The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-10-31
Col. Grimes on the Cotton Situation
early Maturity and Ginning Have Created an Erroneous Impression

IN cotton is generally q fool who
plays the othec mans game and has
to pocket a loss for his experience
besides countenancing cne of the
greatest evils and swindles from
which the cotton farmer suffers. AS
an actual Investment, cotton is now
worth more than it is bringing
the market. and there is abundant
money now in the South to buy it.
Will the people of the South have
confidence enough to buy actual cot
ton to hold until normal conditions
are restored, thus conservlng the
prosperity of this section and profit
| iRg the investors?
The estimate that the cost Of cot
ton is only s33 bale is misleading
and absurd. Some farmers raise it
at much less than that. but l venture
to say the average cost to the great
mass Of cotton growers, planters,
farmers. tenants, etc, is over S45
/ bale Some may raise it for S25 q
/ bale. others at $50, but there are
than at the first figure. To begin
with, the correspondent who makes
the report is generally above the av-
erage as a farmer, and in estimating
| cost he selects above an average acre.
TO that acre is charged the labor ac-
tualiy used On it, the actual time con-
sumed by mules plowing and cultiEat-
ing it, the cost Of seed. fertilizer,
picking cost of ginning, etc. This
| !, RI, oil h06
frequently no account is taken of the
interest on land. the wear and ue-
probation on tools, teams etc. On
the average cotton farm, probably
One-half the mules used to make a
crop stand almost idle onethird OF
the year: the gin house, engine, gin
and machinery stand idle o-thirds
Of the year; a large percentage Of the
land or farm Investment is unimproF-
ed land and stands idle and unpro-
ductiye all the year. But the tax and
interest on the investment are legit-
innate expenses charseab1e to the
farm and must come out of the cot
ton profits; the costs of necessary
barns, stables. out-buildings, tenant
houses. conyeniences around curtei-
e. etc, are proper expenses &c
charge against the farm. and must he
borne by the cotton crop of the cot
ton farmer. and the value Of the SUI
pervision, or direction, should also
be counted in the cost. All these
items must be taken into account as
part Of the cost OF production
The Census Bureau report of yes
, terday shows that to October lSth
7.74O,G34 bales of cotton has peer
+ c;nned The report seems to have
? had no effect on the market. as i
was more than discounted before il
appeared and the bears had made
: the most of this unusual condition
, The report is the most hopeful news
we have had. It was a surprise THAI
, it was not over 100000 bales Ss
t from observation and from reports
: from all over the country, we were
satisfied about two-thirds of the crol
> had been ginned. October sinnlps
, heretofore represented 3S per cent c
So per cent OF cotton produced, bu
. only twice has the record for ginning
at this time been over 80 per cent.
, In 1909. 549 per cent of the croi
! /; had been ginned to this time tht
= LARGEST ginning ever known 10 cclo-
her 1S. The Census Report says ina
;. ip to October IS. 1911, 43S,4o5 baie:
: had been Ginned in North Carolina
!, IF the percentage OF sinned coto'
zvas not greater than in 1909 theI
, <, per cent of the crol
: would make about S.ooo.ott