The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1916-08-09
The Value of Cotton Seed
From the Fort Worth (Tex) Record.

From the Fort Worth (Tex.) Record
Looking ahead Theodore H. Price, editor
of the New York Journal of Commerce and
Finance, declares the intrinsic value of cot
ton still appears to be very much in doubt
This is the verdict of the veteran editor of
the New York publication:
Exports continue large for this time of
year, and taking the experience of the sea-
son now ending as guide it would seem
unsafe to assume that we shall export less
than 100000 bales or consume less than
100000 commercial bales next season even
if the European war continues. The problem
is to determine whether the growing crop
will be equal to those requirements, which
aggregate 13,500,000 bales, and then to de-
eide whether we shall have peace before
spring and to what extent it will increase
the demand for cotton. The questions thus
stated seem to us unansWerable and IN the
face of such uncertainty an acceptance OF
present prices by those who have cotton to
sell appears to be the safest and probably
the wsest policy"
Editor Price has some queer theories. tie
says the trade does not respond to the argu-
ment that rain can do much injury to the
cotton crop at this season of the year, and
the crop is too small to be damaged by the
wind Then, he should come to Texas, where
the crop isn't too small to be damaged.
Again he says: "a vigorous effort to eX-
plot the weevil as menace to the crop is
also teing made" In 1915 boil weevll "av-
ages cost the cotton farmers SlO0, OOO,OOO,
and the Mexican invader is very much IN
evidence this year in certain sections OF the
cotton belt. Seed value may now equal the
entire 1898 crop A writer for Commerce
and Finance predicts that the present crop
will bring more money to the South than
any crop the belt has produced. Rare has
been the season when there was so much to
induce the farmer to raise every bale posi-
BILE for his land to yield" says this observer
of cotton conditions. prices have been on
higher level than for a longer time than
in almost any year in the last half century,
and the 13 cents pound basis, New York,
does not nearly represent the value OF the
CROP There is q promise that the seed VIII
bring more this fall than ever before. Con-
tracts are being made now with large GIN
ners for seed at price that ADDS from 4
to cents a pound to what the farmer gets
for his cotton. In other words, 13cent cot
ton means II or IS cents. At that rate the
seed of the crop now growing may bring
1925, 900, 900 to 100000 or almost as
much as did the whole crop of 1898"
Texas cotton growers are reminded that
consular advices from Petrograd state that
American cotton sells for about $4,000 per
bale, that the cotton department of the Mer-
chants Bank of Moscow estimates that
about 100000 to 100000 bales of American
cotton will be imported this year into Rus
STA, chiefly by way of Rotterdam.
The Nieuwe Rotterdamsche Courant OF
Rotterdam says Great Britain has asked Hol-
land to stop the export of manufactured
goods to neutral countries, declaring that
Noncompliance will result in the stoppage OF
Hollands cotton imports.
The Telegraf says the allies are merely
contemplating measures to prevent the eX-
port of Dutch cotton goods to Switzerland
and Roumania, as it has been proved that
such exports are intended for Germany.
Henry D. Baker is commercial attache for
the United States at Petrograd. Mr. Baker
is quoted as saying: Leading authorities
in the cotton trade in Russia estimate that
within ten years Russia will not need to I'M
port any American cotton. In Turkestan
there is a greatly increased production.
Large areas are being opened by irrigation,
and the rapid extension of the Bokhara rail
way system has brought great additional
tracts of cotton producing country into easy
communication with the Russian market.
American cotton imported into Russia this
year came chiefly to Vladivostock, and the
cost has been great" This excerpt makes
interesting reading: american seed is be-
ing substituted for native seed, and improv-
ed machinery for ginning, etc, has been
extensively introduced. There is said, how
ever, to exist a splendid opportunity for
American capitalists familiar with the cot
ton industry of the Southern states to go
into cotton growing, cotton seed pressing,
etc, by up to date American methods and to
reclaim by irrigation considerable areas of
the country in which cotton is yet to be
grown. There is also said to be splendid
opportunity to cotton mills at Bokhara and
other parts of Turkestan. 1t is believed
Russian Turkestan together with Caucasus
district could if fully developed easily pro-
duce all the cotton the Russian empire would
require. Notwithstanding repeated advances
in wages, which have amounted to rs per
cent since last October, the mills manufact-
uring cotton textiles are making enormous
profits, the net earnings for the last year
having been nearly equal to the entire cap
ital stock. The loss of men employees of mil
itary age has been met by increased employ
ment of women and children. The cost of
clothing has doubled since the war started