The San Francisco call., 1906-10-28

the time when the gins were run ~
fastening four mules to the long beams
under the old gin house and how lit
tie negro boys mounted the end OF ths
beams and cracked the whip all day.
how the mules and the boys got drunk
from going round and round so long
And GabrPs eyes grow big with as
Constituent when he listens to the fun
Uncle Nose used to have jumping IN
the lint room and burying himself IN
the soft. heecy cotton. Then Unols
Nose enlarges on the old screw for
packing cotton, and says that ~the
press wuz plum full OF we boys. and
we Jest trompled on de cotton tel1 it
was packed down. an den ole Beck
mule wuz hitched to de beam an drtv
aroun' tell IL was packed jam down,
an sewd up an de bale was den
ready to be put in de ole cotton
house"
Dem wuz days. dem wuz."
And GabrI sighs and wishes he had
lived in the good old times when there
was a lint room and mules to drive.
and a screw to pack. instead OF IN this
uninteresting age. when an engine
takes the place OF old Beck and Liz,
when the lint is drawn through fun
mel into the press and when the bale 10
made with no help from the old screw.
Gabrl rises. clasps his hands over his
head, stretches his young limbs and
then coaxingly begs Uncle Nose mot
to tell nanny bout dey buggy whut
didn't make no fuss, but wait tell pap
py goes to town de mex time an den.
gran'daddy you so wild him an see a
amt tole no lie"
Labor Solely Needed.
Much complaint comes from ths
South as to the inadequacY OF the labor
supply in harvesting the cotton crop.
Bitter criticism is made that the ne
groes, IN many cases, Will not do their
best work-that they are lazy and not
to be depended upon In gathering
great crop satisfactorily. Although
this is one OF the red-Ietter years for
everything that grows in the ground.
and the cotton crop is called eStraor-
dinarily large. still il does not quits
come up to that OF last year.
1t is true that more cotton might be
gathered if there were an abundance
of trustworthy labor on hand to work
In the fields and gin houses Still cOt--
ton is king in the south According to
figures given. the total crop or the year
ending September is 1919. 500 bales. as
against 1s.55e.S4l Of last year.
This is certainly en- enormous yield
Of the FIBER The expert figures show
G.71c.351 bales. OF this. 1f4S72 bales
were shipped 70 Canada by rail and
4.S03-053 sent TO tle SplumefS, leaving
the stock remaining 19S.117 bales
According 10 New Orleans authority
there has been a big discrepancy be-
tween future prices IN Rev York and
New Orleans and spot prices in the
Southern spot market Middling cot
ton was recently quoted i'm New Orleans
on "A price basis of 10 cents a pound,
while this is the prevailing price
throughout the Southern states. In
other words. spot prsces are not only
above parity with futures in New YoTF
but about twO-thirds OF a cent abcFvs
contracts themselves. This was the sit
uatiOn In August Later the cyclones
came. with terrific rains Snd ocean
floods. which. together with the wind.
greatly damaged the crop along tho
gulf coast from New Orleans east
Reports from Texas are very encour-
aging to the cotton growers OF that
great State. Shipments begin there
very early and large consignments give
the people there a great increase Of
ready money.