The Washington times., 1904-02-08
Cotton Madness.
one-Crop Agriculture in the South and
Elsewhere.

ent soaring pnee of cotton. The
Manufacturers Record" of Bati-
more. says that there is danger of the
! speculative spirit which has been
aroused throughout the South becom-
ing great curse. The ATLANTA Jour,
naP' SAYS that there are thousands of
people in the South today who are
eotton-mad. The Raleigh News and
Observer" on the other hand, says
that the low price of cotton in past
years has been the greatest hindrance
to the material development Of the
South, and that il is better for the
South to raise 100000 bales at l.
cents pound than 100000 bales ar
TO cents pound. This paper con.
siders the raising of cotton in Africa
as ''bugaboo.'
There is much to be said on both
sides of this question, and probably
nothing which can be said will have
much effect on the result. The pres
ent high price of cotton is likely to
have two results: it will contribute TO
the immediate material prosperity Of
the South, enabling many owners of
cotton plantations to enlarge their
borders; and it will give England and
Germany an incentive to try raising
cotton on their own account. OF the
two, Germany is the more formidable
competitor. Cotton plantations IN
Africa might, one of these days. be
something more than "bugaboo"
If, as the Raleigh paper which has
been quoted says, the farmer of the
South Will raise a smaller crop of cot
ton, and give more time to diversified
agriculture, because of the higL
prices, that would be solid benefit to
the South; but the chances are about
a hundred to one that he will do moth
ing of the kind. Instead, he will give
all his time and all his spare cash to
raising more cotton, that being the
most profitable crop; and he will de
pend on the West and North for his
other supplies. Did the discovery OF
oil on a mans land IN Pennsylvania
cause him to give his time to some
ether industry, or did 1t cause him to
make all the money he could out of
oil7 If it were suddenly to be found
that the price of wheat was going up
100 per cent, would that cause the
wheat farmer to cut down his grain
produce and raise something elsef
Finally, did the ante-bellum price of
cotton cause the South TO develop di-
vcrsifed industries, or did it lead TO
general conviction that cotton was
king, that the world could not get
along without it, and that other things
were not worth attention.
The one-crop system is the cause
of more trouble to the farmer than
any other feature of our agricultural
system, and it is one great reason for
lis being at tie bottom of the heap so
inuch of the time There are thou
sands of farmers IN the South who
raise practically nothing but Gotten.
Just as there are thousands in the
West who raise nothing but wheat
These Southern farmers depend or
the crossroads store for everything,
and if the cotton crop fails they have
to go in debt for the next years sup
plies This state of things is good for
nobody but the crossroads store keep
er. Moreover, a One-industry section
is usually in 4 rather low state of
civilization. for the reason that women
and children compete directly with
men and keep wages down. A farm
ing region in which the farmer de-
ponds on one or two products for his
ready money, and raises most Of the
things necessary for sustenance on the
place, is likely to come out better at
the end of a century than one which
stakes its whole available wealth OH
the price Of single commodity.
To take practical example, here Is
one farmer who has land on which he
can, in a good year, raise a good crop
of hay or wheat, and pasturage which:
will accommodate a herd of cattle. If
he gives all his time to either the wheat
or the cattle he is at the mercy of
luck IN bis farming operations. If he
raises both he is reasonably certain
Of some ready money. If, however,
he must pay out this ready money for
store supplies ne viii have his nose to
the grinGstone all the time. But sup
pose, instead of depending on others,
he raises his own chickens, beef, fruit.
vegetables, draught animals, and mas
timber land from which he can get
fuel or lumber. directly or by some ex-
change system. Suppose, moreover
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