The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-03-30
TO THE AIM ARs
AFREAh OF PRESIDENT sMITH
no TIE COTTON GRowERs.

traetarE III
no TIE COTTON GROWERS.
TO Reduce the Cotton Acretge and
Raise Their nwn pnod Crops
This Year.
Mr., u, d. Smith, organizer for the
Southern Cotton Association and
president of the South Carolina divls'
ion. has given out the'following state
ment:
THIS ia the first time that l have
been able 10 he out since my return
from tho West. Ism glad to report
from Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas
q very Il ,urlshipg condition OF tie as
ISOLATION. Wherever | have been ano
spoken the people have readily grasp
ed the idea that this IL a eim pie bust
ness proposition ard tnat the power
to control their crop lies entirely with
In their own hands.
"ThroughOut the State OF Taxa.e
there Ia quite as mucn Gnthu,iab1n
and determination as there Is in any
other State In the Uulon. They did
not hold their cotton Us other States
have done; practically because hore
Of their lea der5, net Col. Peters, &C.
vised them against p'eagiug their
Q ,tton for 10 cents q pound, on Gbe
contrary advised th.m to sell 1t ss
long as they could get IL cents PSF
pound middlipg. The const quence
was that Texas sold der crop.
1.-THE conditions for this State fur
another year, 80 far az my observation
and opionion are to be depended upon,
are these: Lust year the spring YVES
80 cold and wet that 1t was Impossible
to plant corn and oats In Malcn and
April. In this State OF II xAs IL corn
and oats are not planted In March and
April 1t is useless to PLAN them at all.
for the reason that the excessive hot,
dry winds of June and July practical
ly destroy the corn ard blight the
oats. Hence, as said before, the
spring was 50 backward that the time
for Corn and oats planting had past
before any planting ccu.d be done.
The consequence was that RS COTTON
could be planted as late as July ard
still make o fairly good yield, the
graiD lands Of Texas were planted il
cotton last year. This year, these
two months, February and Mart h,
being ideal for putting in small graft
and c)rn, the farmer, having IN ao
count OF last years. failure to be buy
ing corn now will he apt to increase
their grain crop for this year. Be
sides thia, in eastern and cen raj II Xas
there will be a large voluntary reCuc-
ton for various reasons, principals
among which Is the organ zltion o.
the Southern Cotton assOcia ion and
the practical good sense Of lh~se VII
will adhere to It's tes chlpgs.
In northern Texas there Will be
possibly an increase ii acreage priGci-
pally through the opening up Of ne"
lands.
Sin Arkansas l find, much to my
establishment, that State saying the
least aud doing The most, so lar as
standing by the association Is con-
cerned. They not only have not sold
their cotton but have provided them
bCINpd "lUh Wdlo tlUuoC lthCllIUlOO CIINi
ample means, and are not going to sell
1t until 1T reaches the price for which
Trey have pledR. d to hold. l saw Iii
indications throughout tlis S ate that
there would be any practical idcreasu
Of acreage, buS a determination On
the part Of those to woom 1 spoke.
And from the general impression
gathered from this State, l thu k
that a greater amount OF determine.
tion will be prscJiced this year thar
ever bsfo e..
In Louisiana the conditions arc
such that NO one can predict What the
outcome may be-. For the first tue
last year the boil weevll got in his de-
structive work. ard, with the bad
season, Louisiana ma de practically
no crop; neither has she made any
corn crop.
THE price Of cotton Is unuaually
high. The prospect before them OF
having to buy all entire years cup
ply, with the knowledge that their
land will make corn, and on account
of the boil weevll, the disposition
to be rather to increase their
food supply crop.
"These are three States that low.
cred In my absence and where | work.
ed night and day. l have rot for one
moment lost faith In the movement;
and in the ultimate ~v'ndjcation Of the
stand that we have taken. Those who
have spot cotton who have resolutely
held 1t In the face Of all organized ef-
fort 10 force them tO sell at nj nor
Dhan their figures have a brighter
prospect of victory today than ever
before,
THE ~ginners' report Of linters, soa
Island Gotten, the amount Of cotton
which should have been reported in
last years crop. and the 6 ference in
the Weights o! bales This year and last
all deducted from the toSal, will make
the crop practically 10000, 600 bales.
With the worlds consumption re-
curing at least $4,000, 600 bales out of
the present crop, by the first day If
next the condition Of the
Bpinners can easily BE- figured out and
the statistical report OF cotton easily
appreciated.
THE prospects are that we will be-
gin the first Of next year with practi-
cally the stock depleted, and If the
farmers will but exercise good common
sense and reduce their acreage in cot
ton, increasing their food products,
there will be no need to hold cotton
another season for any length OF time,
because the world will bL clamorous
fnr A. Prrro fho houinntpr