The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-09-07
while the loss on their contents is
three times as great.
COTTON CROP SUMMARY.
A Survey and Conclusion OF One Who
Has Ira yelled Over the Belt.
(TarborO Southerner-)

A number Of Southerner readers
doubtless remember a middle aged
gentleman who was here last July,
talking cotton and saying that he was
travelling over the belt, observing the
situation and reporting his conclu-
sions. His name is j. c. DietZ, OF
Beulah. Miss.
j. f. Shacklefofd was one who sub
scribed for mis- reports. Soon after
leaving here, he made one which was
decidedly bearish, Indicating a crop
Of about Is, O00, eco bales. Upon reach
ing h Mississippi, he made another,
which was practically of the same
tenor.
On August 30th,- after he had visit
ed the trans-Mississippi State and
completed his tour of the cotton belt
he made his final report which is pub
1ished below.
When here he stated that he was
he was neither bull nor bear, but a
plain Mississippi farmer, recording
conditions as ne saw them.
The report is written just as he
talked without n great regard for
grammar.
The following is his interesting re-
yort:
L enclose my report on the cotton
crop to date. Without going into de-
tails or explanations, sufficient to say
the crop is certainly short-aboEt six
and three-Quarter million bales east
OF the Mississippi river, and four and
one-half west-With but little hope Or
chance of much Improvement.
Il have been over a large part of
the Texas crop. Very little good cot
ton and lots Of poor. / came through
a hot drying wind all day yesterday
in that State. All reports of disaster
before the first week in August were
Y1~nr ~ ~ rpn ~
dry winds covered twenty million of
like was never seen before,
instead Of plenty Of ain in August,
seldom fails. But with rains
had without the hot weather we
would have made twelve and ene-half
million bales. 1t is not a question of
crop any more, and all dope" on it
can stop: 1t is certainly short. The
world stand for II cent cotton It
not done it for over a quarter
OF a century. 1t is a mistaken idea,
the mills have to have it. If they
sell the goods to come out, why
should they II at a loss? They have
bought no cotton yet or sold no
goods, and there is not going t. be
supply to last all the year. They
can begin to cut out now-and run
on short time. Clothes are mostly
from habit, style and looks, and
can cut out % per cent Of his
and not injure his health.
The people living in the short crop
section will have to cut out three
They will be glad to get
something to eat and shoes to wear.
In the dry belt, people have made
crops OF all things. Farmers had
% go to town to get their vegetables,
lives out OF a paper sack |
Dr. a tin can.
On top Of the hot weather. and lots
Ol poor wafer for mo o-1 Lo~a4 1
,hese short crops is a National calam-
ty, and a serious thing to think about.
looks like it is done for.
rom the weevil. Mississippi and Ar
KANSAS following suit. Oklahoma,s
two years failure, in succession
looks sure OF every other wear
failure. The Atlantic States have
Wenty million acres of undeveloped
'lrg1n lands. 1t is a healthy country
fine water and / have seen bic
crops made on such lands all over the
the first year.
The WeeVl is not due there for
en- years, and so such thing as fail
re with the style of cultiva-
ION is known. Why not those peo-
lie living in these uncertain sections
90 there-if they intend to make q
living raising cottone
There is room for two million of
people and they would
70 WeiCoI1leo ana ne1peQ, II they
hOuld choose to go.
IF the Atlantic States were devel-
fully. they could make the crop
# the United States, and they have
'lelty OF water power to spin it all
Il a going home, ar done for this
ear. Write me at Beulah, Miss.
Ion't hin there is anything in this
talk. The people who have
iade good crops will sell, and the
'eople who have made poor crops are
able to hold"