Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-04-24
REDUCE THE ACREAGE.
President Taylor Issues Address to
Cotton Planters.
-will-go-with you"
To be Continued.

To the Cotton Planters of the South.
Cotton today reached the lowest
point since Jan. 1, 1903. except from
November to May Of the big crop year
Of 1904-5, when 1t sold two cents per
pound lower than this. What has
caused this decline Of three cents per
pound i'm spite of the fact that the
cotton crop of the world is about A.
500, 900 short Of last years crop? The
only answer that I can find Is Lack
OF Confidence" The retailer is not
buying except as he needs the goods,
the jobber is doing the same, conse-
quently the mills have no orders
ahead, while last year, and for sever
al years past, they have had orders
booked from three to six months in
advance.
What causes this lack Of confidence?
They are afraid we will raise bum
per crop of cotton again this year.
Why are they afraid of large crop?
They look at the past. In 1903 we
had q short crop and good prices,
age and good seasons and a bumper
crop. The next year, 1905-6, we had
short crop and good prices, which
was again followed by a large acre
age and a bumper crop. Had it not
been for the September storm in the
Mississippi valley and the exception
ally good trade the market would
probably have gone to eight cents or
under for that crop. We got a good
average price for the good grades in
the crop. and a large acreage was set
aside for cotton last season, but owing
to the weather during planting time
the acreage was cut some and crops
poor in Texas and Louisiana enabled
us to get a good price for the most of
this crop. A month ago every indica-
ton was that we would have a large
acreage this season, and the people
did not care to place heavy orders for
cotton goods, knowing that with
large acreage and fair season we
would produce more cotton than the
world needed and the price Of cotton
goods would decline. They are good
business men, and you can't fool
them.
How can we restore confidence? In
place of planting the same acreage as
last season in cotton plant 25 per cent
less. AS soon as the acreage report is
out in June or even before, the trade
will know that there will be a moder-
ate crop raised this year and we will
have the old time activity in the cot
ton trade. Jobbers will place their
orders ahead to enable them to supply
their trade and the mills will contract
in advance for supplies of cotton and
the market will advance much faster
than it has declined. The result will
be that you will market a crop Of H.
100000 at an average Of at least $65
per bale, or total Of about $750,00O,
600. If the weather conditions
should be unfavorabe for the grow
ing crop and it should turn out mill
lion bales less it would sell for fifteen
cents and bring a total of nearly
$500, 100000, and add to this the val
ue Of the feed crops that can be grown
on the acreage intended for cotton
and it will give us another $5O,000,-
600. Suppose that you plant the
same acreage as last year and with
favorable weather we would likely
make anyway 100000, possibly
more. What would the price be un-
der the present trade conditions? Not
over an average of eight cents per
pound and perhaps lower. Say that
it averaged $4,000 per bale the crop
would bring $520,00O,000, at least
$300,O00,000 loss to the south. How
to bring about this reduction?
1t is not too late yet to plant corn,
alfalfa, sorghum cane, millet or COW
peas for hay. Or it will pay you to
let the land lie idle for a season rath-
er than plant it in cotton at loss. Let
every planter that reads this article at
once arrange to reduce his own acre
age in cotton and show the article to
his neighbor, or better call a meeting
at every country school house IN the
south and discuss this matter intelll-
gently, then go home resolved that
each one will do his part. If you
have any neighbors that Will not re.
duce send me their names and L Will
take the matter up with each one per-
sOnally. This is no small matter, and
hope that members of the Southern
Cotton association and Farmers I'm
ion will stand side by side on this great
fight With a heavy acreage Wall
street will set the price for our cot
ton crop, with light acreage we can
get our own price within reason. Don't
delay, but get busy at once. There
is plenty Of time yet II you VIII only
do your part. In 1905 by reducing the
acreage Is per cent the price advanced
five cents per pound, and we can do it
again. I will be glad to hear from
every farmer that reads this ana en-
dorSes it.
Do you want to return to the ola
days of five cent cotton? If not JON
this movement and we will make the
south more prosperous than ever.
J. A. Taylor,
President National Ginners' Assocla-
ton.
Memphis, Tenn, April 18th, 1908.