The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-03-29
COTTON THE GREATEST or CASH CROPS
Cooperative Demonstration
Weevn
Territory Delivered Miss Lmary1z

What l have II say to YOU is sim
80, rl.i, talk to comrnon-SenSe peo-
~. .,hout matters that interest them
! have not come here to give you en-
,,.tra cement unless the facts SubStan-
t;,Ia i, have simply come to tell
,.nr the plain truth, and l am in a
,,asifinn to know the truth about cot
ton production.
In the general cotton situation you
,ql-,, some things to your advantage
NOT only here but throughout this
southern country. Seventy per cent
Of The cotton Of the world is produced
IN fh. cotton States OIL the United
eta+ns The two necessities of the
world ~ products Of the soil are food
and clothing. 1t is seldom in human
history. if ever before. that one ma
ton has had a monopoly of either of
these great interests. Such Is your
on,ii!ia1 fortune today that you pro-
1]3cp % per cent Of the material that
largely clothes the world. and cloth
ins - lust as essential as the food
supply.
Look for 4 moment at the increas-
inc demand for cotton. If you will
note carefully you Will observe that it
has doubled once in about twenty-five
years We may estimate 10000
bales as a minimum supply on the
cart OF the United states for the
worlds clothing at the present time:
then turn back twenty-five years and
we shall ind that a little over 5000
O00 bales we're sufficient: and twenty
two JearS prior to that 10000 bales
met the exigencies of the trade. II We
pursue the same line for the future,
Su lq32 it will require 100000 bales.
and in 1854 it will be necessary for US
a. produce 100000 bales OF cotton
- meet the demands Of commerce.
Here is one of the most wonderful
opportunities for wealth that mas
been known within the historic pc
Fi0d. Our lands and climate are ex-
ceedingiT Well adapted to the pro
duction OF the heecg staple, and the
snteIligence Of the farmers of the
South and their long experience with
cotton have equipped them to do the
work and do il well. Besides that,
our commercial interests are founded
on the cotton staple, and it Is a tre-
mendous affair to undertake to
change the entire economic conditions
OF a great State or Of several States.
The reasons for this increased de-
mand Tor cotton are manifold. Each
person wears more clothing than he
used to. and he requires better cloth
ing. Another reason is that cotton IS
more universally worn. Glasses OF
cotton that combine with wool IN
bfpdIttOtO nave Becu 1Oulu, 80 LI1tt
cotton IS used not only in the making
OF all the cotton clothes but also in
association with silk and wool. An
other reason is the force Of ciNlllZa-
tion The railroads, the telegraph,
and the fast steamers are rapldly
bringing all parts OF the world into
close connection and sympathy, ana
millions that never required clothing
are clothed today. and that clothing Is
made Of cotton.
have sometimes heard it said that
this IS the only country that can pro-
due" cotton. This is not true. Other
countries can produce it and produce
Il Dfohtably. For certain purposes
theY produce better cotton in Egypt
tI&h we do, so much so that we are
importing a good many bales every
year. They produce q valuable varie-
q OF cotton in Peru, and we import
mat At one time it was feared that
tAina would be strong competitor
III cotton production and manufacture.
" nile at Shanghai some years since
'h!S lear was dissipated, so far rs
Am concerned. I found that the cot
'oh there was planted in rows feet
1A@Ft and ; or inches apart in the
row The stalks grew about Z feet
nlSh' but each had only few small
D'1'S The open space between the
r9"S was planted to vegeta bies. as a
Hlotitf or Chinese economy. [ said To
~. thinaman who accompanied me,
Why don't you pull up some stalks
@ilo give more sNace. SO the others
may develop and r<5e more and bet
ger cotton?" He replied. zone stalk.
m0 make three boil; two stalks. he
'1Ne SIX boil. Why pull him up ~
Ia britiSh India some of the same
''"itlonS prevail. The tenant re-
uses 20 pull the stalk up and there
'oit ne gets a low grade of cotton
mere is another reason-they do
'0iFI Inlng by hand work and we can
''1cnlnery. L am told that some