The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1916-11-02
MARKET COTTON
GRADUALLY.

Inc question of whether or not
he should hold his cotton for a
better price is one that eonfronts
the cotton farmer every year. 1t
Is a question TO which no off
hand answer can be given. but
one which each farmer must an
swer for himself from a consid-
Grafton Of his own needs and cir
cumstanees as well as of market
conditions and possibilities.
Normally the man who sells his
cotton as fast as it is ginned gets
less Tor IT than the man who
holds The average price of cot
ton for any term of years will
be found to be lower during the
three months of October, Novem-
Der and December than during
any other three months of the
year. During those three months
too, most of the cotton leaves the
hands of the growers.
1t costs something to hold cot
ton, to be sure, but the cost is
not great. a good many bales
| OF cotton Will go in a rather small
shelter and, properly stored, there
Is no reason for any decline in
quality Insurance charges Will
not amount to a great deal. The
greatest cost in most eases viii
be the loss of the interest on the
money that is tied up in cotton.
In the past this has been
serious consideration indeed with
many farmers, for often the
farmer just had to have" some
money and had no way to get
1t except by selling his cotton.
Recent national and state ware
house laws, together with better
credit facilities, will make it
easier each year for the farmer
to store his cotton and get money
on 1T when he feels that it will be
TO his interest to hold it.
The reason for the low prices
(although you would not consider
them low just now of the fall
months Is, of course, the fact that
most of the crop is pushed on the
market at that time. There is al
ways a large number of cotton
growers who have to sell as soon
as the crop is ready, and many
Others do the same thing from
nabit. There can be little doubt
that if less cotton should be sold
before the first of January each
year the fall prices would be
higher and the total amount re-
ceived from the crop cOnsidera-
bly, larger.
Taking all these things into
consideration, it seems safe to
say that the farmer should make
1t a rule to market his cotton
gradually, TO sell only such part
of 1t in the fall as may be neces
sary to meet urgent expenses and
then to market the rest of his
crop from time to time as prices
invite him. In case the price is
certainly lower In the fall than
the size OF the crop and the de
mand for it will justify, he may
well store his cotton and Dor
row money on 1t.
There is an element of risk in
holding any crop for a rise IN
prices, but the better the price of
tered the greater that risk. The
Courier does not advise any read
er to take speculative chances on
this or any crop he raises-though
1t may often pay to do so-but |
We feel justified in saying that,
one year with another, a suffi- |
Client advance over the price of
Tered for cotton from October l |
to January / viii come later to
make the holding at least part
Of the crop a profitable proceed
ing.
Besides, the gradual marketing
of any non-perishable product IS
wiser, as a general proposition,
han the dumping of the whole
ron ON tho