The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-16
A State Cotton Growers's Association
 Shnuld he NrRnnixed in Alabama.

A State Cotton Growers's Association
 Should be Organized fin Alabama.
 The newspapers of the past few days are full of accounts of meetings Of lar mers and others interested In cotton in the county seats of great numbers of counties in all the principal cotton growing States. In The Advertiser alone in two days have appeared ac- counts of ten such county meetings in this State to consider the cotton situation. There have como to my at
 tention within two days notices or these meetings in the counties of Bull lock, Butler, Calhoun. Cullman, Escam- bia, Lee, Limestone, Hale and Marshall. Doubtless numerous other counties have held meetings that have been re- ported in other papers than The Ad- vertiser or of which reports have not found their way into the columns of the press. The same thing is going on throughout the South. Nothing like such a unanimous movement has been known before. Almost invariably these meetings have declared that the farm CTS will curtail the acreage. in most cases the amount of the reduction be- ing placed at 25 per cent. In equally emphatic and sincere terms the farm CTS have expressed their determination to hold the cotton now on hand for higher prices.
 Yet up to the time that this is writ ten prices have not responded to these announcements. This is doubtless be- cause buyers do not believe that there is enough cohesion and organization among farmers to enable them to act together. even on this vital matter. [. This indicates the need for more com plete organization. Buyers would be influenced far more by the declaration of a State Cotton Growers Associa- tion than by the reports of even a num- Der of county meetings
 The above constitutes one of the im- mediate reasons for the formation of an Alabama Cotton Growers Associa- tion, similar in scope to the State or ganization of cotton planters that is now doing such effective work in Texas, not only in the matters of reducing acreage and of holding cotton. but in many other ways.
 gency for the formation of State as- sociations is in order that the general organizations whose province is the entire cotton growing South may be more strongly supported and their work brought more closely to the attention of the individual farmer. Indeed, if any plan is adopted at the New Or leans meeting that requires any but the most natural agencies to carry it into effect. then the existence Of State associations of cotton growers will be almost indispensable.
 Moreover. when the lapse of time shall have carried us beyond the pres ent crisis, there will remain equally momentous reasons for the continuati ton of the united action of cotton growers. A State organization would tend to encourage the continuation of the county organizations.
 After the settlement of the questions now in the forefront will come in the need for united action in making known the danger that is rapidly approaching us as the boil weevil spreads eastward. Its presence in Alabama could cause a shrinkage in agricultural values even greater than that from the slump in cotton. Yet cotton is successfully grown in Texas in the boil weevil re- gions in spite of the scourge. This is largely due to the thoroughness of the agricultural organizations that are car rying to the farmers in every school district in Texas the lesson of how to overcome the difficulties. To spread this gospel of aid and enlightenment when the evil day comes would alone be a sufficient reason for perfecting the organization of farmers.
 A more immediate duty of farmers organizations is to aid in educating the mass of farmers how to prepare for the coming of the weevil. that his presence may not bring utter bankruptcy.
 At the meetings of the State Associ- ation, and afterwards in the county and neighborhood meetings, tho follow ing are some of the important ques- tions that should be discussed: The improvement, in the yield or quality of cotton through. seed selection; de- monstrations. of the methods of judg- ing individual cotton plants for seed selection; varieties adapted to special |conditions: blackroot and other dis eases: the rational use of fertilizers; methods of improving exhausted soils other branches of agriculture best to combine with cotton raising, other farm crops, and numerous other subjects bearing on the economical production of cotton.
 These columns are open for the dis cussion of this subject. At the present time few topics are more opportune than this Let those who desire to be heard on this speak promptly, for to be of much benefit in reference to the questions now pending the first session of the proposed Alabama Cotton Grow CTS Association should be held at an early date, preferably before March. J. F. Duggar.