The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1905-04-12
R||saylE JORDAN TALKS.
Enlightenine Review of the Whole
Cotton Situation.
What the World Needs and Will Use, and
What Amount the South Can Produce
at a Profit.

Atlanta, April S.-President Harvie
Jordan, of the Southern Cotton Asso-
citation. has prepared since his return
from Texas and the other western
States, an article regarding the con-
sumption of American cotton in the
markets of the world, showing exactly
the amount necessary to supply the
demand. Mr.. Jordan points out that
the southern people are still holding
on to their cotton everywhere, and
that this holding coupled with the
vigorous campaign made by the asso-
citation has helped keep the price up.
He shows clearly that another such
crop as the one of last year would re-
suit disastrously to the South. Mr..
Jordan says:
"The American cotton crop Of 1904,
as recently estimated by the United
States census bureau, amounts to
practically 10000 bales. Of this
amount 100000 are yet to be ginned
and about 250, 600 bales are what is
known as linters. or the lint ginned
from the seed at the cotton oil mills.
This amount of cotton is far in excess
of any crop previously grown in the
South. The last bumper crop was
made in 1898 and amounted to 1920,
600 bales. The crop Of 1904 therefore,
exceeds the crop of 1893 by fully 214
million bales.
'sThe consumption of American cot
ton by the .nills of the world at the
present time will amount to II, 600 600
bales per anncm. If the present rate
of consumption is maintained, we
shall still have nearly 21a million bales
from the crop of 1904 to carry over
into the fall of 1905 and to be added
to the crop which will be harvested
during the present year.
'The enormous crop of 13, 500, GOO
bales recently reported from the census
department is, no doubt practically
correct as the bureau claims to have
had Reports from all the ginners
operating in the south and the esti-
mate of the crop was based upon those
reports. If we have surplus of 2 Il
million bales and the consumption of
American cotton is not more than 111a
million bales per annum. 1t is quite
evident.thata crop greater than 90. coo,
600 bales the present year would SIM
ply put the producers in position
of having surplcs and thereby depre
ciating the price of cotton next fall to
figure considerably below the cost of
production. Even the production of
a normal crop in 1905, added to the sur
plus, would give us another abnorml-
nally large crop.
"We have been able to retard the
downward tendency in the price Of
cotton for the past two months be-
cause of the persistent holdings of
spot cotton and the promise on the
part of the producers that the acreage
would be largely decreased IN 1908.
If, however, Oh the Sd day Of June,
when the bureau report is issued by
the United States government, the
acreage in cotton for 1905 is shown
to closely approximate that of 1904.
it will be utterly impossible to maap
tain present prices for cotton. and the
tendency will be downward the bal
ance of the year. In the face # t1e
census bureau report and the undis-;
puted fact that heavy surplus is to
be carried over into the crop of 1905,
it would appear foolhardy indeed for
the growers of cotton to madly rush
forward and recklessly engage in the
planting of another large acreage of
cotton during the present spring.
"There is brit one way out Of the
dilemma in which we are now placed.
The task is not difficult one if every
man will do his full duty in the
premises. That duty is tt, reduce the
cotton acreage on every farm planted
in 1904 by at least rs per cents for