The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-04
THE COTTON FARMERS HEAVY
LOSS.

ton scars upward. Everything the
farmer has to buy and everything he
has to sell except cotton is higher
than last year. Only the price of the
| f1eecy staple drops in price. To show
| how great is the loss to the farmers
| by the slump in the price it is neceS-
| sary only to compare the price of cot
1 ton today with the price one year ago.
| Then the price was over ten cents, or
| more than two cents a pound higher
than now. This difference means
| that the farmers were paid over ten
| dollars a bale more for cotton in 1908
F., than in 1904. If all the cotton of the
| 1908 crop had been sold at ten and a
| half cents and all the cotton in 1904
| had been sold at eight and a half
cents, the slump would cost North
| Carolina about six million dollars.
| But much of the cotton in 1904 sold
| for from twelve to sixteen cents a
pound and the farmer this year sus-
tains a greater loss than six million
dollars.
The cost of making cotton this year
was greater than last. Labor and
fertilizers are higher every agricul-
| tural implement has gone up in price
| the cost of mules has been much
greater all he eats and wears costs
more, SO that the reduced price of
cotton leaves the farmer no margin
| for profit if he is to be paid for his
| labor and his investment. The
Smithfield Herald truly says:
| "a few years ago when cotton was
| selling at seven cents per pound the
| farmers felt that they were making
| but little and such was the case, but
| we take the position that there was
| as much money in cotton then at
seven cents as there is now at nine
| cents. The increase in the price of
! land, mules, farm implements, fertili-
| zers, provisions, labor and other
! things make it so the farmer cannot
| raise crops near so cheap as formerly.
| We claim that the farmers cannot af-
| ford to raise cotton for less than ten
| cents under present conditions
| Experience has shown that the cot
| ton farmers get more gross money
! for small crop than for a large crop
! If the farmers dispose of this crop
at the prevailing prices and put in a
| large acreage next spring, they are
sure to face starvation prices next
| fall.
The remedy? Everything farm
| er raises that mankind can eat is high.
| Let them reduce cotton acreage and
raise truck, cattle, chickens, turkeys
everything that gives food for man
and beast. They can live we'll at
| home then, sell their products at good
prices, and be independent in a sense
| OF the cotton spectators by planting
a decreased acreage in cotton.
| We print elsewhere today an article
| by Mr. L. r. Wyatt prominent cot
| ten grower of Wake county, who pro-
poses plan which he ard other
thoughtful farmers think should be
adopted. He proposes that all news
papers in the cotton States urge the
ginners to advise their customers to
hold their cotton for ten cents, to
borrow money on his cotton If in debt
or in need of money, and then to sell
mot a pound of cotton at less than ten
cents, the surplus to be left in the
hands of those not willing 20 sell AT
that price.
The farmers ir the cotton sections
are face to face with q serious situa-
| ton. If they sell the cotton they have
at prevailing prices they will not
make a dollar for their years work.
| II they hold their cotton for ten cents
| it may do them little good unless they
decrease the acreage next spring.
You can't lose Craven's erstwhile
| sable legislator and banker Isaac II.
| Smith. He is the first man to con-
| tribute to the fund raised for the in
auguration of Mr. Roosevelt the COM
mittee having acknowledged the re-
| ceipt of ten dollars from Isaac. Does
4 the payment of ten dollars give the
| right to ride in a carriage on the