Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1913-11-29
HISTORY OF TEXAS COTTON CROP
FROM 1890, WHEN $50 6AIS9
WERE GROWN, is GIVEN
In 1873 the Crop Went Beyond Ml'''o"'
Bale STAGE for First Time-Te xas
Now Produces a Third Of Crop

Austin. Tex.-From $50 bales IN
1880, when the State of Texas began
to keep a record Of production OF It's
money crop" 10 4.S8o,2lo bales IN
1912 is the remarkable story OF cot
ton in Texas. told in figures compiled
by J c. Lindsey, chief clerk in the
office OF the state department OF agrl-
culture.
For three years after the first re-
corded crop the production increased
slowly until 1893 it jumped 70 200
bales. and it was not until 1872 that
the l0.U0O-baie mark was passed, the
crop that year jumping TO 1920 bales
from 7,s41 bales the preceding year.
Just ten years later, in 1852. the crop
passed 100000 bales In 1873 it went
beyond the million bale stage for the
first time with a total growth Of
1,105.133 bales, Three times within
the next three years production fell
below million bales In 1891 the
first two million bale crop rewarded
the efforts of the cotton growers and
three years later, 1894. 3.14O,392 bales
were grown. The years 1911 and 1912
saw the first four million bale crops.
While the production of cotton has
increased steadily until Texas now
grows One-third Of all the cotton gin
ned in the country. the grower has not
Jared we'll at times in the price he has
received. The states records show
ing the annual farm price have only
been kept since 1869. That year the
$50, 62S bale crop fetched 1880, and
that price has been equaled but once
and exceeded but once In 1872 the
$4,000 bale crop brought l5.5c, while
the top price in all the states history
was touched at 17.9c with the 100000
bale crop of 1871.
While the year 1894 saw a three
million bale crop raised for the first
time, it also saw the lowest price re
corded for Texas cotton. 46c per
pound being the best the farmer could
do following the panic OF the proceed
ing year. The following year the
price went up to &c, bur the Texas
crop naturally slumped in proportion.
falling to 1.905,337 bales. the greatest
decrease for one year since the rec
ords were kept.
In not a single year from 1852 to
1902, inclusive, did the Texas farmer
get as much as 10c for his cotton. The
price fluctuated widely from the low
point up TO % in 1882. and i'm 1898
when production jumped to the three
million bale mark again'the price fell
as promptly to SIC.
In 1903 a fair crop and good prices
conceded, the 1852, 632 bale crop Of
that year putting money in the pockets
of the growers at the rate of 12.22c
per pound But the greatest money
crop of all was that of last year, when
in spite of the huge production the
price stayed above f2c.
The great crop of 1912 required the
greatest area and 11,33S,000 acres were
required to produce the close TO five
million bales recorded.
The nearest the crop ever came to
being a failure" Mr.. Lindsey's fig
ures show, was in 1884, when 1885,
Sos acres were required to raise $685.
600 bales. Less than a third of bale
per acre also rewarded the grower in
1896
The years 1861 to 1865 are a blank
in so far as data relating to the cotton
crop goes, the people of Texas, in
common with the other states of the
Southern Confederacy, having other
things to occupy them as weighty as
the business of recording the toll of
their whtened field.