Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1908-08-12
HOLD ON TO YOUR SPOTS.
Prospects Not Good for Another
Bumper Crop.

Bumper Crop.
To Holders Of Spot Cotton: Now is
the time to hold, and victory is yours.
Farmers, do you realize that cotton
is scarcer in the world to-day than it
has been for 25 years? If you do
not, the sooner you realize the more
you VIII think of the spots you have
on hand, and the crops you are grow
ing.
Now remember that it all depends
on You to make 1T bring the mini
mum price, 15 cents. If you can be
scared out Of your cotton for less
than the minimum price I do not
blame the fellow for soaring you. I
would do the same thing IL l were in
his place, but you, the holder of spot
cotton, have all under hold in this
fight, and If you give up it Is because
you have not the nerve to stand the
fight of the battle. Let me say to
you, the holder OF spots: Hold t.
them, for the next two months is the
most critical period, as both the
American spinner and the European
spinner are about out of cotton to
spin. If you, the holder Of spots,
will not sell, there will be many
mills that will have to close down
and not from choice, but for want
OF cotton. Conditions are all in your
favor, but nerve and backbone you
lack. Now do not say you cannot
hold. We have plenty of bonded
warehouses in our State, and you can
put your cotton in them and borrow
money on your receipt. Let me urge
you to do this, and do not put any
cotton on the market until the mini
mum is reached.
The European mills are now out of
cotton and they have contracts sold
ahead. They have to come to Amer
lea for cotton and they will have to
do this now at once. This is the
situation, so no cause for alarm. I
know the bear side of cotton is using
the new crop to bear the market SO
they may get you to sell the remain
der of your old crop. The price will
now soon go back up to IL cents, and
they think you will then sell.
know some OF you have said If
1t reaches 10 you would sell. Now
the same thing that brings it back to
IL will, IL you hold on, make 1t bring
the minimum, 15 cents.
Now as to conditions Of the 1908
crop. I have correspondence from
every cotton growing State. There
cannot be more accurate account
than we, the Farmers Union, can get
up, and reports from all the States
Is Of this character. In the first
place, too much wet weather in the
early spring, and there was poor
preparation OF the soil. When the
preparation is poorly done you can
not make an average crop. The rains
west of the Mississippi river contin-
ued until July 1st, and the cotton
grew to weed too much and Is not
fruited well. Now the hot dry wealth
er has set In with them and much
damage is being done. In other
words. 1t Is impossible for the West
to make anything like an average
crop when they have wet May and
June. Such weather fills the cotton
plant with too much malaria and 1t
cannot stand the hot sun without
great damage. To prove this look
how the plant is now turning yellow
and the leaves dropping from It.
This report comes from many Of the
States. We cannot nov more than
duplicate the 1907 crop, and remem-
Der the shortage of last years crop
of 100000 bales, and just remem-
Der cotton futures cannot be spun.
b. Harris, President,
s. G. State Farmers Union.