The Bolivar County Democrat. (Rosedale, Miss.) 1887-1969, 1906-11-03
ADVICE TO PLANTERS.

now coming into Leland as well as
to other Delta markets.
You know, of course, that bend
ers in the better grades are now
bringing excellent premiums and
that extra staples in strict middling
and grades above have advanced
from / u to Sc per pound within
the past few weeks and now very
firm in spite of the weakness of
the general market. Vow know
also that the low grades have
been very hard to move; and we
will say i'll this connection that we
fear it will be some weeks before
spinners will take such cotton, for
they can get high grades from Tex
as. Most planters i'll the Delta
agree that they have made as much
cotton as they can pick, and the
question of the hour is not quanti-
| ty but quality-which is just as
important.
A few days ago we saw near Le-
land several thousand acres of cot
ton. On part ofthis a bale to the
acre was open,. on another part
half a, bale to the acre was open.
In all the fields there was about as
much good cotton (opened since
the storm) as bad cotton on the
stalks. In other words, we have
in the fields right now as much
good middling as strict good or
dinary.
When we went by the cotton
houses, however, we saw that every
thing was being picked together
and that these houses contained
stuff that when ginned would run,
at best, strict good ordinary to low
middling, some much lower.
The strength of a chain is meas
ured by its link, and the price OF
cotton will be determined by the
lowest locks. Take Mrs
fields. The cotton in bolls that
have opened since the storm is
worth, say, AN. The lower bolls
containing the badly damaged cot
ton, cannot be picked without tax
ing part of the hull, and this cot
ton is worth, say 8A-S30.00 per
bale less than the good. If all this
cotton is picked stalk and is ginned
together, the value of the product
good and bad miXed-will be
possibly eH per pound, based OIL
today's market.
We know that Mr..
other intelligent planters are aware
of this difference in value. Our
Senator planted cotton for many
years and he does not underestimate
the difficulty of having the good
separated from the bad i'll picking.
We know however that it can be
done, because several farmers of
our acquaintance are doing it.
1t occurs to us that the crop
should not be handled the same way
on all plantations or OH all cuts OF
the same plantation. Late cotton,
on new ground, is not i'll the same
situation as early cotton on older
land, that has received more cult
vation. In the Delta you will find
today two classes of fields;
First, fields of early cotton, in
which a large percentage of the
croD was open when the storm
came:
Second, fields of late cotton and
fields that were picked over just
before the storm, so that very lit
tie cotton was open when we had
the rains.
1t is our idea that in fields of
the first class pickers should now
take only the good cotton and leave
the damaged cotton (Which is
mainly on the lower branches (to
be picked later. The good cotton
is at the mercy of the weather; 1t
can be made dingy and blue by rain,
and it can be stained by frost. The
low cotton can hardly be made low
/ er.
In the feds of the second kind
we think pickers should be instruct
ed to take only the low cotton. AS
there is relatively only small
quantity of this, they can rapidly
90 over these fields; and after they
have removed the low stuff the next
picking will be of high grades.
In some instances it might be
best to put two pickers OIL each row
one for the good cotton, the other
for the bad.
This is a matter Of vital import
ance, not only to planters and ten
ants, but also to every merchant
banker between Vicksburg and
Memphis. The Delta will make
over five hundred thousand bales
this season, and this cotton will
bring several million dollars more
if picked right then it will bring
if picked wrong, Let one method
of picking be adopted, and most
individual crops will show hand
some profits. Let the other meth !
cd be adopted, and tha same crops
will not bring the cost OF produc-
ton.
We frankly admit our interest
in the matter as shippers who have
given special attention to trade in