The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-04-23
TO COTTON FARMERS.
An Appeal From One Who Sees Dan
ger Ahead.

Ye who dwell in the cotton belt be
true to the New Orleans cotton con-
Vention resolutions and you are safe,
otherwise you may expect disaster in
the price of cotton.
/. The convention, made up of rep
reSentatiVe men from all parts of the
cotton growing section of our country
said Hold your cotton for 10 cents
or a living price" All will agree that
the slow marketing of the big crop is
what has kept the price of cotton
above the low water mark of cents
a pound. You also know that if the
farmers and business men had
held on to all their cotton and de-
manded ten cents per pound it
would have come as easy as IL
cents per pound. dAnd it would have
been legitimate, because the producer
should have profit on his labor which
he does not get at z IL cents
2. The New Orleans convention said
reduce cotton acreage Is per cent for
1905
Actual count has been made and it
is stated the cotton mills, as yet. do
not wish to handle more than IL 900,
600 bales cotton per annum. Why
make the raw cotton then in too great
quantity for the producer to get q
living price for it? Remember the
law of supply and demand is incon-
trovertible. So, farmers. reduce cotton
acreage, so that you will not set UP a
howl" next fall because of low price
of cotton. Every farmer should do it
himself and then say to his brother
do as / do. / is not worth a cent to
you to say l have never planted much
cotton anyway or / have already re-
duced | or acres from year before
last and the other fellows should do
the cutting off. and that we should
regulate the thing at so much to the
horse, say 10 acres. That is true, and
we hope when We get time to spit in
our hands" the great Interstate S. G.
A. will so regulate the acreage, but we
have no time to do it now. It's plant
ing time, or, let me say, it's the time
mot to plant much.
| shall abide the New Orleans
resolutions myself, and do most earn
estly urge all cotton planters to do
likewise. Let us be true to each other
to the letter. In union there shall be
strength. If any cotton farmer has
never said he would reduce acreage
20 per cent let him now do it. If any
have said SO and find that he is slip
ping away from first principles let him
return and stand firm. All of you are
constantly eXhorted from Harvie Jor-
dan, President S. c. A.. down to town
ship president S. c. A., through all the
me " dDlCle Ill the snip.
g. Reduce commercial fertilz-
er rs per cent. for cotton. This is
easy to do if you will be sure to re-
duce cotton acreage.
Two hundred or four hundred
pounds of guano to the acre in cotton
last year means the same this year
per acre. Just don't have as many
acres by one-quarter.
a. Diversity crops. We all
know it is safe to have a variety that
we may hit on something, always maxi
ing home supplies at home when it
pays.
You just do different from the New
Orleans resolutions and you will call
yourself a fool in the "bye and bye"
unless the good hand of Providence
gives you small cotton crop.
l hope other townships in Halifax
county are at the same kind of work.
Everybody tell everybody about S. S.
Patterson's Commissioner of Agricul-
ture for North Carolina) address on
this matter 1t was endorsed by Gov
ernor Glenn and State Secretary Bryan
Crimes. Keep yourselves in line, my
friends
w. G. Whitaker. Pres. ii. Co. c. S. A.
Enfield, N. C.