The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1904-11-09
MORE THAN 4 MILLION.
Commissioner Watsen's Estimate
of This States Crop.

of This States Crop.
Commissioner Watson in letter Of
Importance states that in his opinion
South Carolila's cotton crop for this
year will reach l, 100, 900, and that
the crop will be the largest in the
history of the state. His most inter
esting letter concerning his observa-
tions on the cotton crop is as follows:
Your request Of November I'd for
the following information I. What
is the yield Of the cotton crop No
vemb mber l. 1904? 9. What was the con-
dition of the crop November l, 1902
3. What is the condition of the crop
November !, 1904? 4. What is it COM
pared with an average yield for ten
years? Requesting also that this infor-
nation 20 stated in percentages, has
been received. rs~a
1t is somewhat difficult to give the
information you desire IN exactly the
form desired. However, I will en-
deavor to state conditions of the crop
at this time as nearly as possible with
the information at my command. An
swering questions two and three, /
will say that the condition Of the crop
of November /, 1903, was about 65
per cent, while the condition of the
crop of November I, 1904, making full
allowance for the practically total
loss of a top crop. might safely be
placed at about 70 per cent. Az
swering question /, there is 10 way Of
getting the exact figures as to the
yield on November 1st. In this con-
nection it is noteworthy that up 30
October 18th, last year, only 81 Clio
per cent of the South Carolina crop
had been ginned and on November Il
only 69.4 per cent Of the crop had
been ginned. This year however up
to October 18th, 629,S57 bales had
been ginned. These figures indicate
the splendid harvest season witia
which the state was favored this year,
enabling practically all of ghe crop TO
be gathered and to be gathered early
and in prime condition for ginning.
The drought prevented the usual top
crop, and at the same time enabled
good deal of what has heretofore been
portion of the top crop to become a
portion of the regular crop. There is
some cotton still in the fields which
if the prices ktep up for the next
fortnight, will be harvested. Ar
things considered it is extremely like
ly that the estimate yield of the 1904
crop in this state Will be at least 25
per cent greater than that Of last
year. In other words it looks very
much at this time as if the 1904 crop
may reach l, 100, 600 bales, and be the
largest crop in the history of the
State. I know of no method by which
it would be possible for nae to answer
your fourth question as yon request
in percentage comparison of aonditlin
with an average yield for6en yeats.
Throughout the South this year the
average yield per acre has been 8
points higher than the average yield
per acre during the decennial period
between 1894 and 1903 It is vrey like
ly that the South Carolina average
yield is 10 points better than the
comparison for the entire South with
the average. Fhis would give rs
; about 1873 pounds of lint per acre as
against ITO pounds the lowest return
per acre since 1889 reported in 1908.
regret that I am NOS IN position
at this time which IS time between
the last official reports and the final
figures on the crop, time when esti-
mates are rarely ventured, to give you
the usual exact figures that the de-
partlnent desires to furnish. From a
careful survey of the entire situation
however I think that you will find
the figures given yeu herewith ap-
proximately correct when the returns
are all in. It is noteworth in this
connection that Henry Neill the Lon
don cotton man whose opinion is re-
garded very highly on the oath of Oc-
tober places this years crop for the
South at II, 600, 900 minimum.