Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1917-05-16
Cotton Will Not Pay For Fovd.

North Cardinals bill for food aad
feedstufs last year exceeded the value
of it's cotton crop by $40, 900 900, &C
cording to an estimate by Secretary
Lucas of the State Food Conservation
Commission. Figuring cotton at 500
per bale 10000 bales would have been
required to pay the West and other
sections for the meat, breadstuffs and
feedstuffs the state imported. The crop
production in the state was under 70O,-
900 bales. "At present prices of food
and feedstuffs," declares Mr.. Lucas,
the same amount of food and feed
stuffs would cost us approximately
$500, 000, 900, or 100000 bales of cot
ton. II North Carolina should, by a
miracle, produce this amount OF cot
ton, and the South in proportion, the
staple would sell at five or six cents
a pound and we would be worse OF
than yer If we would at the same
time neglect to raise u W food
and feed. 1t is a certainty, however,
that regardless O: the price and guam
tity of cotton we raise we will not
be able to get the vast amounts OF
food and feed we have heretofore
imported because they will be reques-
toned by the government"
Mr. Lucas states that, while a tre-
mendous amount of work is yet to be
done, the people of the state are be-
ginning to relaize that real necessity
and not hysteria is behind the move
ment for greater acreage and produc'
ton of food and feedstuffs. The bust
ness men and live farmers of the
state are working shoulder to shoulder
in the campaign and the cooperation
Of the business men an dmanker is go
ing to prove a very considerable factor
in the campaign.
WE. Borden, a banker at Colds
boro has issued a rather striking letter
to his customers and other farmers
in Wayne and adjoining counties
showing that cotton, even at 20 cents
a pound, is relatively the cheapest
farm u oduct upon the market today
and is lower in price, considering the
prices of other commodities, than it
was at a normal price of IL cents a
pound. The following shows the con-
trast, which is even greater now than
it was when the letter was issued:
In IN average year with 12-cent cot
ton. a $50 bale can buy 80 bushels
potatoes at 70 cents, or $50 pounds
of lard at 8 cents, or % barrels Of
Sour at $3.50, or 375 pounds of bacon
at 16 cents, or 100 bushels of corn at
so cents, or 80 pairs of shoes at 50,
or 720 yards Of cotton goods, at 8 IL
cents.
This year with 20-cent cotton, a
500 bale can only buy "A bushels
of potatoes at s2.25, or $50 pounds of
lard at 20 cents, or 8 barrels of flour
at s13, or 1888 pounds of bacon at
80 cents, or "A bushels of corn at
$3.50, or 20 pairs of shoes at SIS, or
666 yards of cotton goods at Is cents.
"Efn1aIrge~ your food crops and in
tensify their cultivation" urged Mr..
Borden. at will not only pay you
better in dollars and cents, but in
no other way can you serve the Stars
and Stripes and the whole of human
ity so we'll"
Many merchants in every section
of the state have refused to advance
supplies and fe: >ilizers to farmers
who persisted in planting too large a
proportion of cotton OR tobacco as
compared with food and feed crops
In many instances bankers have fol-
lowed the same course, lending ready
assistance to the farmer who is plant
ing food and feed crops but being
chary of those who persist in plant
ing the usual acreage or more of cot
ton an dtobacco. In almost every COM
munity in the state the banks are
lending money in small and large
amounts for the purchase of seed and
fertilizer for food and feed crops.