Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-22
FINE WEATHER
HELPS COTTON
ALL OVER BELT
Boil WeeviI Only Serious Menace,
Acreage Estimates Now Agree
on Small Increase.

MEMPHIS. June Warm sun
shine in abundance and enough mois-
ture practically everywhere have
caused the cotton crop during the
past week to make satisfactory prog
ress. There are evidences still of too
little moisture awhile back and Of
the recent week-long cool spell, but
a continuation of present conditions
soon will blot out a lot Of damage
and cause a revision of ideas as to
yield Reports reaching here during
the week have been more optimistic
and the main complaint has been
that the plant is small and in some
sections irregular in size. Clean
fields are universally reported and the
soil has been put into good shape
for rains later on to have full eff
feet So far as adviCes here go,
there is no serious lack Of labor and
cultivation has been at a minimum
expense. There was no great amount
of replanting necessary in this sec
ton of the belt and the crop perhaps
is as evenly advanced taking the
belt as a whole, as in many years.
II will take time fcE this one TO
two weeks tardiness to be overcome
and it remains to be seen how well
the plant will be prepared to with
stand the trying time of the usual
summer drouth. The feeling at this
center is that the crop has improved
since the Government report was
made up May % by several points,
There il no doubt of it so far as the
territory close to the city is con-
Cerned, and some Of the best pros
poets in years are seen here.
There is one danger, however, in
81 &c
boil weevil and the time is at hand
when the test is to be faced Advices
from the lower part of Mississippi
and Louisiana tell of the presence Of
the pest in large numbers and it is a
question whether efforts will avail TO
reduce the number so that the yield
viii be anything like it ought to be.
Much depends on how the number
Of weevils can be kept down during
the egg-laylng period. Government
agents and others are rendering ev-
cry aid possible in the campaign, but
already some sections say that plant
ers are losing heart because Of the
odds against them. So far there are
few complaints as to the pest in the
Delta sections, and in Arkansas the
weevil is said to be comparatively
scarce.
Acreage ideas are converging
around an increase of to per cent
! over last years revised figures. which
would give something less than the
amount for two years ago, when the
crop was over 100000 bales. How
ever. the estimate of the New York
! Financial Chronicle is that the
acreage is the largest ever known.
The movement Of the remnant of
| the old crop has become very light
and consequently the small demand
for the actual has not interfered
with the bull campaign. Interior
| stocks have been losing their excess
| over a year ago. as shipments have
| been larger relatively. Quotations
| have been advanced generally from
| 1-8 to Ii cent to from IL rs TO
! ! 2 9-16 cents for middling, and quo
! tations are still way above a deliver
! able parity as compared with New
, York contracts.
There seems little hope of stock in
! that center being increased and shorts
! in the summer months will be at the
mercy of the bull interests There
| has been moderate business in this
/ center, but unsold stock is reduced
| to about 10000 bales and very little
| is coming in.
! The recent activity among spinning
interests in buying new crop con-
| tracts against their needs of raw
material in the early fall leads to the
! opinion that they surely will make
| big inroads on the available supply
of the old during the rest Of the
/ summer, although there has been
/ some check to the advance in the
nearby contracts, encouraged by the
! enormous premiums ruling.