The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-06-06
THE COTTON ACREAGE.

Rotueen these two figures all the estimates
uonop beginning with Latham, Alexander & Co.,
- II Is per cent and the Government at 1114,
and going up to the Southern Cotton Associa-
tiop's report of 1874 per cent reduction.
The official report of the United States Depart
rent of Agriculture was published Saturday, and
!; of enough interest to warrant it's publication
in full
"Returns to the chief of the bureau of statistics
If 1be Department of Agriculture show the total
area planted in cotton in the United States up to
Nav % to be about 2S,12O,00O acres, decrease of
about 3.610,OO0 acres, or 11.4 per cent from the
total acreage planted last year. The average con-
dition of the growing crop on May 25 was 77.2,
as compared with SO on May 26, 1904; 74.1 at the
corresponding date in 1903, and ten year aver
ace of S53. The percentage of decrease in
acreage in the different States (the comparison
being with the total area planted last season. is
as follows: Virginia 13 North Carolina 10, South
Carolina H. Georgia II, Florida 10, Alabama s,
Mississippi u, Louisiana IA, Texas II, Arkansas
Is. Tennessee 10, Missouri IA, Oklahoma II, In
dian Territory 10. The condition of the crop by
States on May 25 was as follows: Virginia 81,
North Carolina S3, South Carolina 79, Georgia
81. Florida SS, Alabama 81, Mississippi 73, Louis
lana 73 Texas SO, Arkansas 73, Tennessee SO, Mis-
souri, 81 Oklahoma SO, Indian Territory 81"
Southern Cotton Association as sent out from
New Orleans last Wednesday:
The estimated acreage for 1904 as indicated
by the report of the United States government
amounted to 81 73O, 900 acres The decrease in
the acreage for 1905 as shown by our tabulated
statement which was compiled from 1874 indi-
vidual reports from farmers, merchants, bankers
and Others throughout the cotton belt, fixes the
acreage this year at 25,980,951 acres, a decrease
of 1913 per cent with 1905 per cent decrease in
fertilizers"
The discrepancy between these two reports
the Cotton Associations estimate of reduction
being more than SO per cent higher than that of
the GOvernment-is very marked, and Secretary
Cheatham has sent letter to the Department of
Agriculture requesting a full explanation of its
method of computing the acreage. The Associa-
tion he says has been most painstaking in its eff
forts to get at the exact facts, and it is hard to
understand how it's 800 reporters could have
erred so broadly.
We cannot escape the conclusion that for
North Carolina at least the official Government
report of reduction is too low. The Progressive
Farmers reports from each county were made not
by officers of the Cotton Association, but by the
Nlce-Presidents of the Farmers State Conven-
ton, and they indicated cut of about 20 per
cent IN acreage. Then Secretary Parker compiled
his reports from the officers of the Cotton Asso-
cation, which showed % per cent less area
planted than last year. And our State Depart
ment of Agriculture, relying yet another lot
OF correspondents, found the reduction to be 2112
per cent Moreover, Latham, Alexander & Co.'s
estimate for our State is Is per cent. In the face
u all these facts, we are not prepared to accept
as conclusive the Governments report of only 10
per cent smaller acreage
But Of course, North Cardinals crop will not
materially affect the result And here are the gen.
eral estimates of reduction to date: Latham,