Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-29
1872 COTTON CROP SECOND
IN SIZE AND VALUE, SAYS
CENSUS BUREAU REPORT
South Gets $920,63OOOO for Producing Total of
14,313,Ol5 Standard Bales-Only One Acre
Out of Every Eleven in Belt Is Planted-Oil
Mills Take Is Per Cent of All Seed

| gia and in the Carolinas, the net in
crease since 1906 for the three States
combined being S44,4 49 bales, or 27.1
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 1906 the production of the
| State amounted TO 1,012,573 bales,
while in 1910 the amount was only
255,T33 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
34,766, 900 acres. of which 1890
| acres, or IA per cent, were aban-
doned, leaving 34,2S3, 900 acres s the
area from which the crop was har-
vested. This is a reduction of 1872
| 600 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-
| auction of lint per acre in 1912. as
estimated by the Department of Agri
| culture. wax 191 pounds. as compared
| with 2OS pounds in 1911, and III
pounds in 1910
| There We're S,215 bales reported as
glnned in California in 1912. as COM
pared with $3.50 bales in 1911. and
5,S66 bales in 1910. These amounts
include some foreign cotton grown in
Mexico Clover California; and
ginned in California
Cotton Insect Pests.
The cotton crop Of 1912 was Sc
| riously affected by insect pests The
growers in a large section of the cot
ton belt had to contend with the boll
WeeYil, while in some sections the
crop suffered damage from cotton
| caterplllars, grass worms and other
pests to 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 nv
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
| 10 the general dissemination of the
| information obtained by the Federal
and state Departments of Agricul-
I'm nA
! weevil is being greatly reduced.
! The quantity of cotton ginned from
the crop of 1912 prior to September
was 730.935 bales, the largest amount
! Tor any year since the Inaugural ton
! OF these reports by the Census Blu
reau, with the single exception of
| 1911, when the humber of bales was
! T1,297. BY October IS, 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
| 1919, 4S.1 per cent in 1908, and 40 per
cent in 1907
By November ii slightly more than
three 7fourths 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 wo-thirds of the total
crop of Texas had been ginned by
october Is. while Tennessee showed
! less than one-thi-d.
Crops Economic Status.
Some idea of the importance of cot
! ton no 1uction in the United States
| from an economic standpoint NAV 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 $565.S4g,271. or 261 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
cludes 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 appreciable 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 a material addition
to the world supply Of commercial
cotton.