The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-12-15

this is the "only thing that a be
done to prepare the way for meeting
this difficulty" of a gradual increase
in the worlds consumption in Excess
OF the average worlds production.
The editor of Cotton says:
"Mr. John A. Todd, professor Of
economics at the University College.
Nottingham, contributes an import
ant article to the now quarterly
number of the Bulletin Of the I'M
perial Institute to be publishe this
month. The question of the worlds
cotton supply Che points QUIT has
Keen critical since the beginning Of
the present century, FOR although
the worlds crops have nearly doub-
lei in that period, the extraordinary
expansion of the den,an1 has all
the time been pressing hard upon
the increased supplies. In five out
of ten seasons before the war the
worlds cotton consumption was act
ually in excess of the worlds crops.
Owing to the temporary fall in
prices at the beginning of the war,
the production of cotton all over the
world was very much curtailed. But
the worlds surplus stocks have now
been to a considerable extent work.
ed off, and any revival of normal
trade after the war coming upon the
reduced supplies of raw material
will, it is pointed out, almost certain
ly produce a sever cotton famine.
Only one thing can be done to pre-
pare the way for meeting this diff
Guilty when it arises, namely, to
arouse interest in the development
of new cotton fields within the En-
pire, especially in India, Egypt and
the Sudan, where the work of the
British Cotton Growing Association
and the international Cotton FEEDER
alton has already shown the way.
Russit has shown her wisdom in dew
clipping cotton fields in Turkestan
and Transcaucasia, which now sup
ply the greater part of her large ma
tive consumption of cotton. Ger
many in her own sphere of influence
in the Levant has, it must be ad-
mttied, produced large results. That
lis a point to be remembered in the
inevitable Encouragement of the Tur-
kish Empire after the war, as is
also the fact that in Mesopotamia
we have a potential cotton field,
which will probably rival Egypt and
the Sudan in quality as well as
quantity. But the greatest posi-
bilities for an immediate increase in
our cotton supplies lie in India where
great improvements both in quality
and quantity have been made in re-
cent years..
This statement comes with very
timely interest in view of a remark
able article which we r publishing
in this issue from D. B. Osborne, of
Atlanta, pointing out how the
South has been gradually losing out
in its percentage of cotton produc-
ton as compared with the worlds
output of cotton. The facts pre-
scented by Mr.. Osborne are illuminat-
ing. They demand the most seri-
Gus study by everyone interested in
the welfare Of the South. In the
elaborate presentation which he
makes of cotton growing in different
States and under different conditions
there is brought out very clearly: how
the free use of fertilizers mot only
enlarges the output, but greatly in
creases the profit per acre on the
output.
We have scarcely commenced in
this country to adequately under
stand the proper fertilization OF the
soil. We are only on the very. out
skirts of a study of this situation.
Much can be done in the South by
legumes, the proper rotation OF
crops and larger attention to live
stock. All of these can be made
strong factors in advancing the fer
tility of the South's soil, increasing
its productivity and bringing larger
profits per acre. But this, however,
must be supplemented to a very
grea; extent by commercial tertlll-
ZerS.
When we have reached the degree
of fertilization of our soils maintain.
ed in Germany we will then be able
to understand something of how a
country smaller in area than Texas
has been able to support 100000
people and enormously develop its
agricultural, industrial, financial
and commercial interests.
We have barely scratched the
ground in this country in the study
of fertilization.
Broadly speaking, it may be said
that the fertilizer industry in all OF
its r~amifcations, whether it be
through commercial fertilizers, le-
gumes, or crop rotation, or livestock
raising, is the foundation industry
of the world. 1t is the industry up
on which continued and profitable
agriculture is alone possible, and
profitable agriculture is absolutely