The Leader, enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1915-1921, 1917-03-14
SKY High" Cotton


1t is difficult to figure how the
Southern farmer who is contemplat-
ing making cotton his one crop this
year expects to win. There is no
doubt that the price for ell kinds of
foodstuffs is going to remain abnor-
mai Tor at least another year, no mat
ter whether war continues or peace
comes.
Premier Lloyd George in his last
address to parliament and the ENGLISH
people went into the question of the
worlds future food supply and he felt
safe in extending to English farmers
and English farm workers the govern
ments guarantee of minimum prices
and minimum wages for period of
three years from now, which are an
advance of from 80 to 80 per cent
over normal prices and wages.
Even if the war should come TO an
unexpected termination at once. the
depleted food supplies of every Euro
pean nation, the famine in live stock
OF all kinds that cannot be relieved
under three or four years, the lack of
all kinds of farming and gardening
implements-even those of the sim
plest kind--would increase rather than
decrease the food export demands up
on this country for a period of an
other l8 months to two years. In this
conclusion practically every student
of the problem, in every country,
agrees.
All this points to the conclusion that
the Southern farmer is certain to paw
as high prices next winter for food
and other commodities as ne is pay
ing this winter. Even if he has a good
cotton crop and he gets 20 cents for
1.-TWO things of which he is not GER
tain-he cannot expect to get ahead,
unless he also raises enough food
stuffs to supply his family and his
stock
1t needs nothing more than prevail
ing market prices to prove this To
rely solely upon cotton now-even
with cotton selling at 20 cents-is just
as shortsighted business and as GER
tanly a short and dircc; road to f.
nancial disaster as it was when cot
ton was selling for only II cents
"Sky-high" cotton has been overtaken
and passed by food and commodity
prices that have gone "sky-higher."
The 500 bale of cotton of 1917 will
not purchase as much food for the
farmer and feed for his livestock as
the $50 bale of 1913 would purchase.
There is no guesswork about this.
1t is fact and one cannot get around
facts.
The $50 bale in 1913 would purchase
80 bushels of potatoes. Now, the 500
bale will buy only a. bushels.
Seven hundred and fifty pounds of
lard could have been purchased with
500 bale three years ago; but now
only SIS pounds of lard can be bought
with 500 bale.
The cotton farmer got p barrels
of -four for his 500; but his 500 bale
now will buy only 10 barrels.
1t requires a $500 bale now for the
farmer to buy 1893 pounds of bacon.
The $50 bale, in 1918, would buy 375
pounds of bacon.
The farmer who increases cotton
acreage will probably lessen his corn
acreage. Consider this: A 500 bale be-
fore the European war would pur-
chase 100 bushels of corn. But the
farmer who has to buy corn now gets
only 80 bushels for 500 bale.
Sixty dollars of cotton money
would formerly buy six tons of good
hay; but it now takes 500 to buy only
five tons of hay.
The gravity Of the situation may be
realized when it is stated that at re-
cent meeting of experiment station di-
rectors of the Southern States and
general agricultural extension work
ers, held in New Orleans, it was
learned that chances are ten to one
for Is per cent increase cotton
acreage. In some States, it is esti-
mated that so per cent more cotton
will be planted, and in some communi-
ties farmers are planning to forget
everything else and jump headlong in
to the uncertain glory of hig-priced
cotton.
1t certainly is up to all commercial