Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1906-04-04
E. D. Smith Talks on Cotton Crop.
IColumbia State.1


Il. ID. Smith, organizer for the
Southern Cotton Association and
President of the South Carolina Di-
vision, spent Wednesday in the city
and put in most of his time at the
associations office.
Mr.. Smith has made a trip through
Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana in
the interest of the association and
talks interestingly of conditions
there. He gave out the following
statement:
"This is the first time that l have
been able to be out since my return
from the West. am glad to report
from Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas
a very tlourishing condition of the
association. Wherever l have been
and spoken the people have readily
grasped the idea that this is simple
business proposition and that the
power to control their crop lies en-
tirely within their own hands:
"Throughout the State of Texas
there is quite as much enthusiasm
and determination as there is in any
other State in the Union. They did
not hold their cotton as other States
have done; practically because some
of their leaders, not Col. Peters, ad-
vised them against pledging their
cotton for Is cents pound, on the
contrary advising them to sell it as
long as they could get IL cents per
pound middling. The consequence
was that Texas sold her crop.
"The conditions for this State for
another year, so far an my observa-
ton and opinion are to be depended
upon, are these: Last year the spring
was 80 cold and wet that it was i'm.
possible to plant corn and oats in
March and April. In Texas if corn
and oats are not planted in March
and April it is useless to plant them
at all, for the reason that the exces-
sive hot, dry winds of June and July
practically destroy the corn and
blight the oats. Hence, as said be-
FORE, the spring was so backward
that the time for corn and oat plant
ing had past before any planting
could be done. The consequence
was that as cotton could be planted
as late as July and still make q fairly
good yield, the grain lands of Texas
were planted in cotton last year.
This year, these two months, Febru-
.ary and March, being ideal for put.
ting in small grain and corn, the far
mers, having, on account of last years
failure, to be buying corn now, will
be apt to increase their grain crop
for this year. Besides this, in east
.ern and central Texas there will be a
large voluntary reduction for various
re- ns, principally among which is
the organization of the Southern
Cotton Association and the practical
good sense of those who will adhere
to its teachings.
''ln northern Texas there will be
possibly an increase in acreage, prin-
cipally through the opening up of
new lands.
"In Arkansas find, much to my
astonishment, that State saying the
least and doing the most, so far as
standing by the association is con-
cerned. They not only have not
sold their cotton, but have provided
OhoihSClFCS Will warehouse IdClllUleS
and ample means, and are not going
80 sell it until it reaches the price for
which they have pledged to hold.
saw no indications throughout this
State that there would be any practi-
cal increase of acreage, but deter
mination on the part of those to
whom ] spoke. And from the gene
raj impression gathered from this
State, | think that greater amount
of determination will be practiced
this year than ever before.
'In Louisiana the conditions are
such that no one can predict Just
what the outcome may be. For the
first time last year the boil weevil
got in his destructive work, and,
with the bad season, Louisiana made
practically no crop; neither has she
made any corn crop.
"The price of cotton is unusually
high. The prospect before them Of
having to buy an entire years sup
ply, with the knowledge that their