The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1912-01-16
THE COTTON SITUATION
AS SEEN BY B. HARRIS
AND REMEDIES FOR IT

cents. There is something radically
wrong when such wide variations in
price occur. There is no other COM
modify under the heavens with such
a fall in price. According to statis-
tics the world needs every bale that
will be made this year. If what have
stated above be true, there must be
some cause for the drop in the price
Of cotton. It is up to the farmers who
are the producers to find out the cause
and it is up to them and to them only,
to remedy it: Will he do it? I can
not say. Can be remedy it? I answer
emphatically he can. How? By di-
versifying his crops, so as to make
himself seli-supporting.
Now I do not want to appeal to
your prejudicies, but I want to appeal
to- your good common horse sense.
! know that there are only few Of
our farmers that realize just what
South Carolina is spending annually
| for products which she ought to raise
here at home and these products can
be raised in this State for less than
half of the amount it is costing our
people to buy elsewhere. To show
you how much money We are sending
to the west for these articles, I will
enumerate: Flour, s2O,OOO,O00; bacon
and lard, S17,25O,OOO; horses and
mules, S12,5O0,OGO; hay and oats, s11,-
100000; corn, s13,00O,000; fertilizer,
S25,O00,O00, and I will just state that
there is only just about fifteen per
cent. of this money that ever gets back
to US. There is no State in the Union
that can raise the above articles
cheaper than South Carolina. Horses
and mules can be raised from birth
until they are three years old SIS each.
Pork can be raised at a cost Of three
cents per pound gross. Corn has been
raised at a cost Of IL IL cents per
bushel. Any farmer can raise it for
IS cents per bushel. The farmer who
buys corn this year will give 81 for
it-so just remember when you buy a
bushel of corn, you are giving one
dollar for 35 cents-or in fact any
other commodity which you buy, that
could be raised at home on your farm,
you are swapping at the same ratio.
Farmer, stop, think, consider, what
you are doing. Add what we are buy
ing and the total amounts to $99,250,-
900. Now let us see what our cotton
crop will bring. Say we will make
this year in South Carolina in round
numbers 100000 bales Of cotton.
Suppose the average price is $40 per
bale-our cotton crop will sell for
S60,O0O,000. The cotton seed will bring
approximately about 81 per bale, max
ing the total seed raised sell for $10,-
100000. You will now see that the
cotton crop and the seed will not pay
for the commodities that We have
bought elsewhere. Now brother far
1ners, when such conditions as I have
pointed out to you exist, you need not
be surprised to see cotton drop in
price from Is 1-2 cents to s 3-4 cents
inside of 90 days. l want to say to
you that we, the farmers, are to
blame for this and no one else. It is
up to you and to you only to remedy
the situation.
AS to higher prices for the remain
der of the 1911 crop, I want to say to
you that it all depends on the acreage
that you plant during the year 1912,
and the amount Of fertilizer that you
buy. AS to the price at which you
will sell the 1912 crop, I want to say,
if you desire cent cotton, just plant
tho same acreage that YOU planted
during 1911, and buy just as much fer
tilizer as you did last year, and you
will have it. However, if you want
IS cents cotton, just cut your cotton
acreage 80 per cent, with like cur
tail in the fertilizer used last year
and plant the 80 per cent. reduction in
corn and oats and you will make the
Is cents price. Of course some of
our farmers will say that Mr.. Jones
is going to cut his cotton crop and I
will plant a little. more. Now the
man that will do that, is not a. true
man to his neighbors and his country.
and when he passes over the river,
he will soon be forgotten. Brother