Abbeville progress. (Abbeville, Vermilion Parish, La.) 1913-1944, 1916-02-05
TEXAS COTTON Growers
TO guard AGAINST LOSS
Danger is OF Tendency in Sone Parts
Of STATE 10 Plant What Is Known
as "Fe,f-and-H5lf" Ver,oty.

Dallas, T-v-"Ca,roa mov..- =
Texas are conttouru. t.a dances o.
losses running into millions tr-. t..r."
said N f. Wolfe, a lead..- cotton ta,-
or OF Dallas. this week "FI..u-ut'y
one hears three hundred million .ol-
Jars mentioned as the la... ~ ieNas'
.iop. lu the event IT IS 20. inferior .lai-
ily, o. auy aryr,ciab.e amount q. if is
md -sigah bic, plainly the los. cam read
ily reach millions The ta"-er TOW
grows out of the tvndene, in some
parts to plant what is known as the
Half-and-half' variety of cotton
Our experience in the buying field
has convinced us that thi, type OF
cotton produces a short fiber-o.e
hat is not readily disable on the ma
chimes Of the spuuers. Quit nature /
ly they object to it. and those WHO
buy i refuse to pay STANDARD prices
for it. Nor is that all, for w.or the
spiHners begin to buy III one territory
and find that they are getting occa-
sional bales of the shorter fibered
staple. they either lower the price
they are willing to pay for all cotton
in that territory, or they may refuse
TO buy in that section any further
whichever alternative the spinners
choose. the cotton farmer is the loser
The one who plants Walf-and-half
loses, because there is little or no de
mand for his product. The neighbor
of this farmer finds that the price OF
his long staple article is lowered by
the spinner who takes this means OF
recouping himself against the accept
ance of an occasional Objectionable
bale of 'Half-and-half cotton.
The interests of the cotton produc-
ers and those OF the cotton factors and
exporters are pretty nearly identical
The better the grade OF cotton. the
longer and more workable the staple,
the more it will be sought by spinners.
and the more profitable for all con-
cerned will be the business. With the
hope of getting higher prices for both
producer and buyer, the Dallas Cotton
Exchange has undertaken to expose
the fallacy and danger of planting
'Half-and-half' cotton in this State"
The United States department OF
agriculture declares Halfand-half'
cotton undesirable, and not only has
ceased to propagate it. but advises
against its further production" said
d. A. Saunders Of Greenville. expert
in charge of cotton experiments in the
South for the l. s. bureau of plant
industry. This variety was first de
velOped in Georgia, and is a deeen-
crate sport of the Cook variety 1t is
practically worthless for textile pur-
poses, and many of the most respon-
sioe buyers viii not buy 1t. while
those who are less particular take il
only at a reduced price 1t is actually
worth from 3 to ; cents per pound
less than the corresponding grades of
ordinary upland cotton.
Its large yielding quality leads
some farmers to believe they can make
more money per acre by growing it in
preference to the Lone Star, the Me
bane, the ROwden and other standard
varieties. The grower finds Difficult
~, however, in disposing of it. and
must accept such a reduced price that
it more than offsets any difference
in the yield. Growers sometimes try
TO escape the difficulty b. planting a
row OF standard cotton and row OF
HG!f-aRd-haIt' alternately, the purpose
being To market a large yield at the
price of the ordinary staple. If they
knew that the buyer always takes the |
mixture at the 'Half-and-half' price. |
they would not follow such a practice |
The Texas farmers should stop
planting 'Half-and-half' cotton BY
growing it they are injuring the cot
ton production and cotton business OF
the State. injuring themselves most of |
all. Larger yields of standard varie-
ties of cotton, and certainly much |
more profitable yields, may be grown !
by the use of good seed and right cul- !