The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1905-08-04

THE COTTON CROP.
The Outlook for Good Prices Is Host
Excellent
The Farmers Have Only to Marke
tho Drop Dare efully and Prop
erly to Reap Profit.

The farmers of the South have
things in their own hands now, and If
they will act with each other they
will reap rich reward, not only this
year, but for all years. The cotton
situation at this time is more favora
bic for high price cotton this fall
than we have had in years. At the
close Of the year 1904 there was no
surplus cotton, and by September lat
II 5000 bales of che 13.584,457
bales made in 1904 will have been con-
sumed. This will leave about ,OOO,.
900 bales to start business on Septem
Der 1, 1905. The present years crop
will hardly exceed 5000 600 bales.
To that you add the 1000, 900 bales
brought over, and you have only TO-.
000,0 bales, about 2 100000 bales
short Of the consumption Of 1906.
To make more cotton than indicat.
ed above we would have to make more
per acre than we haYe made for the
past five years, which hardly seems
possible IL the crop reports are to be
relied upon. According to the reports
we have the shortest acreage this year
and the lowest report, except one, in
the five years. Ia 1908 our acreage
was 80, OLA, $50, and we made $751;.
l29, which brought $500, $40, ,23O 82,
in the crop Of 1904 We bad 80 453, 600
acres, and made l3 584, 457 bales, that
brought $G47 406, ,534.51. These fig.
ures are interesting, and we shall
pursue them further.
The crop Of 1903 was 3,49l, 1856 bales
less than crop Of 1904, yet IT. brought
more money by 8l3 143,879 81. 1t
will thus be seen that it pays better
to raise moderatr crop than very
large one. The acreage for 1905 is
about 26 779 ,O38, the smallest that
we have had in the last five years, ar d
with the average for five years multi
piled with the acreage Of 1906, 1t
makes crop Of about nine million
bales. Figure from any standpoint
you please and you can't figures over n
ten million bale crop, and it can be
figured as low as eight million for 1905
with plausible figures.
In the fac, Of the above figures, IT
Is very plain that IL the farmers mar.
ket the crop inteligently good prices
are bound to prevail. The present
crop Is worth ten cents and not a
pound of 1t should be sold below that
figure. The thing for the farmer to
do when cotton COOS below ten cen ts Is
to put 1t In o warehouse and wait for
5asrise, hnt do ,n9t t.,sist,snn. tnn tishla
price, as that would do more h. - than
good. Do not think that because we
have won one great victory you can
push cotton toa very high price. You
must remember that there are other
the States OF the South. But you
need not fear competition as long as
cotton stays below 123 cents. There
is nothing under the sun you can
ciothe man with as cheap as you can
with c)tton at l23 cents.
Properly handed, cotton will be
king again, and will make the South
In time the richest country In the
world So, let us all take courage,
and stick together. This can only pe
done by thorough organization Of all
the business intere ts OF the South
We are all In the same boat with the
man that makes the cotton. What
ourts him hurts US all. So then let
ns get our forces in good shape and
vic ory IS 1urs. Farmers, market
your cotton as long az it STAYS from
ten to twelve and a half cents, but
just as soon az 1T gets below ten cents
stop right off and positively refuse TO
sell until some on will see fit to give
you ten cents, which will always come
II 1T can't be bought for less. II you
are not already member go at once
and join the Southern Cotton Associa
ton, which has certainly done q granC
work for the South this wear,