The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1905-05-10
Mr.. PRICE ON COTTON FARMING.
Makes Money for the Producer on Pa.
pers--Can the Producer Make it Out
of the Ground?

of the Ground?
Mr.. Theodore H. Price has not as
much credit with the Southern farmers
as he had during the period in which he
was employing his best endeavors to
obtain as high prices for cotton as
could be cotton. No one questions,
however, that Mr.. Price is an admira-
bly, informed man regarding industrial
conditions in the South, and that any
thing that he may say about the pro-
duction and marketing of our great sta
pie is entitled to careful consideration.
Speaking before the New England
Cotton Manufacturers Association in
Boston the other day, Mr.. Price made
some observations upon cotton farmers
and cotton farming which, while they
may not be entirely pleasant reading to
those whom they seem to criticise, they
are at least due reproduction for their
benefit. Among other things Mr.. Price
said: "The cost of cotton production as
ascertained by the United States Gov
ernment for the crop Of 1S96-97 was on
the average 4.91 cents per pound. Af-
ter allowing fer land rental of $2.91
per acre, the net cost in that year be-
ing, therefore about cents per pound.
The production that season was 172
pounds per acre. The production this
year is 240 pounds per acre, and the in
dicated cost, therefore 25 per cent less,
or probably not over l-2 cents per
pound after allowing for the increased
cost of picking. Ten cents per pound
would, therefore, represent profit of
200 per cent, while z cents per pound
means profit of 100 per cent If any
organized monopoly attempted to rea-
lize such profits as these there is no
doubt that legislation would find a way
to deal with it or the competition would
speedily invade its field.
This is a rather novel view of the
situation of our farming interests, but
we have no intention of commenting
upon it at length, adversely or other
wise at the present time. We are at
tempting only to give here the state
worth, and we will leave for another
time, and possibly to other hands, a re-
View of the merits of the facts and in
ferences that he advances. Not con-
tent with showing that even with cot
ton at cents the Southern farmer is
monopolist who should excite the envy
and opposition of those engaged in 9TH
er industries, Mr.. Price puts forward
the further opinion that if he would work
harder, attend to business more strictly,
exercise greater economy, and develope
more intelligence in the conduct of his
work, that his profits would be yet
more enormous. Mr.. Price says; "The
cotton crop of the United States is pro-
badly less carefully cultivated and more
wastefully handled than any other of
our great staples. 1t is estimated by
the closest students of the subject that
intelligent methods of culture, picking
and transportation would effect an
economy of not less than 20 per cent,
or probably not less than ! cent per
pound. If the South could be brought
to realize, and in time 1T will be brought
to realize, that it's true policy is to de-
crease the cost of it's production, and
by so doing increase the demand for
that production, new era of pros
perity will dawn for both the manu-
facturer and the planter.
All of this is extremely interesting,
and there is doubtless some foundation
for the assertion which Mr.. Price
makes. The farmers of the South are
steadily making improvements in their
methods of farming. Great strides in
this direction have been taken within
the last decade, and we have no doubt
that the Improvements will be yet
more remarkable within the next few
years. Nevertheless, there is small ex-
pectation that our planters will abon-
don the effort which they are now MAX
ing to obtain 10 cents per pound for
their cotton, by controlling the produc-
tion of the staple, in order to devote
themselves exclusive to the the things
which Mr.. Price assures them are cal
culated to enable them to get rich
quickly. News and Courier.