The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-03-05


rallied to our support and gave every
local aid possible. The season was SO
bad at one time daring the spring a
large body OF the tenant farmers de-
cided to abandon the farms entirely and
1t required our greatest effort to hold
the people To the making of crop.
The crop that year was slightly less
than 5000 bales. But on the Demonstra-
tion Farms they made good crops and
| these farms were so scattered that
everybody was persuaded that a good
crop could be made, under the worst
conditions. doubt il there will be any
county in Arkansas, Louisiana, or Mis-
sissippi with worse conditions than ex
listed in Harrison County, Texas, in 1907
unless it be visited with an overflow
That year we had large section of
country where the farmers could not
get into the field for three weeks. The
ground was 50 soft that their horses
would sink so deep into the soil that il
was impossible to do any work, and
all the fields became very grassy. II
there had been no weevil, there would
have been a SINAI, crop in 1907. The
restoration of confidence caused the ok.
tension of the planting in 1908, with the
result that the crop will approximate
10000 bales for thabyear. Ia the mean
time there has been considerable diver
sitication, all of which, with confidence
In the cotton crop, has been helpful to
the country and has produced a great ad-
vance in the price Of real estate, A re
cent letter from prominent citizen of
the county states that lands have ad- |
vanced, within the past two years, from
100 to 5O0S in the county.
have mentioned only typical coun-
ties; the same battle went on every
where. | am therefore familiar with
the alarming cry that no cotton can be
produced as we 60 eastward, because
the conditions are so bad. The alarm
lists instance the greater annual rainfall;
this has very little to do with the cot
ton crop. The question is one of rain
fall during the growing period. The
amount of rainfall in the winter and
late fall is not SO important, in fact,
such rain is ratLer disastrous to the
weevil than otherwise. Nor is it evil
dent that the conditions are very much
worse for the weevi should there be a
greater rainfall during the growing
period, provided there are the same
number of fair days. The Weather Bu-
reau shows us that there are Just as
many fair days in Mississippi, Louisiana
and Arkansas as In Eastern Texas dur.
ing the growing period of cotton. AS a
rule careful examination for the past
four years shows that there has been an
excess of fair days in those states dur
ing the period mentioned. might men
fion another county where things went
very badly and that was De Soto Parish,
Louisiana, an ideal section of the boil
weevil and one of heavy rainfall. We
commenced there in 1907 because it was
stated to us that it was tho worst in
tested section of the State. Ia 1908 the !
cotton crop returned to nearly it's nor
nal product and confidence was COM
restored.
am not claiming that the weevil is
not damaging pest, but do not think
hat it is nearly as bad as the panic.
fhe loss of confidence and the with
travail of loans, the removal OF many
mail farmers. and the genraI exodus
If labor are sufficient to account for
greatly reduced crops atfd damage 10 \
he cotton interests even il there had I
)een no weevii present. Just an great
in the cotton product oc-
'urred prior to the advent Of the weevil !
IS have occurred since the weevil COW i
'red the whole of Texas. 1t is fire. !.
Iuently pointed out "Look at the enor-
nous decline. of cotton in Texas in
9O7.' But they forget to point us to !;
he restoration Of the crop in 1908. |.
lake the following: In 1904 a good
rop was produced In Arkansas, Louis
ana, Mississippi, and Texas. 1905 was
,ad crop year but certainly it could not
Ne charged TO any weevi;, 10 Arkansas
r Mississippi, and in Louisiana the h
1eeyil had just invaded the barber of
he State, reall had scarcely any effect 4
n the general crop that year, while It
ad covered more than half the cotton
reducing section OF Texas. And yet =
be decline In cotton production from
D04 to 1905 was 32f In Arkansas, 33s 4
! Mississippi, 52f in Louisiana, and \
My 2Or where the boil weeyil pre- 5
allied the most, in the state OF Texas. Z
is possible for parties to take few 4
,unties and prove almost anything by 8
;atistics, but II great body Of con- :
guous counties be found in studying 4
le history Of this crop in Texas that 1t Z
not true that the cotton industry has !
'nered any more in the timber or wet :
n sections Of Eastern Texas than In Z
70 dryer cotton producing counties, I
we exclude the counties where there :
e no weevils. II Is not true that the 4
Of the large product Of Z
'tton In Texas 10 the last few years is 5
le to the extension Of cotton into the 4