The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1911-04-22
MORE OUT OF COTTON CROP
Main Object of All Is How to Do
Things More Profitabty-Farners
Should Produce Food.

ers how to market it, and SO on. the
main object Of all is to show us the
way to do things profitaDly. But It
seems to me that we have yet failed
to reach a satisfactory solution as
whole, and am going to try to prove
that it is our own fault, says writer
in the Southern CultiVator
1t stands to reason that the law OF
supply and demand ought to govern
the price of any marketable product,
and we will admit that it does IN most
cases. But it seems that this law mas
had little or no effect on the price
of cotton for the past two years. Au-
thorities tell us that since l9Oo the
consumption of cotton in the south
ern mills alone has increased by l.
100000 bales: in northern mills by
100000 bales, and the export demand
by 2,4O0,0OO bales. Our population is
increasing at home and abroad, man
ufacturing industries are multiplying
everywhere, and civilization is spread
ing from pole to pole.
With all these conditions it would
REQUIRE at least 100000 bales OF cot
ton to supply a normal demand, Have
we produced it in any year except
1908? Is there any chance for II to be
produced this year? Then 1t must DC
fact that the present production IS
and will be insufficient to meet the &C
tual needs of the world. do any OF
us believe that the average price pa1d
for the past two years, or the present
Drice. is commensurate with the produc-
ton? Isn't it fact plain enough that
the supply is having no erect towards
governing the price? Then what is
the trouble? Why these unnatural
conditions? Why is it that the cotton
mills, largely, have to cease opera
tions from 80 to 80 days every
! year for the past several years? You
| ask the manufacturers and they Will
tell you right now that there is no de-
mand from the jobbers; that the
warerooms are stocked up with goods
which they would be glad to sell at
cost: that they have been running
their mills at a loss for months, and
are obliged to shut down until they
can get orders for goods. You inquire
of the jobbers and they will inform you
that their store rooms. are over
stocked and they have called in their
| travelling statesmen for the lack of bust
| ness II you would walk into the
store of the general retail merchant
and watch for 80 minutes, you will
see, without asking, that he sells SIC
worth Of groceries to where he sells
one of dry goods. You ask the people,.
the great mass Of consumers, and We
all answer with one accord: Food
products are so high that we can't
afford to buy clothes" It takes all
that we make, and with some, more
than we make, to buy something to
eat, to fill the dinner pail, to keep
the pot boiling" And right here, fell
low farmers. is where the whole trorF
Bile lies. tits within our own doors
Food products are too high. Why!
Because there are more consumers
than producers. Why? Because We
southern farmers are buying our food
| instead of producing it. And just sc
long as such conditions continue, we
will never be able to command profit
able price for our cotton, it mat
ters not how short the crop may
be. or how hard we may struggle t.
make 1t.
Congress may investigate the cause
Of the high prices for food products
"till the stars fall" but what will i
all amount to SO long as we southern
farmers are having to buy our owl
food for man and beast, instead o
producing it?
Isn't it a disgrace for country lik'
this good old southland, with the soils
the climate, and the seasons, to pre-
duce all the essentials to have to de
mend upon another for it's food? w
are not only doing ourselves a grea
injustice, but we are causing our cit
folks to suffer, we are demoralizing GU
manufacturing industries. Some Of u
complain of the curtailment or shut
ting down Of our mills. Some sa
y that it is all for a purpose, that it
done to squeeze the cotton producer
. But is it reasonable to believe tina
any institution would cease operatio
. SO long as they were manufacture
at a profit? Do we believe that tn
directors Of our cotton mills Woul
: be so inhuman as to turn their ope
atives out of doors in order to kee
= down the price Of cotton, or to p1
= money in their own pockets? Nc
y we don't believe this, we simply tai
more than we think.
!, I admit, brother farmers, that "
are sometimes duped, but most Of OF
= grievances are not well founded tt
= trouble is with our own methods. "
have got to change our system {
farming. We must produce our foe
: supplies instead OF buying theI
= or else our country will forever
. at the mercy Of some other, o,
> conditions will grow worse instead
= better.
= Let US not try to curtail tt
acreage or yield Of our cotton crop
" but let lis try more per acre al
u divide the acres to produce with fot
: crops.