Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1904-03-30
DON'T BE corToaror AGAIN /,
President Of the Slate Grange Warns the
Farmers.

Courier: Please publish the follow
ing:
To the Farmers: AS the season
approaches for the planting of the
cotton crop, and the prices quoted
for cotton being around and over
10 cents, it is very natural for the
farmers to ask themselves "What
shall / dop Shall I increase the
acreage in cotton or not ?" In de-
Gliding this now momentous question
l ask the farmers to think well be.
fore departing from the system that
has to very great extent brought
about remunerative prices for our
chief money crop.
While in the years from 1896 to
1899 middliDg cotton brought from
6 to 8 cents per pound in New York,
farmers were forced to abandon the
all-cOtton crop and seek relief
through the diversifcation of our
crops, thus devoting more of our
time and land to the raising of more
food crops, which necessarily cur
tailed the cotton acreage and cotton
production, and increased the price.
For instance, March |, 1900, middling
cotton was quoted in New York at
8 7H6, crop 1S99-19OO was 9,936,OO0
bales, crop of 190O.1901, 1O,3s3,OOO
bales, quoted in New York 8 3E6,
while the crop of 19O1-19O2, 1O,6S1,-
900 bales, quoted at s 7/S, and the
crop of 1903-1904, estimated to be
in the neighhorhood of 100000
bales, was quoted in New York on
March l, 1904, at 164 cents, showing
that as the production decreases the
price increases, verifying the working
OF the inexorable law of sssupply and
demand" Our cotton production
for the past few years has been fall
ing off and the price has been ad-
vancing, 30 that on March S of this
year the quotation in New York was
164 cents.
With fair supply of food crops
on hand and the remunerative prices
for cotton, have at last brought pros
perity to the farmers, and while the
manufacturers of cotton and those
interested with them may not be
making as much money as they
formerly did, when the poor farmers
were receiving such prices for their
cotton that would not pay for the
cost of production, they ought not 10
complain so much, as it is about time
the wave of prosperity should turn
towards the poor farm ers, who re-
present the largest and most i'm
portant class of producers of this
country. If the cotton p oducers
can keep the crop below eleven mil
lion bales prosperity will remain
with them, and not only with the
producers, but with the manufac-.
turers also, as sooner or later the
manufactured article will necessarily
bring price on a parity with that
Of the raw material. The farmers,
therefore, should not allow the pres
ent high price Of cotton to induce
them to plant more cotton, to the ex-
clusion of the food crops, but let
every farmer be sure and plant
enough of his land in food crops to
insure a sutficiency for home consumr-
tion at least, and then plant and
make as much cotton as possible. If
farmers will pursue this policy their
cotton crop will be surplus crop,
and they thus become Independent
and be in such condition that will
enable them to hold or sell as prices
suit them. Again, l appeal to our
farmers to stop and think. If you
have bought large quantities of fertili-
GERS, if you havein preparation large
areas of your land for cotton, it is
not too late to change and plant
more food crops. A cotton crop is
very expensive crop, it is very ex-
acting crop and the labor for cult
waiting and gathering it, in most sec
tions, is getting scarce and unreliable.
And the farmer who makes all of his
supplies at home is the independent
and prosperous farmer of the commu-
nifty. Then remember that small
crop of cotton will bring more money
than large crop!
With the worlds supply of cotton
on March 4, 1901, being over 23O, 900
bales less than on same date last year,
and the receipts falling off daily,
added to the fact that the world is
using more cotton than ever before,
leads me to believe that prices will
yet go higher, and that we will re-
ceiye good prices for cotton for sew
eral years to come, provided we
farmers do not lose our heads and
make more cotton than the world
needs. Doubtless the spectators
will make great efforts to bear the
market down, but they can only
cause fluctuations, while the fact re-
mains that when the world needs our
for the worlds consumption
and we have not enough to supply
what is needed, they will give us
good price for it. We farmers hold
the kew TO the aituation Will yo