The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-04

than ever before, and much of it has
been devoted to the purchase of more
cotton goods than usual. But the
flush times are already on the Wane.
Furthermore, in the flush times the
mills increased their activity, and
hundreds of new mills were built. The
factories in England and New Eng
land have fought for life against the
competition of the new mills in the
South, and in the battle they have bid
I'D the price of the raw staple. Brown,
of New Orleans, and Sully, of Rhode
Island, helped the market along, and
we have had a wild rage of high
prices and speculation. But the con-
ditionS are now moving back toward
a normal point. We should not re-
gret this, for the uncertainty of re-
turns, the lottery feature, in cotton
production is the greatest disadvant-
age in the industry and ought to be
kept in as narrow limits as possible
The farmers are urged by those who
"hold a brief for Northern manufac-
turers and consumers" to grow big
crops of cotton in order to prevent the
increase of cotton growing by India,
Mexico, Egypt and other countries,
The European consumers of cotton
have spent millions of dollars trying
to grow enough cotton to make them
selves independent of the South. They
will continue to do this, and if any
country can be found that will grow
cotton, we may be sure that it's soil
will be utilized for that purpose. But
,;<rl,t 70
regard such talk as a "bug-a-boo."
Asked about the fear of such competi-
ton, Senator Morgan is thus quoted
by Mr.. Houston r. Harper:
an an interview | had with the
distinguished Senator in Washington,
he declared that the South has a God
given world monopoly in the produc-
ton of cotton which no section and
no climate on earth can ever wrest
from our grasp.
THE British Cotton Growing Asso-
citation, and the leading commercial
spirits of Germany are both investi-
eating the growing of cotton in their
colonies. The publications from the
British association have attracted
much attention. Some Southern
young men have been offered very re-
munerative positions in South Africa
and Australia to superintend cotton
growing in those countries
But according to Senator Morgan,
who has given much thought and in
vestigation to the subject, the South
has a monopoly in cotton growing,
which can never be taken away. He
says:
From the James River to the Rio
Grande is the only section in the world
VIII hn f,,ll n
most economically produced.
1.-THE climatic conditions give the
South this monopoly. Nowhere else
in the world do the gentle, warm
spring rains prepare the earth for
the planting. The trade winds, laden
with moisture, bring these rains at
the oppertune season. Then there are
the hot days of the summer so ne
cessary to the maturing of the cotton
plant. The long season from the last
frost in the spring to the first frost in
the autumn give the cotton plant the
necessary time for perfect growth.
1.-THE cool nights of early autumn
cause the bolls to burst, exposing the
fleecy staple ready for harvest and to
be converted into gold.
More fertile land there may be, but
nowhere on the globe are the CHI
matte conditions such as have been
given by the Greater Creator. The
South has a God-given monopoly for
all time over the rest of the world