The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-10-05
AHOLD YOUR COTTON'
EARNEST APPEAL re FARMERS BY
 MIR POOLE.
Aiahana's Commissioner of Agriculture Criticises Government Cotton Re- mort and Urges Concerted
 Action by the Producers.


 In a signed statement. made public vxstsrday, Hon. R. R. Poole, Commis- sioner of Agriculture and Industries crftfcfses the Government cotton crop -repoft of October 3rd, and appeals to Alabama farmers to hold their cotton for better prices.
 Commissioner Poole. in this state- ment, reiterates what he said in an in .erview published in The Advertiser yesterday morning, and again declares that. She present crop will not exceed O,750,l0o bales.
 The abatement is sa follows: |/ Montgomery. Ala. Oct. 4th, 1904. eTo the Farmers of Alabama: '@rhe Government report of October 3rd, putting the condition of the cotton crop at 75.s, is entirely too high. This report, In my opinion. is calculated to force the price of cotton to a lower level. Judging the future by the past the report of last month of s4. was too high. as has been shown by the dete- rioration fin the last month. T am satisfied that the report should not have been over 65. or 6e. To every well-informed man. it Is a we'll known fact that the cotton crop cannot possi- bly be over ten and three-quarter mill lion bales at the outside. and perhaps less. The excessive rains of July and August followed by the extreme dry weather of the latter part of August and September caused much rust and shedding. The extreme dry and hot weather has caused the cotton to pre- matureiy open and the increased faciii- ties for ginning and handling the crop, coupled with the seductive price of 10 cents and over. has swelled the receipts enormously.
 n Vrnw nAlnfAn AA f.A cotton has been gathered, and 97 1-2 per cent is open. Tn thirty days the crop will all be gathered.
 | 'NThe bear clique is doing everythinS in its power to hammer the prices down, and I earnestly advise the farmers not to sell their cotton for less than 10 cents. Enough has been sold to meet pressing obligations, and I advise them to hold the remainder of their crop. If you need money, hypothecate your warehouse receipts and borrow money from the banks. Every bale of cotton stored will increase in weight as soon as the rainy season commences, thereby paying all cost of storage and insur- ance. .fsaa "on the 9th of last October I esti- mated the cotton crop of Alabama at 100000 bales, and the total yield ct 10,471,000 bales. The cotton men all told me that I was too low, but my es- timate of the crop was very much near CT the mark than the Government re- port, or Mir. Theodore H. Price's, who estimates this crop at 12.0o0 900 bales. ''The cotton planters are masters of the situation. if they but use the means that they have in their hands by follow ing the plan suggested I predict that you will realize 12 1-2 cents per pound for every pound of cotton before the first day of February. The question of frosts will cut no figure in this crop, as we have no top crop and all of the cor- ton is already open.
 The Association of Southern Com missloners of Agriculture will hold It's annual meeting on the 18th. 18th and 14th of this month at Baton Rouge. La. predict that it's estimate of the crop will be in the neighborhood of 10.T50.- 900 bales of cotton. Farmers, hold your cotton and get 12 12 cents for it.
 ''R. R. Poole,
 "commissioner of Agriculture and In-
 dustries."
 Commissioner Poole is very much in earnest about this matter. He says Comm a,sioners of the Southern States are naturally we'll informed on condi- tions of the crop and consequently bet ter equipped to advise the farmers than mill men and spectators.