The semi-weekly messenger., 1907-12-03

Far Below wAvcrage-Charlotte Citizen
Talks of Conditions in Lone star
State-Tcxas Farmers Able to Hold
Their Cotton.

A recent visitor to the state oflex-
as, from Charlotte, was Mr., A ..
| Cheek who visited most OF the lEi-
portant cotton ceners while away.
| The Texas crop is at least 1,c00,eU0
| bales short this year in the opinion OIL
| the Charlotte man, who made close
| study Of the situation.
| The drought of last summer and
| not the boil weevil, has been the chief
| enemy of the Texas farmer during the
present cotton season, but will 1t ell
| the state is we'll off and the average
Texas farmer is sufficiently well fix
| ed to keep his spirits above the level
of dependency.
| Money is an article that IS mIicn
| needed in that state as 1t is Ill North
| Carolina With its immense crop the
! Lone Star State has on hand enough
now to provide for the wants OF q
| large portion of the country. The ex-
perience of Texas has been quite sim
| liar to that of North Carolina. ok
or seven weeks ago the farmers were
! able to secure loans on their cotton,
but now they are holding large part
Of the crop, with no chances to get
| advances of money thereon.
There is one characteristic of the
Texas farmer, however, and that is his
determination.
He will stick to his purpose to the
| last, and having not over many wants,
| he can hold his cotton and not suffer
| to any extent.
He will eat corn bread, drink spring
water, and wear little else than his
shirt in warm weather, before he will
sell his cotton after he has once de-
| clared that he is going to hold
! it.
| While a few of the texas cotton
planters are so much in need OF mon
ev that they cannot hold their cotton
there are many who are amply able
to wait for better prices and they are
holding on to their cotton with ten
| acity that is found nowhere else III
the southern states. -.'>.--.
THE Farmers Union is one OF the
strongest organizations in the state
of Texas and the farmers who are
| members go into the organization to
accomplish something,
Il think, however" said Mr.. Cheek
that the Union has cost the Texas
farmers a great deal and done much
harm this year by sending forth the
edict that cotton must be held for Is
| cents. AS result the members Of the
Union, who could have gotten 13 and
Il 1-2 cents couple of months ago,
are now unable to get much more than
10 cents.
| indications are that Texas will hold
cents above the present-provided they
reach that point. The grit of the Tex
| as farmer seems to more deeply
! implanted in his nature to permit
| him to give way. to anything that
opposes him, and the possibility of per-
suading the members Of the Farmers
! Union to take less than the price
agreed upon-15 cents-appears as re-
mote as ever.
| 'The fields in Texas are now pretty
we'll picked out, what cotton remains
forming only a small portion of the
total crop. The cotton crop is mostly
| in the hands of the farmers, that has
not been marketed, and they are quiet
| ly waiting for jump in the price to
Is cents, something that requires more
than ordinary determination and sheer
; Texas grit.
Taken all together it does not seem
| that the dexan is any better off, or any
| worse off than the North Carolina far
| mer. In fact, the North Carolina far
i mer likely has the best end Of the
proposition at present The produc-
tion of cotton in Texas is cosing the
| farmers perhaps 2 cents less than IN
| this state, on account of the richness
Of the soil, but in North Carolina the
| outlook to me seems brighter for the
farmer than it is out west.
rs the Farmers Union aiding the
| farmers to secure loans on their cot
ton to any extent" was asked.
THE organization Borrowed all the
money it could get early in the season,
! and now I don't think it is able to do
anything for the farmers, who have
| to do their own fnaniering if they
| can raise any cash on their cotton.
The crop appears much less on a per-
centage basis than that in this state,
and when things are finally straight
ened out [ think the North Carolina
farmers will be able to say that they
have gotten as good deal as any set
| OF cotton planters in the SOUTH
! Charlotte Chronicle.
A tickling cough, from any cause.