Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1905-04-12

sections of the country, in the heart
of the cotton growing section in the
State, where the use of guano was
greater than any other section last
year, they received up to March 23d,
5000 tons of guano up to March
Odd of this year 1900 tons of guano--
by actual count, just one-ffth of the
amount used last year.
"From every point comes the cry
that ;nano has been curtailed at least
40 per cent. AS circumstantial evil
dence of this fact, l am in position
to prove that guano companies of
this State are offering to ship fertili-
zers to the interior points on con-
signment, and IN case the fertilizer is
sold, well and good if not, they
will pay the freight and rebag it if
not used this year. If their sales
were so large and exceeding last
years sales, it does not appear to
any sensible man that they would
make such an offer as this.
eve are employing men to COM
pare 1904 and 1905 as to the receipts
OF guano at the shipping points of the
State. We have also men in the
field who are taking the name of
every farmer in South Carolina, and
having him to state over his sigma
ture how much fertilizer he has
bought this year in comparison with
last year. The first part of May we
propose to issue statement showing
accurately, so far as mans word can
be taken, and the receipts of the
railroads at the shipping points csn
be taken, just exactly the status of the
guano question in South Carolina.
"We do not know what motive has
prompted anyone to make the asser-
tion that more fertilizer is being used
this year than last, nor do we pro-
pose to question motives. All we
propose to do is to deal with plain
facts; and we propose that the
farmers of this State shall be bene-
flied by it. They are not all liars.
eve prefer to take the word of
the farmers and business men of this
country who are interested in the
general welfare of the country rather
than that of an individual who has
an axe to grind.
"We do not want and are quite
sure that the State at large and the
South in general will not be startled
or frightened from their stand by the
prophecies of the Sage of Olar. We
presume that this gentleman loves
money, being human, and as he pre-
diets, in the rise of cotton several
years ago that he benefited thereby,
and is in position financially to be
independent of any fluctuations of
the market, and as some prophetic
power has descended upon him again
to forecast the future of the cotton
market, we presume that he will still
further enhance the value of his
exchequer. The gifts of the gods
are marvellous things indeed. Would
that we were among the fortunate.
"From Texas has come direct from
President Jordan, in letter received
by me to-day, news that Texas is re.
ducing her acreage, according to the
New Orleans plan from Mississippi
comes the cheering news that Missis-
sippi has reduced hers, under the in
fluence of such men as President
Clark, John Sharp Williams, Gov.
Vardaman and John Allen. From
Louisiana similar news, that they are
not going to reduce but have already
reduced, in that they have planted
two thirds of their crop.
From Alabama Bob Poole, secre-
tary of agriculture President Sey-
more, and their corps of organizers,
who are canvassing the field. In fact
every cotton State is making a simi-
lar report. Even here in South
Carolina with the woeful wall from
Bamberg ringing in our ears, and
with the colossal pile of 100000