The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-05
WERE FERTILIZER COMPANIES
IN THE CONSPIRACY?

The cotton farmers must fighi
devil. Last Spring, when the specu-
lators were seeking to put down the
price by trying to show that the acre
age would be increased instead of re-
duced, they evidently used some
fertilizer companies to help them in
their nefarious scheme. 1t was
charged that, in order to show a big
increase in acreage certain manufac-
turers Of fertilizers bought many more
tags than were needed in certain
Southern States. This was denied,
but at least as regards one State--the
State of Georgia-the charge was
true. as the following from the news
columns of the Atlanta Constitution
shows:
THE new annual fertilizer bulletin
shows that the department sold fer
tiliZer tags during the season for 713,-
6S2 tons of fertilizers, while the re-
ports of the various fertilizer manu-
facturers and mixers to the depart
mant show that only 51S,S61 tons
were sold in the State during that
period.
Here Is a discrepancy of nearly
200, 900 tons between the number Of
tags sold and the number of tons
actually sold. as reported by the lead
ers.
What has been done with these
tags the department does not know
1t has sold them only to such persons
as are authorized to buy them, and
after that it has no jurisdiction over
them, except to require a tag on
each bag of fertilizer offered for sale
in the State.
1T will be remembered that the
Southern Cotton Association, through
President Harvie Jordan and others
asserted that many tags were bought
and thrown away or destroyed for
the purpose of bearing the cotton
market.
1.-The indications are that the fer
tilizer dealers spent some $4,000 for
tags they did not use. What their
purpose was or what they did with
them the agricultural department
does not know"
THE sales Of tags during the sea-
son just closed were larger than ever
before, the gross receipts being VII
$500 representing 1852 tons.
The sales of tags for the season of
10000 were for $50, tons, and
for the season of 1902-03 for 628,-
484.3 tons"
1t will be interesting If President
Harvie Jordan will follow UP this
matter In all the Southern States and
ascertain how far the scheme was
carried to deceive the public as to the
real acreage in cotton. how much
money was spent to buy the tags that
were not used, and set on foot In
uuiries to ascertain who paid the
money for tags enough for 100000
tons of unused fertilizer in Georgia.
II fertilizer manufacturers were In
league last Spring with man1pulators
to make the acreage appear larger
than IT was, the public ought to know
it and proper punishment should be
inflicted upon all in the conspiracy If
there was no such conspiracy, why
were 1000 more tags bought in
Georgia than were used?
AS to North Carolina: The Agri-
cultural Department has not finished
the reports and Secretary Bruner
could not yesterday furnish the num-
Der of tags sold and the number used.
That information Is promised in a few
days when we shall see whether the
plan worked in Georgia to deceive the
world as to the cotton acreage there
was also In any degree put in opera
ton in North Carolina.
A correspondent of the Springfield