The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-11-17
BACK FROM TEXAS.
President Smith Says tho Prospect
Everywhere is Encouraging.

Everywhere 10 Encouraging.
Re port OF Crop Conditions liz.
suod by tho southern Cotton
Association is Worry
Encouraging.
The Columbia State says Mr.. e. d
Smith, field agent of the Southern
Cotton Association was in Columbia
last week and vas elated over the
cotton conditions. He said:
Il am just back from q tour of the
West where l have been In the In.
forest of the Southern Cotton asso.
citation, to meet the executive COM
mittee Of the Texas division. In At.
lanta I was Joined by President Jor.
dan and we together went via Vicks.
burg and Shreveport. This carried
us through Mississippi, Louisiana and
q part OF Texas. Throughout Missis
sippt the cotton crop is certainly az
short or shorter than has been report
I'd. Tho frost and worms, so far as
u obSely Ation went, have complete.
ly destroyed all prospect of any thing
like q crop from the late cotton or top
crop of the old cotton.
From V%tcksburg to Shreveport,
between which two points is the delta
OF the Mississippi and Red rivers and
unquestionably the finest cotton lands
Of the world. there will not be made
more than 45 to SO per cent. of last
years yield. Near Monroe. La, where
is the very cream of the delta, there
Is practically no cotton at all. Thous.
ands OF acres have been abandoned
and thousands Lave been only parti.
ally tended, with q net result that
the Louisiana crop Is practically q
failure.
AT Shreveport, where we missed
connection and had to lie over for six
hours, we had an opportunity Of In
~terViewinR cotton men and business
men and they confirmed the impress.
sion that we had received from cur
own observation. From Shreveport to
Dallas we went through q portion of
the best cotton lands Of Texas and
the same condition obtained through.
out this portion of the State. AT
Dallas the State fair was In progress
and representatives of evey county in
the State, also the members OF the
executive committee, were present.
The 2acts. as stated by these DIFF
ferent parties, are to the IF ct that
In d eastern, central and northern
portions of Texas the crop was from
80 to IS per cent. short of last year.
In western Texas, where the boil
Weevll Is most numerous, his ravapes
have not been 80 great this year as a
consequence the western II xas crou
Is as good or better than last year's.
but 1T must be understood that this
means q restricted area and the pro.
duction per acre does not exceed more
than one half crop this yeer as com.
pared with the same territory with.
out the weevil. l think it would he
a conservative estimate to place the
shortage IN Texas alone at / 200, 600
paIes. from liz xaS we returned via
Texarkana and Memphis.
This took us through the entire
State OF Arkansas where we had am-
pie opportunity of seeing the crop In
that State and practically the same
per cent. of shortage was evident.
The frost In Arkansas seems to hsys
been more destructive than in any
other State with the exception of
northern Georgia.
From my observation OF the crop
In every State, for / hay, Visited all
save Florida, the estimate Issued by
the Southern Cotton ass collation.
making the crop for this year 9444,.
600 bales as ginned (Which does not
include Of course, linters) Is a cor
sentative one.
Certainly we have succeeded at
last In convincing the world of the
shortness OF this crop, hence the price
fixed at Asheville has been reached.
| do not feel that / have the right 10
advise the farmers to hold beyond
this price, but 1t Is my opinion that
we Will see much higher prices In the
immediate future and even though II
cents has been reached, 1T will not be
wisdom OH the part OF the farmers to
rush the cotton to market, for the
reason that 1t might have a tendency
to depress prices temporarily. / think
thai those who will hold Their cot.
ton and market IL slowly from now
on will be amply rewarded as those
who have Loyalty stood for the IL
cents minimum.
Il congratulate the State and the
south on It's winning another victory.
Surely by this time every one will
recognize the work accomplished by
the cotton association and will be
willing to give 1t their support. 1t ia
useless to attempt any argument &c
prove the part we have played In
maintaining the price OF cotton. We
have gained every point we set out tc
gain and have accomplished our OBJ
iect, which is to prove to the world
that we can and will control southern
crop In the interest Of the southern
cotton growers. On account of large
receipts from weak holders throwing
their cotton on the market, brcause OF
the pressure OF debt, the bears were
able through their great leader to de.
press the price Of cotton during the
months of September and October,
and even to brighten some whose faith
was not as strong as it should be, but
now that the position Is securely In
our hands, ! think simple justice de.
mands that we hold the balance OF
our crop until those who took al IAN.
tage of the weakness Of our position
L.