The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-06-15

Gotten Standards.
Washington, June 13.--Although
the cotton crop Of the United State.
in 1903 was the smallest produced
since 1903, its value was 1872 per cent
more than that OF 1908, and, measur-
er Ey its yarn-producing quality, and
by the financial results to the grow
ers, it was the most valuable ever pro-
duced.
This statement is taken from the
proof sheets of the United States CEN
sus bulletin on the subject, which will
soon appear. The estimated value of
the 1903 crop, as given by the bull
letin is $S12,0S9,S3S, as compared
with $6S1,230,956 for 1908: S700,965.-
Ola for 1907; 721,547,237 for 1905,
and $632, 2,29S,332 for 1905.
1t is interesting to observe the bull
| letin states, that the value of the cot
ton crop of last year was about one
half that of the corn crop in the
| country in 1909, as estimated by the
department of agriculture; was near
| ly 100000, 900 more than that Of the
| wheat crop, and was twice the value
| Of the Oat crop. The bulletin refers
| to a leading engineering and mining
| Journals statement that the worlds
production of gold in 1909, amount
ing in value to about $40O,O0O,0OO, was
the greatest ever recorded, and it
points out that the sum stated is but
! slightly more than One-half the value
[ Of the American cotton crop last year.
| 1t calls attention also to Bardstreet's s
report that the total building expen-
ditures for 1909 in 105 cities Of the
United States amounted to $S57,53O,-
t69, or only about $45,50O, 900 more
| than the cotton crop of this country.
The average annual production of
| cotton in the United States for the
| last five years was in 11,935,641 bales.
or 1,620,259 bales more than the crop
Of 1909. The value Of the cotton crop
Of the five-year period ending With
1909 was s3,54S, 1863, while the
value for the five-year period ending
with 1899 was s1,529,5O2,325.
The cotton growers were in a
wretched state financially, the report
| asserts, when the crop of 1898 was
sold at an average price of 49 cents
per pourd. Their Independence real
ly began WIth the price Of 1872 cents
per pound in 1909.
During yhe last f,o years the price
of lint cotton averaged about IL cents
per pound, or about s55 per bale, and
the value of the cotton seed increased
from s13.76 per ton in 1906 to s27.73
per ton in 1909.
The value Of a 500-pound bale of
cotton, including the vaiue of the
seed, was sS4.31 in 1909, compared
with $50.37 in 1904, and with 5000
In 1898.
The effect Of improved methods of
| cultivation in recent years on the pro-
ouctior Of cotton per acre is reflected
in the statistics for Georgia and South
, Carolina; in the former, the acreage
planted increased during the twenty
years 42.4 per cent, and the produc-
ton 59.6 per cent; in the latter, the
acreage increased about 25 per cent.
and the production about 55 per cent.
In Marlboro County, S. c., the aver
age production per square mile for
1909 was 1872 bales, compared with
1873 bales for 1904, and 63.5 bales for
1889. The bulletin refers to the state
ment that intensive farming had it's
beginning in this county about 1857,
J and it argues that, if it may be as
sumed that tnC record of this county
for 1908 irifScates the potentiality in
cotton growing sor ali tbs Si2 c0un-
ties for which giULihg was returned
last year, the possible production for
the United States would - estimated
at more than S0,000,0O0 bsles, with
out taking into account any further
| extension OF the cotton growing area.
| A complete record of the cotton ~
| dustry in the United States, covering
| annual statistics Of production, value
OF lint per pound, consumption, eX-
ports, and imports, since 1890, is Civ
en- IN one of the tables. While tho
Ncentre of production for the crop Of
1909 has not been definitely determ-
lned, it is known that because OF the