The progressive farmer and the cotton plant., 1905-08-29
"CAN THE SOUTH SUPPLY THE
WORLD WITH COTTON ?"
A Cotton Farmer Replies to Mr.. Hutton
of the British Cotton Growing Asso-
citation.

address OF MI. ArJnur 1uIIOu De1OlS
the British Cotton Growing Associa-
tion at Mancester, June 10, 1905,
headed, "Can We Produce Enough
Cotton?"
Yes, American can raise plenty Of
cotton to supply the worlds demand
for at least five hundred years to
come. All that America wants to be
assured of is, Will the world pay a
fair price for Americas output of
cotton? If so, the farmers will raise
the cotton. But by experience we,
as the farmers of America, have
learned that big crops don't pay us,
because of the fact that it has al
ways been when We raise a large
crop, prices fall below cost of pro-
duction, and when the world learns
to pay fair price for the glorious
staple of the Sunny South, she will
then raise the cotton for the worlds
supply. But experience has taught
us we must curtail the acreage in or
der to keep the price above the cost
of production, and as soon as Eu
rope learns to pay a fair price for
her cotton. the fourteen Southern
States can raise 25,0GO,000 bales OF
the feecy staple-some years more
ard some years less, according to the
seasons.
Mr.. Hutton goes on to say that
America is aiming to-day to reduce
the production of cotton so as to
keep the price up. What we want
is a large supply of cheap cotton"
What ] have to say in behalf of our
farmers of America is that If Eu
rope wants cotton below cost of pro-
duction, let her raise it. The farm
ers of America have raised enough
cotton under production for Europe,
England, or even her own trade. The |
thing now for every man who raises |
a pound of cotton is to know how
much cotton the world is willing to |
pay you a fair Price for and set |
your acreage only to make that much |
and no more.
Mr.. Hutton says America needs |
to plant 2S,OOO,OOO acres at 203 |
pounds per acre. Well, now you see
we have this year less than 27,00O,-
600, and we never have made that |
average per acre except in 1898 when
the average was 219 pounds. The |
average for the five years is only |
about 16S per acre, and from these
figures we can't expect more than
about 100000 bales crop for 1905.
We may as well look forward to a
shortage of cotton on which to run
the mills for 1906 by 100000 bales.
You may readily see why Mr.. Hut
ton is becoming alarmed. Of course,
it is very serious situation, but it
is not so serious with the mills of
Europe to pay living price for the
raw material as it is for the farm
ers of America to raise cotton with
which to clothe the world for less
than the cost of production. There
is plenty of room between the price
of the raw cotton and of the finished |
article as it comes to the farmer for
them to pay good price for cotton.
And it is cheaper to pay us good
price for our cotton than to raise it
in South Africa or anywhere else
The South is the natural home for
the cotton plant. 1t thrives better
here in the Southern States of
America than anywhere under the
sun, and God gave the Southern
farmer of America the advantage of
the entire world on cotton, and it has
all my life been a mystery why we
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