The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1905-01-18
PLAn, 70 REDUCE ACREAGE.
Laurens Planter to Utilize Futures
as Insurance.

Iaurcns, January = III cOttOl
drops to six cents pound shall
plant not an acre.
The speaker was a cotton grove
who produces usually about one hun
dred bales on his plantation. He is
moreover, a calculating man who
knows precisely what be is doing OF
his farm as well as i'm other lines Of
business in which he is engaged
When The News and Courier CORES
pondent questioned him as to The
quoted declaration it was with some
reluctance that he replied, but here
are his ideas outlined
81 am not alone in this intention.
| know Of at least one other planter
who produces crop Of two hundre d
bales who will pursue the same
plan.
"'Wbat do l mean to do?" Why,
| shall buy contract for future de.
livery Of hundred bales of cotton
December !, 1908. l shall put my
plantation in other crops, mainly
peas. | think it is pretty safe to say
that Lean realize seventy.five cents
the bushel for peas next fall and OF
course shall plant plenty of corn,
small grains, potatoes, peanuts, sor-
ghum and other provender crops.
Moreover, | expect to have fair crop
Of hay, but peas will be the main
product. OF course it will not be
necessary to use much commercial fer.
tilizer, and tie plantation " III be per-
manently bettered by the years rest.
Nothing, as is we'll known, improves
land more than pea crop. Moreover,
pea-vine hay is one Of our most valu-
able crops.
'The facts are these ! can't grow
cotton for less than six cents pound.
This is based on the carefully noted
experiences Of ten years on this plan
tetion, and all the factors in the cost
of production, labor, fertilizer, inter
est on Investment, wear and tear on
live stock and implements, etc. have
been counted. Thus l can buy one
hundred bales of cotton, at six cents,
just as cheap as can possibly make
them. If l undertake to raise tho
one hundred bales and the price drops
two cents the pound / shall have lost
that two cents in the making. If it
drop on the contract two cents the
pound, l shall, Of course, put up the
necessary margins and not let my con.
tract be sacrificed. It follows thet.I
cannot possibly lose any more on the
contract than would lose in tho ao-
tual production when the contract is
bought at price identical with the
cost Of production. The brokerage
commissions on the contract are, Of
course, o small incident.
Meanwhile, to protect myself
against the loss on the contract I shall
have the profit on the peas and other
products on the farm. am satisfied
that l can at least make the farm self
sustaining as to its labor and stock by
other crops than cotton, and while the
profits would Lot be equal to those in
ten cent cotton crop they will be
more than .hcse ;H s:z cent eot.oa
crop. In short, I think it fairly safe
to say that / can make as much profit
out Of other crops as T. can out Of
aeven cents cotton, and the improve
ment Of the soil due to the rest from
cotton will in itself be an additional
net profit in the long run.
"Of course I shall deal not with
epeculators in buying this contract,
but with cotton brokerage firm Of
euch recognised standing that risk as
TO it's compliance with the contract
will be practically eliminated.
''By pursuing this plan I shall for
one contribute to the reduction 10 the
cotton acreage which all intelligent
cotton producers regard as necessary
to maintain the price of cotton at q
profit paying basis in the coming
years.
"It seems to me-" added the plan
ter, in conclusion, ".hat the planter
Of the South may avail themselves of
the cotton future system to absolutely
protect the cotton growing industry.
Once it is known what it costs to
produce cotton and at what cost other
crops may be produced, the cotton
farmer can tell eraetly when to grow
cotton aud when to abstain from it.
Once the Southern farmer finds out
that this is not necessarily q one crop
country, he will be independent, and
the cotton future system offers con-
venient expedient in tho way Of insur-
snce. Of course I do not cohtom-
plate that the price of cotton will
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