Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1910-11-11
WHY SOUTH TEXAS
FARMERS GROW COTTON.
Cotton Farmers Have the Greatest
Monopoly In the
World.

Among the most recent suggestions
for the elimination of the boil weeyil
Is the planting OF peanuts This Is but
one of the hundred or more sugges-
tons that have been made during the
last three years, but II Is becoming in
creasingIy apparent that no campaign
against the boil weevil which calls for
the planting of any other crop besides
cotton will be generally adopted,
throughout the South. This Is not due
TO the ignorance of the Southern
planters. The cause for this antipathy
to any such means of fighting the boil
weeyil can be seen in the daily re-
ports OF any newspaper. With cotton
prices as they now are, and with the
trend steadily upward as 1t has been
during recent years, it Is quite easy to
see why the Southern cotton farmers
refuse to plant any other crop. The
Standard Oil Company and the steel
trust and all the other alleged monopo-
listic corporations could never boast
such complete control Of any necessity
OF life as the Southern cotton farmers
have.
When crop conditions are ideal the
Southern Texas cotton farmers can
make bale to the acre, and such a
crop viii pay a large net profit com,
pared with any other crop in the
world; but when crop conditions or
the boil weevll reduce the product of
the farm to half or even less than half
OF a bale to the acre, cotton prices
Immediately soar, and what is lost in
cotton is made up in higher prices.
India, Africa and Asia strive in vain
to supply sufficient cotton to affect
materially the monopoly now so firmly
held by the Southern states. II any
progress Is to be made in the war on
the boil weevil Il must be made by the |
use OF enemies OF the boil weevil.
Some progress is now being made |
along that line. Early planting of the |
crop gives 1t such an advance in |
growth before the boil weevil becomes
active that 1t Is able to Withstand the |
insects attack. Destruction OF stubbie |
in the fall Is helping and the Unitedl
States department of agriculture is |
many suggestions which aid |
In the destruction of this very expen- |
sive crop pest.
Some idea of the profits from the
cotton crop can be gathered from the |
record made by Southern Texas dur
ing the season which Is now drawing |
to a close. Early spring frosts re- |
iuced the crop in many Southern |
states as much as 80 per cent. In |
Southern Texas, however. there Is no
frost A large number Of the farms
made from half a bale to a bale an
acre. With cotton prices lowering
about 10 cents pound and cottonseed
prices higher than ever before, owing
% the heavy demand for the various
,attle feeds produced from this seed
hese farmers have mhde fortunes this
rear. In fact. so profitable has the cot
on crop been that a great many of
he homeseekers who are purchasing
ands in Southern Texas are becoming
'otton planters instead of growing cit
us fruits or trying the numerous other
rops which during recent years have
'ecome popular in this semi-tropical
errpory. This year hundreds of farm.
RS planting their first crop of cotton
ave made net profits sufficiently large
0 pay Tor their land and all the agri- (
ultural implements necessary for its
illage. While possibly larger profits /
re made from onions, garden truck. (
ruit and alfalfa, the difference be- I
ween the cost Of preparing land for
hese crops and for cotton is a very S
ig consideration.
SO great has been the demand for
otton that ranches of from 10000 to
1000 acres in Southern Texas are d
eing broken up by colonization com.
anies and rented in farms of 100
cres to farmers on the share plan.
IN this plan, If no crop is made. the c
wner of the land receives no rent for d
is land. This is an indication of their Q
bsoute faith in the cotton crop. Many I
these large tracts are valued before I
heir subdivision at from SO to s25 an d
ere. On even fairly good crop, such g