The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-01-06
SELLING PRICE
tains Startling Data.

The November report OF the South
Carolina section of the weather bu-
reau service, just out, contains much
that Is Of interest to farmers and all
others who keep up with crop condl-
ti0ns
The mcst interesting and valuable
portion of the report Is In the nature
OF reminder, or advice, to farmers
as to what makes tho value of the
cotton crop, and this Is especially
timely just now when there are so
many bizarre notions as to how to In
crease the price. The report shows
that the return on the crop to the In
dividual farmer is represented not by
the price per tale, but by the price
per acre, and some comparisons be-
tween South Carolina and Texas are
made which illustrate the point.
The report says on t. is line:
It is the common opinion that the
selling price II an agricultural pro-
aann:et Is a.loac tic measure CT !ts r-oat-
ableness. Theoretically this Is true,
but in actual Practice it is not wholly
true, and in some instances Is not
even the most important factor,
when productiveness Is compared
with crop prices
BY far the greater part OF what
the average farmer raises Is for use
and consumption on his farm, and the
residue is the surplus on which alone
the selling price has any effect SO far
-es thesfarmer,s finances are concerned.
The case is different with the cotton
farmer, for thS entire prod uctfon Ui
this staple must be sold. and none can
be plotitably consumed on the farm,
and yet series of comparisons would
Indicate that the selling price Of Cot
ton is less important than the pro-
ductiveness per acre, In calculating
the prOftablcnesS OF this crop.
The state ment that more money
is received for a ANAL than for large
2 Us he. le4 49,
IamOunG or money recsived for the;
smaller crop represents a loss to the
cotton planter, in comparison with
the smaller amount received for the
larger crop. This view is less COM
mon, and it is based, Of course, on
the larger yield per acre Of q large
crop than a Small one. 1t may b. as
sumed as an approximate fact that
the cost Of cultivating an acre Of cot
ton varies but little from year to
year, far less than the price per
pound or the yield per acre, ard it
may also be assumed to be constant
in tho same locality, however widely
1t may vary in different loalities.
To illustrate all Of the foregoing
points, the value per acre has been
calculated for the total cotton crop OF
South Carolina and Texas for num-
ber OF years, selected to represent the
conditions briefly stated above. In
the value per acre, in South Carolina,
was sl4 90; in Texas, s22. so; the price
Fer pound was 1l.2 cents. In 1894.
the value for South Carolina was
Sl4.30; for Texas, $3.50; the price
per pound 60 cents. In 1896 the
vaiua' were, fer South Caralipa,
$3.50; for Texas, slO 80; the price
per pound 10 cents. In 1898, the
year of greatest production for which
values are available, the values were,
for South Carolina, sll; for Texas,
sl3 80; the price per pound 5.9 cents.
\ The limits of this article will not
~ !. :, ooffrnit = full discussion Of the ,wea ther
.t .i"ate5r e5revailed, and the acreage cul-
Mounts. in connection with the
no safely s,allzed per acre, but Ii can
nore W. ia the cited that the yield per
@ mrof,ta tablenesS E.6lling factor in the
pather thaIS OF raising cotton,
iaroe yicl1 the price per pound. A
the mod and high price would be
the I.st profitable ombination, but
sart ule of supply and demand as
ors itself very quickly in such cases,
Grating On the variable factor, L. !,
ie pvice. The conclusion is that In.
ensive farming will do more to make
COTTON raising profitable than will
varying the acreage from year to year
in the hope OF raising the price by
limi ting production or increasing the
acreage to supply an existing deticl.
ency at high prices. If the supply
can be made fairly constant the price
will remain fairly constant. The
effect Of the weather on the growing
crop is, after all, the main factor in
the pre- fitableness Of raising cotton. f"
2 PROGRESS OF FARM WORK.
AS to the progress Of farm work
during November the bulletin says:
THE weather conditions through
out 1Hs,Sssswember were favorable for
= as,a gsA,ct crops remained in the