The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1913-11-28
HISTORY Of TEXAS COTTON CROP
FROM 1880, WHEN $50 BALES
WERE GROWN, is GIVEN.
In 1873 the Crop Went Beyond Million
Bale Stage for First I re exas
Now Produces Third OF Crop.

Austin. Tex.-From $50 bales In
1870. when the State OF Texas began
to keep a record of production of its
money crop" to 4,S8O,2lO bales IN
1919 is the remarkable storV 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 1888 it jumped to 2,loo
bales. and it was not until 1872 that
the 1O,OOO-bale mark was passed, the
crop that year jumping to 1921 Dales
from 7,941 bales the preceding year
Just ten years later, in 1852, the crop
passed 100000 bales. In 1878 it went
beyond the million bale stage for the
first time with total growth OF
II. 1O5.193 bales. Three times within
the next three years production rell
below million bales. In 1881 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 l9lZ
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 1850, and
that price has been eQualed but once
and exceeded but once. In 1877 tie
$4,000 bale crop brought 1850, While
the top price in all the states history
was touched at 179c with the 2SO,OOo
bale crop of 1871.
While the year 1894 saw three
million bale crop raised for the first
time, it also saw the lowest price re-
corded for Texas cotton, 4.6c per
pound being the best the farmer couid
do following the panic of the preced'
Ing year. The following year the
price went up to 76c, but the Texas
crop naturally slumped in proportion
falling to 1,sO5,337 bales, the greatest
decrease for one year since the rec
ords were kept
, In not single year from 1882 to
1902. inclusive, did the Texas farmer
( get as much as 10c for his cotton. The
I price fluctuated widely from the low
!, point up to 90 in 1882, and in 1888
when production jumped to the three
9 million bale mark again the price fel
as promptly to SIC.
1 In 1903 a fair crop and good prices
, conceded, the 2,562,632 bale crop o.
Il that year putting money in the pockets
d of the growers at the rate OF l2.22t
e per pound. But the greatest none,
crop of all was that of last year, whei
II in spite of the huge production tn
e price stayed above 12c.
v The great crop of 1912 required tn
e greatest area and 11,33S,O00 acres wer
e required to produce the close to fiV
million bales recorded.
n The nearest the crop ever came t
Is being failure" Mr.. Lindsey's fiE
Is ures show, was in 1884, when 1886
lie 66S acres were required to raise 995
lie 900 bales Less than third OF bal
I'd per acre also rewarded the grower l
a. 1895.
- The years 1851 to 1855 are blan
y in SO far as data relating to the cotto
crop goes, the people of Texas,
~ common with the other states OF tn
~ Southern Confederacy, having oth'
% things to occupy them as weighty
% the business of recording the toll
,o their whitened field.