The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-07
EXHAUSTIVE REPORT
ON COTTON CROPS
Interesting Bulletin Prepared and Issued by the
Department of Agriculture--Ihe
Staple in Alabama.

ACQUIRE a large quantity Of cotton for
July and August delivery; and by the
early part of the latter month had
bought up practically all of the spot
cotton in sight in this country. Messrs.
Latham, Alexander g. Co., in their re-
view Of the cotton market Of 1902-03,
speaking of the operations Of these
spectators. say:
When they had gotten all Of the cot
ton that was to be had and felt secure
in their mastery OF the situation, they
exercised their power to establish and
maintain arbitrary quotations which
put cotton beyond the reach of spin
ners. thus producing the most thorough
corner that has ever been made In the
cotton, trade. and likewise resulting in
| silencing over Is per cent of the spin
dies and looms throughout the United
| States.
Although the commercial crop of
1SO0-1901 was nearly 100000 bales less
| than that Of 1S9S-99, the greatest re-
cord, 1t was worth s2o5,630.000 more
than that crop. its value being SSH
| 0ss.111 or. II the value Of seed sold to
oil mills be included, the total approx
| innate value Of the crop realized to
| the planter would amount to $58s,00o,-
600. The value Of crop of 1901 -02, in
| GLIDING seed sold to oil mills. was ap-
| proximately $493.0o0,000 and that Of
| l902-03, $53S,000,000.. The value Of the
exports OF cotton in 1902-3 was the
highest on record, amounting to $780,
| 1S0,429, and exceeded that 1s97-9S--the
| banner year as to the quantity export
| ed-by $s5,73s,214. AS indicating the
| important position held by cotton in
the export trade Of the country. it may
be stated that, If the value of the by
nrndnNtG ha I'M xf.
cotton-oil cake and seed. the total
would amount to $343,656,s02, which is
$122.414,617 greater than the value of
all breadstuffs exported in 1902 -o3.
and nearly rs per cent of the total val.
ue of all exports of domestic merchan-
disc. Further details relating to the
above subjects are given in the fol-
lowing pages.
After details by States of the COM
mercial cotton crops for the years
10000, 1901-02 and 19O2-O3, the bull
ietin takes up the further detail of the
movement of cotton by rail, water and
wagon from interior points in Alabama
to the port Of Mobile and to destina
lions beyond the States, an exhaustive
table being given.
Comparing the movement Of the Ala
bama crop Of 1902-03 with that of the
two previous years. some striking
changes may be noted. For some years
savannah has handled more of the crop
than any other port, and while 19o1-o2
SHOWS an increase over the previous
year, the shipments to this port in
1so2-03 were 87,251 bales less than in
lSol-02. On the other hand, Pensacola
has gained steadily in its exports of
Alabama cotton and now ranks first
the amount handled in 1902-O3 being
nearly twice as much as in 10000
Mobile. which in 10000 lost heavily
In its receipts as compared with pre-
vious years, shows slight gains In
10000 and 1902-03. Increased shin
ments were also made to New Orleans
In ls02-oa. and to Japan, via Seattle
ana Tacoma. All of the following
ports show more or less losses in 1902
Oh. as compared with the two previous
seasons; Norfolk. Brunswick. Charles
ton, Boston. Port Royal; p'-Baltimore
Philadelphia. Jacksonville and VIII
mington. The decrease in the ship
ments to Charleston is especially no.
| ticeable. dropping from 35,494 in 1901