The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-01
WHAT IT COST TO RAISE COTTON

WHAT IT COST TO RAISE COTTON.
What does ii cost u raise i pound
If cotton That is a question that X
about as hard l., answer correctly rs
t., toll how much il costs a father e"
support and c.lucat" SON Some
people give estimates that are very
Low. making no calculation 70: the
expense OF their own labor and the
labor of their children. 80 many
thiucs go into IN cost. ana the cost
varies 90 upon plantations even in the
same county We speak OF the wide
difference between the cost i'm North
Carolina and Texas, that ii is not safe
to follow any particular estimates.
Much was said at the recent meeting
Of the New England Cotton Spinners
about the feasibility of manufacturers
buying cotton land and raising their
own cotton. Mr.. MacColl said man
ufacturcrs Of steel own mines, paper
makers own forests, oil rcfincrs own
wells" and he urged IF a large cotton
corporation existed like the steel trust
it would certainly seek t. control its
raw mater IA, dlle dQQeu
Estimates of the cost of growing
cotton vary from three cents to SIX
cents per pound. 1t is generally adj
mittcd that increased use of f%ertili-
zers, more careful selection of seed
and more intensive cultivation Would
improve tho quality. increase the
quantity per acre and reduce the cost
materially.
Ter years g the Department of
$50 ..a1n -, L-yl W., 1nrli-
ly regarding the cost of growing cot
ton. The average cost from over 5000
plantations located in every cotton
growing State was found to be 81
cents per pound; the average cost
from L irrigated plantations in Tex
as was 300 cents, and from three Gov
eminent experiment stations 400
cents, and in every State some planta-
ions we're producing cotton at less
than four cents per pound.
Or. $. A. Knapp, the well-known
special agent Of the Agricultural De
partment in the cotton-growinG states,
had CturnS from over 5000 planters
regarding the cost of growing cotton
in 1904. 1t was found that 4 IL cents
per pound was the average cost on
all plantations producing one bale per
acre. Dr. Knapp states that with
rop cultivation and selection of
seed the great bulk of the cotton lands
oil our Oullll can DC llduS " yltId
a bale to the acre.
I'm my last address | pointed out
that a mill of 200. 900 spindles using
$4,000 bales of cotton per annum, by
growing it's own cotton, at a cost of five
cents per pound loss than the market
price would effect a saving of $50
900, or over SO per spindle, which
would pay 30 per cent. annually on
the cost Of a European mill. If such a
mill owned $4,000 acres, producing d
bale per acre and costing with all i'm
proVemcntS and equipment $50 per
acre, the return WOul be 80 pei cent.
per annum on the Investment: or. II
owning 10000 acres and producing
half a bale ncr acre. the return would
be % Ger cent. If part of the cotton
grown is not adapted to the manu-
facturcr's mill, he a sell that por-
ton and buy what he rcquirc With
out altering the result. The
of labor and management cane surety
be s"urmounted as manufacturing diff
cultieS are, by intelligence and energy.
Cotton-growing is not a highly dcvei-
opcd industry. and Skilful manage
ment on Il large scale would work out
many economics and improvements. y
recent trip through the southern
States convinceS me that there are
many millions OF acres of the finest
cotton lands in the world waiting the
enterprise of manufacturers to utilize
them and thus supply the raw mate
rial necessary for the future cXpan-
sion of cotton manufacturing to meet
the increasing requirements of the
world"
Mr.. Eben G. Wiley. of Fall River.
Mass. read a paper on the cost of
raising cotton. He said he had OBJ
tanned from a number of experienced
planters the approximate cost of rails
ing cotton, and his summary of the
finding is as follows:
1nnn- Aero IDlapfntinn