The Forrest City times., 1908-05-08
REDUCE THE ACREAGE.

! I
 Cotton today reached the lowest point since January l. 1905, except from November to May of the biz crop year of 19O4-O5, when it sold two cents per pound lower than this. What has caused this decline of three cents per pound in spite of the fact that the cotton crop of the world is about 4,5O0, ,00O short of last years crop? The only answer that 1 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 several 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 d large crop? They look at the past. In 1903 we had short crop and good prices. which was followed by a large acreage and good seasons and a bumper crop. The next year, l905-06, We had a short crop and good prices, which was again followed by large acreage and a bumper crop. Had it not been for the September storm in the Mississippi Valley and the exceptionally good trade the market would probably have gone to eight cents or under for that crop. We got good average price for the good grades in the crop, and large acreage was set aside for cotton last season, but owing to the weather during planting time the acreage was cut some and crop poor in Texas and | Louisiana enabled us to get good price for most of this crop. A month ago every indication was that we would have large acreage this sea- son, and the people did not care to place heavy orders for cotton goods, 1 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 9 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 cotton trade. JobberS will place their orders ahead to enable them to SUD- ply their trade and the mills will con- tract in advance for supplies of cotton and the market will advance much faster than it has declined. The re- suit will be that you will market a crop of Il, 800, 900 at an average of at least Sbo per bale, or total of about s750, ,000. .000. If the weather condi- tions should be unfayorable for the growing crop and it should turn out million bales less, it would sell for fifteen cents and bring total of nearly Ss00, 100000. and add to this the value of the feed crops that can be grown on the acreage intended for cotton and it will give us another s50, 900, 900. Suppose that you plant the same acreage as last year and with favorable weather we would likely make l3,000, 900, possibly more. What would the price be under the present trade conditions? Not over an aver age of eight cents per pound, and per haps lower. Say that it averaged S40 pet bale. the crop would bring S250.- 000. 900. at least S3O0, ,O00, 900 loss to the South. How to bring about this re- duction?
 It is not too late yet to plant corn, dIIdlld, sofSDuIl' Cdilt, IulI1el or COW peas for hay. Or it will pay you to let the land lie idle for d season rather than plant it in cotton al loss. Let every planter that reads this article, at once arrange 10 reduce his own acreage in cotton and show this article to his neighbOr. or better. call a meet ing at every country schoolhouse in the South and discuss this matter in- telligently, then go home resolved that each one will do his part. If you have any neighborS that will not re- Iduce. send me their names, and will take up the matter with them per sonally. This is no small matter. and 1 hope that members of the Southern } Cotton Association and Farmers Union will stand side by side in this great fight. With q heavy acreage
 Wall street will set the price for our cotton 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 if you will only do your part. In 1905 by reducing the acreage fifteen per cent, the price advanced i've cents per pound, and we can do it again. l will be glad to hear from every farmer that reads this and
 indorses it.
 Do you want to return to the old days of five cent cotton? If not, join this movement and we will make the South more prosperous than ever. J. c. TAYLOR, President, National Ginners' Association.
 Memphis, Tenn, April Is, 1908.