of cotton involves an increase
| IN the cost of producing il. If a farmer
who now produces SO bales, st cost
Of cents a pound. shall hire more hands,
buy more mules and fertilizers and plant
more poor land, so as Ia get IS bales.
the cost OF the larger crop NAY be any
| where from to cents pound greater
than that Of the smaller. When cotton
! goes up mules corn and fodder bacon
ard lard. plows, wagons. all. 50 higher
This advance is in obedience to the
economic law. being the result of an
Increased demand for consumption. Now
is the time. of all others, when a farmer
nav inaugurate some needed reforms in
| his business plans and policy. II he
shall be in better shape" than usual
| after the present crop is sold 1t were pei
ter = use his surplus money rather Tor
the Improvement of his home both in in
te1nals and externals, rather than invest
it in more mules and more 'niggers' to
make more cotton Better get some
better tools in order to do better work
and make more corn and more cotton to
the acre. Better buy a few sows and
pigs Hf he may, recover the long un-
used smoke house, enlarge his barn room,
make his animals more comfortable (and
thereby more profita ble) Don't increase
the ares in cotton, but rather reduce it
and produce it more cheaply. 1t would
be much better to produce twenty bales