The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-04-25
IN, the Cotton Crop Means to the
<nrth-Laroe Factor in the. Bal
800, of Trade,

.,r. foreign trade Of the United
-..+a. has always been founded large
+. .n the cotton field of the southern
.-+ states. You may think that
49,. beef exports and the grain trade
,rs +he manufactured products have
..lr big factors, but let me tell you
.>nere they rank.
The report of the Secretary Of
Agriculture for last veal shows that
re exports of cotton amount to four
hundred and fifty million dollars. The
exports of packing house products
and OF grain and grain products did
I.r together make much more of a
r.f4i than half of the cotton total.
IN. cotton export comprise more
,Esa = fourth of all the exports, and
has been so for many a long year.
over sixty per cent OF the cotton
raised in the United States goes
abroad 10 find q market. OF that
whirh remains at home nearly as
much goes North as stays South,
,frnDgh Of late the Southern cotton
more than the Northern mills nave
been using. OF the cotton goods
made ut. the South 4 considerable per
non goes abroad.
The people of the North have eve
aailc agreed with the people Of the
south about d certain mysterious thing
called the balance of trade. The De0-
ri. of the North hold to the :G,a
ina. prosperity means to sell to the
arolgn countries more than Q get
IN return, and if the exports exceed
~. imports largely it is regarded *
Il satisfactory condition. The people
aI the South have the other notion.
They think that if the country can
Get more from abroad than it sends
abroad il is in some way nroflt NJ.
do not confess to offer any sug-
4~est,onS in the matter as to which is
right. for the country seems to rock
along under what the North calls
the favorable balance Of trade just
us Great Britain moves ahead the
same way with the balance of trade
decidedly against her.
But what l am getting at is that
She balance OF trade is made up
largely by cotton Of the South which
does not favor a balance of trade,
and because the South which does
not bel. eve much in selling anything
Hithout getting a value in return
bills of exchange which go out with
every bale of cotton shipped, that
the credit may be given the South
@rn shipper. and he draws against
his bill OF exchange for something
that the New York wholesalers have
10 sell, and the cotton man is happy
regardless Of balances Of trade, or
any other political theoretical mys-
terry.
And the Northern theor:st who is
happy in the favorable balance of
trade is kept happy by the four or
five hundred million dollar ship
ment of cotton that h Southern
PLANTER contributes to this balance,
and all goes we'll, even if it is some
what confusing.
But leaving these mighty VISIONS
out Of the question the South lends a
helpful hand in keeping the national
wheel in motion when it comes to
pay of the debts contracted by our
folks abroad II many a panic IS
materially softened by the wealth that
comes TO New York from Europe on
tho days when the cotton balances are
returning after a big cargo has gone
out from the DIX plantations to
The British and German mills.
The exports OF cotton since the
civil War would total such a sum
Of money that it could not be realized.
Retaining the South IN the Union was
worth all the money it cost 1T for no
other urpos than to a the foreign
bills against the country. When you
nave q section of country that can
+iraw the hated British gold. or some
ming equally ns good, as my old
iriend NICK nley used to say to the
BOYS, at the rate of a mvllon q
lay that section counts for some
hing.
One restful feature about this cot
ION situation is tina the world has not
yet found any other place from which
L" procure it's cotton supply. although
At would seem that With the mpera-
ave need for cotton some other por-
tion if this broad universe could
hc!p out. But it takes a peculiar
combination Of SOL and climate to
make cotton, and that has not yet been
found on a large scale any place ex-
opt in the United States.
One variety Of cotton refuses to
fhrlTe anywhere but on the islands
atons the oast OF the Carolinas n
Georgia. and it is the best variety
raised. But while it will grow to per-
lection along the coast it scorns to
10 a tn ng if taken back out of he
sight of the salt sea waves. Genuine
american in its independence that
cotton is, and ySu cannot make it
40 anything it does not wan to.
Eight or inc millions a week Is