Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-29
1872 COTTON CROP SECOND
IN SIZE AND VALUE, SAYS
CENSUS BUREAU REPORT
South Gets $92O,63O,OOO for Producing Total of
l4,3l3,Ol5 Standard Bales-Only One Acre
Out OF Every Eleven in Belt Is Planted-Oil
Mills Take Is Per Cent of All Seed.


sia and in the Carolinas, the net in
crease since 1906 for the three States
combined being S44,449 bales. or PAL
per cent.
The production of cotton in Louis
| lana decreased steadily from 1906 to
1910, though the crops of 1911 and
1912 show an increase over that of
1910. In 1905 the production of the
| State amounted to 1,012,573 bales,
while in 1910 the amount was only
255, 1913 bales. This rapid decline was
due largely to the ravages of the boil
| weevil and to the consequent diver
sion Of cotton lands to the cultivation
| OF sugarcane, rice and other crops.
| The boil weevil was also largely
! responsible for the decrease in the
/ production in Mississippi, in which
state the crop of 1912 was the small
est for FIVE years.
The Acreage Large.
! According to the revised estimate Of
the Department of Agriculture the
! area planted in cotton in 1912 was
| S4,766,O00 acres. of which Asa, 900
acres, or IA per cent, were aban-
doned, leaving 34,2S3,O acres as the
| area from which the crop was har-
vested. This is a reduction of 1,762.-
00O acres. as compared with 1911.
| with this exception, the acreage both
! that planted and that harvested. was
the largest for any year Mississippi
| Arkansas and Oklahoma all show
material reductions, as compared with
| 1911, while Texas shows an increase
| OF $4,000 acres. The average pro-
| duction OF lint per acre in 1912, as
| estimated by the Department of Aeri
| culture. waS 191 pounds. as compared
| with 2OS pounds in 1911, and III
pounds in 1910
There were s,215 bales reported as
ginned in California in 1912 as com
| pared With $3.50 bales in 1911. and
| 5,SSo bales in 1910. These amounts
| include some foreign cotton grown in
Mexico Oower California; and
| ginned in California.
Cotton Insect Pests.
The cotton crop Of 1912 was Sc
rlously affected by insect pests. The
growers In a large section Of the cot
| weeVll, While in some sections the
| crop suffered damage from cotton
caterpillars, grass worms and other
pests to q greater extent than in for
mer years. Drouths in 1909 and 1910
| particularly in Texas, Oklahoma and
Louisiana, checked the development
OF the boil weevils in their early
| stages, and killing frost followed by
warm weather in the latter year
greatly reduced their numbers. These
| conditions resulted in a great reduc-
| ton in the number of weevils in 1911.
The season of 1912. however again
| was favorable to the Weevil. and
| there was a considerable extension of
| the area subject to this pest, Owing
| to the general dissemination of the
| information obtained by the Federal
and state Departments Of Agricul-
! ture, the destructiveness Of the bolt
] WeeVil is being greatly reduced.
The quantity Of cotton ginned from
| the crop of 1912 prior to Septenber l
was 730935 bales, the largest amount
! Tor any year since the inauguration
! of these reports by the Census Blu
| reau, with the single exception of
1911, when the number of bales was
! 77l,2s7. BY October 49, 1912, 81 per
! cent Of the crop had been ginned. as
| compared with 49.9 per cent in 1911.
46.9 per cent in 1910, $40 per cent in
! 1909, 4S.1 per cent in 1908, and 40 per
cent in 1907
| BY November IA slightly more than
three fourths Of the crop had been
! ginned. There was considerable diff
| ference, however, among the several
| States in the proportion of the total
amount ginned to specific dates.
More than two thirds of the total
| crop of Texas had been ginned by
| october IS. while Tennessee showed
| less than one third.
Crops Economic Status.
Some idea of the importance Of cot
ton TO iuction in the United States
| from an economic standpoint may be
had when it is considered that. next
| to corn, cotton is the most valuable
| crop grown in the country and that
| raw cotton is the largest single item
of export. The value Of the cotton
crop of 1909 represented IS per cent
/ of the total value of all the crops of
the country. The value Of cotton
| exported during the fiscal year 1912
amounted to S565,S49271. or 26.1 per
cent Of the total value Of all articles
Of domestic merchandise exported
/ during the year. 1t exceeded the
amounts for iron and steel manufac-
lures, meat and Dairy products and
breadstuffs combined, these three
groups ranking next in Importance
/ among articles exported These large
exports, combined with the more
than 100000 bales consumed in do
mestic manufacture, strikingly indi-
cate the Importance Of cotton In the
| economic affairs Of the nation.
| Altogether, the greatest cotton
growing section in the world, both in
extent and in production, is located
in the south -central and southeastern
parts of the United States 1t in
cIudes small portions Of Virginia,
Kentucky Missouri, Kansas and New
| Mexico and the States lying to the
south This cotton producing area is
about 1900 miles long, from east to
west. and about 500 miles wide. With
in the past few years the cultivation
Of cotton has been undertaken in Ari-
iona and California on irrigated land
| with considerable success, especially
in the latter State. The growing of
more valuable crops, however, will
| likely prevent any appreciate in
crease in the production in these
States.
Production Can Be Increased.
Numerous efforts have been made
in recent years to introduce the cul-
tivation of cotton in new countries
and to increase the production in
others In some instances failure has
attended these efforts. and in only a
few cases does there seem a prob
ability Of making d material addition
TO the world supply Of commercial
cotton.