The log cabin Democrat., 1916-08-09
COTTON REACHES
 I4-CfNT FIGURE BIG JUMP IN FUTURES
First Bale Expected to Reach Con. way Within Two Weeks and Good
 Price is Anticipated.

Following a series of sharp ad- vances which have carried cotton fu- lures to a price $7.50 a bale higher l than it stood prior to the issuance of the government condition report of July 25, new cotton put on the market | at Conway today, if any were ginned, would be worth around II cents a
 pound, according to local buyers
 This is the highest figure that has prevailed in five years and compares with a value of 1-2 cents a year ago today.
 The first Arkansas bale has already
 been sold in Pine Bluff, and the first bale is expected to reach Conway within the next two weeks, probably l within one week should clear, hot 1 weather prevail. Last year the first | bale did not arrive here until Sep
 tember ', but the crop was about two
 weeks later than the average. The earliest date for a first bale here is August IT, 1906.
 Excessive rains in the eastern belt ! cilt. LII OuIHS III tIlc west are DeIlpNtu
 to have greatly reduced the cotton yield this year, and, following the shortest crop in many years, produc- ed in 1914, a scarcity of cotton is feared by the trade. Today's Mem phis Commercial Appeal summarizes
 the situation as follows:
 Indications point toward needs of the world for another year amounting to some 15,000,000 bales, to say noth- ing of exhausted European stocks and
 the added needs of the central powers should peace come before another crop year is ended. On the other hand, in
 dicated production, according to the census bureau report, is bare 14,000,-
 900 bales, including linters, and this
 promise is daily growing less by req son of unfavorable climatic conditions in the belt. Very clearly a shortage of supplies is indicated from this con- dition and the trade is just now en-
 gagged in solving the problem of the
 value of pound of cotton under such
 circumstances. The changing outlook m eiiS SoPPig oilucitioli eiuuS tO tllc complex nature of the problem. AL ready, however, influential men in the
 cotton trade are talking of 20-cent cot
 ton for the current season. This talk is important in that there are many of
 those doing the talking and that un- favorable climatic conditions enable the long interest to stand pat" While high prices for cotton seem asspred, there are also prospects for
 good seed prices. As there is little or
 no trade in seed at present, no quota tions are made, but within the past few days few loads of old seed were sold here at $30 per ton. The oil mar
 ket has advanced considerably since that time and the seed price would consequently be somewhat higher al- so, if there were any to be sold Many guesses are being made local ly on the production of cotton in
 Faulkner county from the present crop, the guesses ranging from l8,000
 to 22,500 bales. A considerable in-
 crease in acreage was planted, but
 the condition of the crop in the county
 is spotted, some sections having the
 best prospects in years, while others
 have the worst. Taken as a whole,
 however, the yield per acre in Faulk- ner, assuming average conditions from
 now on, will probably be fully as good
 as an average. Quitting last year,
 when the acreage was reduced by ex-
 ceptional conditions and only IT QO6
 bales were ginned, the average pro
 duction of Faulkner county for five
 preceding years was 21 1925 bales, the
 highest being 25,306 from the crop of
 1913 and the lowest 1S,029 from the
 crop of 1911.