The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-09-12
ESTIMATES CROP
100000 BALES
Urges Farmers to Hold
the Product For
Decent Price
CROPS ARE OETER|ORAT|NG

IN an interesting interview FtlrnlSneU
the News and Observer, Mr.. w. \.
Simpkins Gives some Good Advice
Based OH Cotton Conditions-What
Others Say.
In an interesting interview fur
nished The Farmer and Mechanic. Mr..
w. A. Simpkins the cotton
crop at around 13, 900, 600 bales, and
says that the farmers should stand
together for decent prices on a prod
uct hat it has cost money and labor
to make.
Mr.. SimpkinS SayS:
las the season is on for harvest
ing h cotton crop and there are
various opinions as to the amount that
will be made. which. of course, in a
sense is guess work, yet we must civ
proper credence to statements made
by men who are in a position to know
something Of the condition in the
crops in their respective States. Dur
ing the last three weeks | have made
inquiry Of a number Of the most
prominent merchants, planters ana
cotton factors in the Cotton Belt, ana
in nearly every instance they have
written me up to three weeks ago that
the indications We're tina a bumper
crop would be made. Since that time,
however, the crop has. deteriorated
from 10 to 40 per cent due to the
aNages OF the caterpillar, boil WeeV1ls,
boil worms, extremely hot sun and
excessive rains. Only one man out
Of the many to whom | have written
has indicated that they would make
a good crop in his section. | dom
think these men would misrepresen1
the conditions, and l feel it my duty
to offer a little advice just here to
my fellow farmers, which is as FOL
lows:
Market your cotton slowly; don't
have it ginned until You are ready tC
Sell it. 1t improves w~onderfuily
when put up in bulk in the seed. In
| stead Of losing by holding, cotton in
the seed actually improves. This is
acknowledged by every person who
is acquainted with cotton n cotton
seed. From the best information ]
can gain, the crop will be around thir-
teen million bales, perhaps a little
| more Or less. This should mean from
IS to IA cents. The world evidently
| needs all the cotton thar will be made
and the manufacturer himself says
he wants to see the price advance.
SOllOl Is opening 2 op1Ni "i4b
| if the farmer turns loose the cotton
| as they have heretofore done, the re-
| ceipts will be exceedingly heavy dur
ing the next thirty days or more. we
know that the bears will use this to
sustain their argument in favor OF a
bic crop. There are some cotton fields
in Wake county today that are hall
open. OF course, / believe in picking
cotton lust as fast as it opens. if pos
S;hlo AC T hofOro stated mt it no
in the seed and have Just as little GIN
ned as you possibly can-only that
amount which you wish to sell TO
meet your pending obligations. The
m as a rule, are in good condl-
ton financially, and those who are
not can easily get help from the bank
er. There is no reason why this crop
should be turned loose at a price that
would mean almost ruin to the plant
err. We have paid high prices Tor
mules. for lands, for labor, farming
utensils, ana in fact everything that
we have had to buy or hire has cost
US a high price, so there is no use
for US to think of selling this crop
for 10 cents or II cents and expect
to keep in business. The thing for u
to do is to work together.
1T has been said, and truly so,
that it is much harder to OrganlZe
the afner than any other class OF
people in the world, but 1T seems &c
me in this day OF enlightenment
when every man reads his daily pa
per and gets the news from abroad
as we'll as near home. he ought to
know it is TO his own interest to act
| as other intelligent men act, because
it is an everlasting truth that the in
terest of the people is mutual If ]
hurt myself by selling an article toe
low. l have likewise hurt my neigh
-. II I hnjp aEcolf nv pof-
ting q good price for an article, ]
have in like manner helped my neigh
Dor. don't think the farmer wants
J more thai his crop is worth, but lie