The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-07-10
FORECAST OF GOVERNMENT
SHOWS LARGER PRODUCTION
THAN FOR LAST 2 YEARS.
REPORTS THAT ll,633,OOO
BALES WILL BE GROWN

The Crop Generally Is Two or Three
Weeks Late, With an Average Con-
dition of 20 Per Cent. 5,178,O
Acres Planted in Georgia.
Plans of the cotton growers to pro-
duce this year the largest crop of
that staple ever grown have been
frustrated. A crop larger than those
of last year and that preceding it
probably will be realized. This years
production is forecasted by the de-
partment of agriculture at 1888
900 equivalent 500-pound bales. That
would be about 1873, 900 bales more
than produced last year, and 441, 900
bales more than the 1915 crop, but
it is 100000 less than the record
crop produced three years ago.
Scarcity of Labor.
Scarcity of labor, due to emigra-
ton of negroes to the industrial CEN
tiers of the North for higher wages,
and to the entry OF young men in
the military service, high prices of
food, feed and fertilizer, and the
movement for the South to feed it
self are the important. influences
against the cotton farmers effort to
produce a record crop. Unfavorable
weather also was determining fac
tor.
A statement on condition issued at
the department said
Desire of Farmers.
''It was the desire and intention of
the farmers of the South outside of
the newly-infested weevil areas to
plant this year the largest cotton
crop on record But their plans could
not be carried out. A number of in
fiuences have held the acreage down,
and in some places forced a reduc-
ton where heavy increases were con-
templated. An important influence
has been the labor problem. In all
of the states east of the Mississippi
river, where the negro is the chief
labor on the cotton plantations, there
has been a heavy exodus of these
workers. Several hundred thousands
of negroes have deserted the farms
to go to the industrial centers in
the Northern and Eastern states
where they could get higher wages
than they had been receiving. In ad-
dition, many thousands of young
men have left the farm to enter the
military or naval service.
Heretofore there was usually a
small surplus of farm and industrial
labor in the South, while now there
is a deficit with no chance of an
adequate supply soon. AS a result,
much land ordinarily planted to cot
ton is this year planted to other crops
requiring less cultivation and hand
labor. The high prices prevailing for
food, feed and fertilizer has been a
factor. The slogan "the South must
feed ITSELF has had it's effect and
many farmers who have for years
planted cotton to the exclusion of
most other crops are now practicing
diversltication. In many sections it
is as profitable to grow high priced
corn, wheat or other food crops as
it is to produce cotton. These crops,
requiring less cultivation than cotton.
seem to some farmers to solve the
labor problem and they have planted
these at the expense of some of their
cotton acreage. Unfavorable wealth
er caused much loss of early planted
cotton and some of this was replaced
by corn and other crops.
Has Recovered.
In some sections the crop has re-
covered some of its lateness, but over
most of the belt it still averages two
to three weeks late. The weather
was too cold the first half of June
and over the Southern half of the
belt dry weather, which in portions
of Texas assumed crop killing pro-
portions, prevailed the greater part