The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-09-10
Consolidated Aug. 3, 1881.
SUMTER, s c., SATURDAY, sEFrEMt Err 10 1910
HESTEa'S COTTON REPORT.
PRODUCT OF COTTON LAST YEAR
GREATEST IN HISTORY.
With Relatively Small Yield, None
tary Results is sos, 100000 Greater
Than I'm Previous Year.

New Orleans, Sept. 6.--That the
value of the cotton which the South
/ marketed in the commercial season
recently closed far surpassed that of
any previous year in the history of
the country. in spite of a short crop.
was the principal feature of the an
nual report put out today by Col.
| Henry C.. Hester. for many years Sec
| retary and statistican of the New
Orleans cotton exchange.
The money value of the commercial
crop in the season 1909-'1O is placed
at S77S.S94.000, showing that while
the quantity of cotton marketed was
S,216,000 bales less than the pre-
vious season. 1t brought s95.100, 900
more. This does not include the
value of cotton seed which If added
would show the actual wealth pro-
ducing capacity of the Southern cot
ton lands for the commercial year
just closed to have been $902,S94, 900,
gain over 19Os-'O9 of s127.1OO. 900.
South Holds Lead.
According to complete reports
from both Northern and Southern
milling centres. the South for the
third consecutive season for the
tured more cotton than the North
and increased the lead which it held
last season.
Today's Hester report forms a de-
tailed supplement to the report on
the crop which was put out at the
close of business, August 81. That
report placed the crop for 1909-'10
\ at 10.609,66S bales, a decrease un-
der that of 190S-'O9 of 3,215,7S9, and
under that of 19O7-'0S Of 962,29S.
These, Col. Hester says. constitute tn
face Of the figures. but, considering
the falling off in weight which av-
eraged 6 6S-1OO pounds per bale
there is the equivalent Of $4,000
bales, or a crop equal to 1O,472, 900
bales of last years weight.
Grade of Crop Good. N..1..
According to the report the grade
of the crop was good, averaging
practically strict middling," bare
shade under last year. The average
price of middling cotton for the year
is placed at 14.37 cents per pound
and the commercial value Of the
bales at 73.41, against 49.46 last year
and $50 the year before.
The report places the actual growth
at 1O.SS9,000 bales. and says that as
the result of the high prices the in
terror has practically been swept
clean. farmers having little or no old
cotton left over and Southern mill
stocks have been materially de-
creased.
The report of the crop in the States
Is given as follows in thousands of
bales:
Report by States.
Alabama, 1.07S VS. 1,42S last year;
Arkansas. 71S VS.. 1862 last year;
Florida. 66 VS. rs last year; Georgia.
1872 VS.. 2,11S last year; Louisiana,
2S2 vs.. 4S5 last year; Oklahoma, 566
vs. 7O4 last year; Mississippi, 1,121
VS.. 1878 last year; North Carolina.
676 VS.. 747 last year; South Carolina,
lisa vs.. 1928 last year; Tennessee.
etc, 316 vs.. 426 last year; Texas
2'676 VS.. 3,S19 last year. Total crop
1850 VS. 1895 last year.
Regarding the cotton consumption
by Southern mills, the report saws:
Consumption I'm South.
J the spindles In the South number
| ll,5S2,359, including old, idle and
not complete. Three years ago con-
sumption in the cotton States was
ahead OF the rest of the United States
100000 bales; last year the excess was
narrowed to $4,000 and this year II
has again increased to 10000. This
| refers TO American cotton. The North
used Of foreign cotton this year the
| equivalent in this years American
weights Of $4,000 bales, while the
South used the equivalent OF 10000
but even with these added. the South
Is ahead I'm both American and for
eign cotton to the extent Of 10000
| bales In the South many mills were
experimenting for the first time with
small amounts Of East India cotton
ana while the aggregate was not
large, all Of "a institutions used va
rlous descriptions OF foreign against
only 2 last year"
Used Foreign Cotton.
Inc consumption of American
cotton by Northern mills, Col. Hester