Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1905-08-18
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE OUTLOOK FOR COTTON.
The Crop Will Not Exceed Ten MIL
ion Bales, and Farmers Have
Only to Market Right.

wish to give the cotton situation as
it presents itself to-day as being the
most favorable for high price cotton
that has presented itself in twenty
years. To commence with was the
year 1908 with no surplus cotton
ahead, 1904 crop was 13,5S4,457, Of
which we will consume by September
/ about 12,500,000 bales, leaving about
100000 bales to start business of Sep
Der /, 1905, and then taking the pros
pect of the crop of 1905 not being over
a nine million bale crop, and taken &C
cording to acreage and condition up to
last report, you can only figure crop
of 1897, 756. To that you add 100000
You then have only 1897 ,556, about
two and half million short from the
consumption of 1905 to so over to 1906,
not saying word about the peace
prospect or extension of our cotton
trade.
Now to take any more cotton than
above figures we should have to make
more per acre than five years av-
eIage, which now looks to be impossi-
BILE as our crop report is now below
the average. (See the crop report of
1900 to 19O5) We have the shortest
acreage this year and the lowest re-
port, except one, in the five years.
In 1903 our acreage was 2S,014,S6O,
and we made 9S51,129 which brought
us $500, 549, 230S2, and the crop of 1904
we had 80 ,453, 800 acres, and made 49,
5S4 ,457 bales that brought us S647, 4O5,-
534.51.
Notwithstanding the crop of 1903
was less than that of 1904 by 3,491 1856
bales, yet it brought us less money by
$13, 143, 69731, notwithstanding we paid
out for labor alone to raise the crop
of 1904 more than we did 1908 crop by
$1S,349 $50. You see small crop pays
us much better, and small acreage is
the key to the cotton situation. The
acreage for 1905 is about 26,779, 03S, the
smallest that has been in the last five
years, and with the average for five
years multiplied with the acreage OF
1905, it makes crop of about nine
million bales. Figure from any stand
you please and you can't figure over a
ten million bale crop, and it can be
figured as low as eight million for 1905
with belieyable figures.
So, you see with intelligent market
ing your crop, we may expect good
price, and. the thing to do when cotton
drops below ten cents is to stop right
off selling your cotton; and not insist
on cotton going over 1874 cents for
high prices are just as destructive to
our good as low prices. Don't think
that since we have been successful in
forcing the price up one time to living
prices that we can do anything we
wish to. You must remember that there
are other places than can raise cotton
besides the states Of the south.
But you need not fear competition
anywhere as long as cotton stays be-
low 121s cents. There is nothing I'M
der the sun you can clothe man with
as cheap as you can with cotton al
1917 cents. For instance, take suit OF
cotton goods worth ten dollars, put
them on the scales and weigh them
and they won't weigh ten Iounds. So
you see that the producer Of the raw
material only gets one dollar Of thai
money when he gets ten cents pei
pound for his cotton. You take youl
hat that you wear every day on youl
head and it costs you 81. Weigh it ant
it won't weigh five ounces; so you SET
the farmer only gets two and hal
cents for the raw material for his hat
and perhaps he might have been thu
very man who raised that cotton an(
sold it for 021s and brought it bacl
in the shape of hat for 81; so vol
see there Is a great margin between
the farmer and manufacturer, though
it is important that we should no
cripple our home manufactures w
should all work tremendously togethe
and get a good living out of our labor
and our products and equally divid,
the profit Then America can manu-
facture her own cotton to a finish AM
send her finished goods to the foreign
countries instead of her raw material
Cotton will be the king of Europ
and the south the queen of the coun
try So brother Alliapcemen take fresl
courage. This can only come by or
ganization Of the wise heads of tn
south; then by all means get our force
in good shape, and then farming in tn
south for nothing but the pleasure o
Europe will be day of the past.
Market your cotton as long as i
stays from ten to twelve and ahali
but just as soon as it gets below tel
cents stop right off and positively re
fuse to sell until some one will see fl
to give you ten cents, which will al
ways come If it can't be bought TO
less.
If you are not a member of som
farmers organization, go at once an
join the Farmers Alliance or Cotto
Growers association and get ready 10
the battle and make the south prosper
Gus and thes people will be happy
Your servant,
W. X. CULBRETH.
Robson Co., N. C.
THE CULTURE OF PECANS.