The farmer and mechanic., 1906-09-25
Col. Johnson On Cotton
Situation.
1OCENTS REASONABLE

End OF Season.

Perhaps no man in Wake county
the cotton situation than Col. Charles
+. Johnson, of this city, and in an
interview yesterday, after stating the
existing conditions. he advised the cot
ton growers to market their crop
shortly, and not to rush it on the
market during either the first few
months nor the months at the close
of the season. He declared that ten
cents per pound, the minimum price
fixed by the Central Executive Com
mlttee Of the Southern Cotton AsSO-
citation was not unreasonable.
so YOU want to Know about the
cotton crop III this section and about
the situation generally* Well, the
longer man is in the cotton bust
ness and the more he thinks about it.
the more satisfied he is OF the fall
bility of his own judgment. \ man :
opinion on the cotton crop and the
cotton situation should be given like
q brokers' quotation, subject to
change, This crop has been Il sur
prise to me in Il great many ways.
AS q general rule, the production in Il
dry year exceeds expectation. while
IN 3, wet year and Weld generally falls
below what the PLANTER has counted
upon. We have had 4 wet year. but
my observation leads me to the con
clusion that We will have Il full crop
IN this section, provided we do not
have an early killing frost Some of
the cotton crops in this county are
the finest / ever saw. But these same
crops Will fall short of expectation in
the final out-turn il we have an early
frost.
you ask ne if the farmers are DIS
posed to hold their cotton for ten
cents for the CROP. But there is 50
little Interest taken in the organiza-
ton aud SO much dissatisfaction that
a thoroughly organized effort to hold
Will be harder to bring about than
formerly. The weather has been 50
Hne recently that every energy has
been directed to picking and housing
the crop, but notwithstanding this
fact, our receipts to date are about
equal to receipts last year up to the
same time For instance. receipts up
to last night last year were 1851
bales; receipts no to last night this
Of receipts for this year are old cotton
carried over. | do not remember
what proportion of old cotton was
brought into sight during the same
period last year.
You ask me what | Woa!d advise
the farmers to d" rs to holding cot
ton. There are two courses which tho
farmer could pursue which would be
in my opinion disastrous:
list. To rush all of his cotton to
market during the first few months
of the season.
.'2nd. TO hold his cotton back so
that he would have To rush all Of his
cotton on the market during It lew
months Later or III the season.
'Either course would dcDrCSs
prices. | have always thought that
the best way to market cotton. as Well
as any other commodity. was not to
overload the market at any one time
In other words. market it along grad
ually throughout the selling period
rather than rush 4 great quantity on
the market at any one time. ANY
artificial conditions produced by COM
binations are obliged to bring about
disaster IN the end, because the
economic law Of supply and demand
Will prevail in the long run and must
not be lost sight Of.
AS to my opinion about the gen
eral cotton situation: The crOp in
the United states is much larger than
last year. This must be admitted
trade. however. is good. and manu-
Iacturcrs are making fair profit.
see no reason. therefore. WHY cotton
should decline to Il starvation price
Ten cents seems to me under all the
conditions not understandable