The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-10-10

end - mauifestly the best advertising
medium In Sumter.
The enactment of Identical laws.
prohibiting the planting of cotton
next year by all the cotton growing
states would be a drastic remedy for
the relief of the South. but the plan
has much to recommend II. 1t
would prevent Of the piling up Of a
tremendous surplus of cotton that
would clog the markets OF the world
even though the demand should have
become normal by the time the crop
Of 1915 Is harvested. 1t would COM
pei the planting of food crops and the
diversihcation of farming operations.
II would. 1t Is claimed. destroy the
boil weevil and remove this greatest
OF all menaces tn the continued pros
perity OF the cotton States. The sur,
plus that will be carried over from
this years crop will be more than
sunicient to supply tho American
mills until the crop of 1916 Is har-
vested. and as there Is small pros
pect OF the resumption Of business I'm
Europe even a half crop of cotton next
year. added to the surplus carried
over. would congest the cotton mar
kets OF the world. Therefore to cut
out the American cotton crop I'm 1915
seems to be a reasonable business
proposition. since II will save the
farmers from producing a crop that
will cost them more than 1t can be
sold for. The best posted authorities
agree that there will be demand for
foodstuffs greater than ever known and
that the South will be able to market
all the grain II can produce IL every
IL is good business to produce n COM
modify for which there Is a strong
demand. IL tho boil weevil can be
destroyed and the South rid Of the
pest by planting no cotton for one
year IL would be good business to
plant no cotton even though 1t resulted
In loss. but In the present circum-
stances IL appears that IL will be mon
ey I'm the South's pocket to adopt this
drastic method Of starving out the boil
weevil.
Sumter County has produced a big
cotton crop this year-how big there
Is no means Of accurately forecast
ing-but taking the ginners' report
for the period ending Septemb.r 25th
as the basis for a guess. II seems safe
To estimate the crop ut little less than
the record breaking crop Of 1911. The
crop Is much larger than last years,
the ginners' report proves this con-
clusively. and there Is more cotton i'm
the iiel Is now than there was last year
at this line. The cost of making the
crop h; been little. IL any. greater
than n cost of last years crop. con-
sequently the farmers are not in as
had condition as they would have
been had there been "a short crop. AS
a matter of fact the price Of cotton
would probably have been as low as 1t
now with crop no larger than that
4 last year. for with the export de-
nand cut of by the war. there would
TIL have been n surplus great enough
q depress the American market. Had
here been no foreign war the price
couid not possibly have averaged as
nigh as last year. for the big crop
tould have weighted down the mar
<ct and the conditions that prevailed
m 1911 would have been duplicated.
IL IN true that war has dcmOralizcd
business and practically destroyed the
cotton market. but IL Is just Us well tn
rcccllect that the farmers would not
have been able To sell this years
bumper crop for the same price that
tnry received last year. Thc South
plants too much cotton and when
a favorable season occurs the produc-
tion Is greater than the demand. Tn
der "a rational system Of farming this
condition would not occur and all tho
teaching of the United states Depart
ment Of Agriculture and Clemson cot
lcgc is directed to induce the farm
-rs To practice rational methods.