The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-01-06
rAesMnRs WARnsps


10 the Editot sste:
s.: : have notied the prop0Sif ion st
Certain cotton merchants in which
they splicit shipments Of cotton from
the farms 81, offering free storage with
che privilege of using the cotton In
their business and agreeing to settle
for 1t at any time desired by the ship
pers at the current price at time Of
settlement. :is
have no cYtticismst to mako OF the
cotton men making this proposition,
but wish to warn farmers against
accepting 1t IL they hope to realize
any bene At from holding their cotton.
am informed that number OF mills
| In this country and also in Europe
have been pursuing hand to mouth
policy, buying oaly cotton for present
needs and having only a small supply
on hand. II this Is the case and the
COTTON now.tn farmers hands is abso-;
lutely withheld from the market a
demand will soon be created, stocks
Will be depleted and spinners will be
forced to buy cotton or close their
mills. Nowifthe cotton Is consigned
TO exporters under the proposition re-
ferred to above, these exporters can
go right on supplying the mills as
they need 1t from week to week and
month to month, there will therefore
be no Withholding OF the cotton, no
pressure on the spinner, in fact moth
ing to create an .ctual demand or
cause any advance in the price, the
farmer will simply be spiking his own
gun. If any pressure Is brought to
bear on the market the cotton must
be kept at home or stored in the near.
est warehouse.
To illustrate, suppose the price Of
cotton seed was down at flgue to-.
tally unremunerative and unsatisfac.
tory to the farmer and the oil mills
were to send out circulars agreeing to
take all the seed and promising to
settle at current prices at time re.
qufred during the season, and the seed
was delivered to them under these
conditions, is 1t not manifest that
with the seed In their posses sion,
their mills running on full ltime, there
would be no incentive to force an ad
vance in price, but, suppose the seed
were hauled away from the gins, car
ried back to the farm and deter.
mination shown to put them in the
ground as fertilizer rather than &C
cept unsatisfactory prices, the effect
would be almost instantaneous, mills
would be obliged to pay remunerative
EpriceS or shut down. and the chances
are that they would pay
The same principle applies to cot
ton; it is true 6hat is cannon pe put
back In the gronnd as fertilizer as the
seed, but it will keep. and it is cheap
er to keep 1t than to raise it at pres.
ent prices.
The crop last year vas q little over
fearing a cotton famine, went wild.
This years crop is estimated at 20 per
cent. over last years crop and they 90
equally wild in the other direction.
There was little reason for last years
extreme advance and less for this
years decline. The bears In the mar
ket, basing their opinions on the gin
aers' report, estimate that the crop
will be over $4,000, 900 bales and they
act as II they Thought that every bale
Of this cotton would be thrust on the
market, that there would be more
than enough to go around, and conse-
quently there is nc necessity for them
to pr even cost of prodSstion for it,.
! Ley forget that ~ " al bout as
cheap to buy cotton at present prices
as t. raise it where commercial ferti-
lizers are used, and while the crop
:naJ equal or exceed the government
estimate, it won'y be sold at current
never and probably will never be
counted In the crop Of 1904-1905 unless
there is material advance in the
price, because rather than accept cur.
rent prices 1t Will pay better to store
the cotton and borrow money on IL.
a 500 pound bale Of cotton ut present
price, at initial point, is "a cents,
equals S33-75. To carry this one year
at 8 per cent. would be less than I l..
for the cotton, while such action, II
at all unanimous, would advance the
price probably two or three cents per
pound.
My advice is to plant the lands In
tobacco. corn, oats, peas, sugar cane,
raise hogs curtail cotton acreage and
wait till the world wants cotton at
remunerative prices. B.
| Marion, Dec %, 1904.
|
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