Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-29

Ava llt COTTON crop IN the Dnlleu
states for the year 1912 are given in
detail in a bulletin soon to be issued
Dy Director Durand of the Bureau Of
the Census. 1t was prepared under
the supervision of William NJ. Steu-
art, chief statistician.
The quantity of cotton reported for
the crop of 1912, with linters included
and round bales counted as half bales,
Is l4,O90,S63 running bales With the
exception of that Of 1917 this is the
largest crop the United States ever
produced. Expressed in gross 500
pound bales, the crop amounted 20
14.313,015 bales, being 1.937,261 bales,
or 11-9 per cent, less than that of 1911
but exceeding that of 1910 by 1907 ,327
bales, or 1872 per cent; that of 1909 by
1897 633 bales, or 3S.S per cent, and
that of 1904, the third largest crop,
by 633,061 bales, or As per cent.
The average annual production Of
cotton for the years 1S99-1903 was
1O,O55,003 bales, and for the years
l9OS-l912, 13,294,33 bales; the in
crease in the average annual produc-
ton being 3,239330 bales, or 1922 per
cent When it is considered that Of
the total area of the counties from
which returns of cotton ginned were
made only about one eleventh was
devoted to the production OF cotton In
1911 and 1912, the figures. afford some
idea of the possibilities Of cotton pro-
duCtion in the United States.
Practically the entire production Of
cotton in the United States is upland
which includes a number of long
staple varieties. Only about one-half
of / per cent of the total cotton pro-
duCtion in 1912 was of the sea island
variety, and only 4.3 per cent was
linters.
The Sea Island Crop.
The sea island crop Of 1912 amount
ed to 70, III bales, or 2S,1S0,000 pounds
gross weight and was less than that
of 1911 by 1876 bales, or 1872 per
cent With the exception of the
crop of 1906, the crop of 1912 was
the smallest produced since the in
auguration of the ginning reports Of
the Census Bureau in 1899. very
severe storm proved disastrous to the
crop in South Carolina IN 1911, and
the production of that State decreased
from 1906 bales in 1910 to 5,l19 in
1911. but increased to 1907 bales in
1912.
While production Of sea island cot
ton shows variations from $500 run
ming bales in 1906 to 1928 in 1911,
there has been no general tendency
toward an increase or a decrease in
the production of this variety, the
amount in 1912 being 1911 running
bales.
The production of linters shows a
marked increase from ia 44 running
bales in 1899 to 602,3 24 bales In 1872.
This gain is due in part to the in
crease in the production OF cotton
and hence of cotton seed available Tor
delinting, and in part to the marked
DEVELOPMENT since 1899 Of the cotton
seed products industry, resulting IN
an increase in the proportion OF the
total seed supply reglnned, and par
ticularly in the closer dellnting OF the
seed for the better separation OF the
meat from the hulls.
The estimated quantity Of cotton
seed produced from the crop OF lslZ
was 6,1O4.000 tons, which compares
with $4,000 tons from the crop OF
1o11 OF the total for 1912, 4,579,5OS
TONS or Is per cent. were taken by
the oil mills, thus leaving 1,524,4S2
tons. or % per cent, for planting, eX-
mort. feeding and other purposes. Inc
proportion of the seed taken by the
oil mills from the crop or 1911 was ~
per cent, a somewhat smaller propof-
tion than in 1917.
Crop Worth 1920, 63oo 900.
The estimated value of the crop or
1912 is 1920, $4,000. as compared win
SS59. $40 900 for 1911, 1858, ,OOO Ior
191a SSi2.090,000 for 1903, $6Sl 63O-
600 for 1903 and $700,96O,OOO for l9Ol'
Thus the value Of the crop OF l9Iz,
as estimated, was $50. 1901 600, or pey
cent more than the estimate for 1917,
Notwithstanding the fact that the
ouantitv of lint cotton was 12.I per
cont less. While the crop of l9ll
was the largest ever produced. ana
that of 1912 the second in size, the
crop of 1910 was the most valuable.
The estimated value of the cotton
cr5ps Of the five-year period endlng
with 1912 is $4236,790,O0O, while the
corresponding value for the five-year
period ending with 1899 was Sl,ozs,-
500 600 During the last 1--WE years
Inc price of upland lint cotton has
averaged about III cents per pound,
or nearly $50 per bale
Tho crop of 1912 graded "middling
% strict mfddling" The average
price of upland cotton, which has
been computed from the New Or
leans market reports, has ranged
from $50 cents in 1912 to 1859 IN
1910 For the crop OF ISl2 II was
1905 cents which is 2.32 cents more
than the average for lsll ana Z.o4
cents less than for 1910.
The average bale weight for the
crop of 1912, counting round as half
bales and including linters, Is 50t9
pounds gross, "a compared with 5O4.4
bounds for 1911, 501.7 pounds for 1910
and 1866 pounds for 1909. The varia
rion in the average weight Of bale for
INLAND cotton put up in square pack
ages is pronounced throughout the
cotton belt, the averages ranging
from less than AGO pounds for num-
Der of counties in Georgia and North
Carolina to $50 pounds for counties
in Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas.
Texas Crop Phenomenal.
The cotton crop of 1912. as COM
pared with that of 1911. shows a loss
in each of the States, with the eXcep-
ton of Texas and Oklahoma. in which
states it was the largest ever pro-
duced. Ala bama. North Carolina and
South Carolina. however. all show an
increase over every other year except
1911
The crop of 1912 in Texas was phe-
nomenal. being almost twice IS large
as that of 1909. Texas alone pro-
dueed almost one-fourth of the total
commercial crop of the world in 1912.
4 large Part " the increased pro-
duction Of cotton in recent years has