The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1911-10-01
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: THE COTTON MARKET AND
. THE SOUTH.
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(By Theo. II. Price,

(By Theo. VI. Price,
Having spent September, 1910, and
September, 1911, in the cotton fields
OF Texas. and having in the lnterNal
travelled extensively in the cotton
manufacturing districts of both Eu-
rope and America, | am moved TO put
before the cotton producers OF the
south my impressions with regard TO
the present situation of the cotton
market.
Last year at this time the market
was advancing rapidly, and although
the crop was a short one, the farm
ers were receiving reasonably ge'-
erous reward for their arduous labor
] am greatly impressed with the con
trast between this year and last.
have been through literally hundreds
OF cotton fields in both north and
south Texas in the past thirty DAYS
Making due allowance for the In
crease in acreage, am strongly I'M
pressed with the fact that the yield
per acre will not be any larger this
year than il was last.
Yet, owing TO an apparent miScon-
ception regarding the size OF the crop,
the farmers of the south are engaged
III a deplorable competition as 10 who
shall sell their cotton cheapest. The
fact that the crop has prematurely
upened all at once, and is, as far as
possible, all being marketed in few
weeks, adds to the decentralization OF
situation which will become acute
unless balanced by self-control.
The world needs all and more than
year produce ON the average it takes
one pound of cotton to make five
yards of cloth An advance of &c
pound on cotton therefore, results in
an advance of 1c a yard in the cloth,
which is consumed by a world popu-
lation of nearly one thousand million
people
On the other hand, an advance of &c
a pound in cotton means S25 a bale,
OF something over s3O0,O00,00O, which
would be distributed among the eigh-
teen million people resident in the
cotton states.
call upon the farmers of the south
To pause in the financial suicide in
which they are now engaged. There
is no necessity for it. 1t means great
distress and serious loss TO many de
fcnseless men and women.
Deliberation, investigation and in
telligent action by the individual will
result in averting an enormous loss
to the people of the cotton states.
wonder if it is generally known
in the south that seed cotton held
after picking for two or three months
before ginning seems to continue 10
develop-the staple growing longer
and the seed heavier. If have oppor'
tunity later on | shall say something
more on this subject.
Ny business in Texas at present is
! the introduction and commercialiZa
| ton of the Price-Campbell cotton pick
| ing machine. Ii is now perfected. II
does the work of from thirty to forty
| hands and does better work than hand
! pickers at about one-tenth of the
| cost. It's general introduction means
! less hardship, more intelligence and
greater profits to the farmer and the
| community. More than this, and mos
| important of all it means normal and
! refined lives for the women of south
/ and education and intelligence for the
children that they have borne
1t has been examined and indorseC
hy the United States department o.
| agriculture. the Texas department OF
agriculture, and hundreds of promi
nent men, whose opinions We ca
supply on application.
shall he glad if all the men in the
south who sympathize with me in the
ideals | have set before myself ,.
this enterprise will communicate witt
! ne.
would like every man in the soutr
who is interested in cotton to see tn'
cotton picking machine at work. I'm
fortunately | can not carry it arOur.
and exhibit it, but it is commercially
at work in the vicinity of Dallas, ant
is on exhibition picking cotton at The
State Fair at Oklahoma City. 1t vii
be similarly at work at the State Fail
i'm Dallas from October IA to October
%. | earnestly invite every one L
see it.