The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-05-08
CORPORATION HEAD
ENDORSES COTTON
CLAIMS THAT 1T IS THE EARLI
EST FOOD CROP FOR BOTH
MAN AND BEAST.

RICHMOND, Va.-Takin G a
friendly issue with President Will
sons suggestion that the cotton crop
should be curtailed this year and
more time devoted to the production
of foodstuffs, S. T. Morgan, president
of the Virginia-Carolina Chemical
company and Southern Cotton Oil
company, in a press interview, shows
that the cotton plant is tremendous
food producer, and gives substantial
reasons as to why the farmers of the
South should make it their principal
crop.
Mr.. Morgan was led to come out
publicly against the proposed curtail
ment of the cotton crop by the appar-
ent support given this idea by Presi-
dent Wilson himself. In his address
to the American people Monday, the
president expressed the hope that the
South would plant plenty of food
along with cotton, but warned South
ern farmers against succumbing to
the temptation of present nigh cotton
prices and allowing the planting of
the staple to curtail the raising of
food crops.
Curtailment Invites Danger.
"The boil weevil and the scarcity
of labor in the South" said Mr.. Nor
gan, Twill accomplish naturally all
the curtailment in the cotton crop
that the country can stand. To urge
a further curtailment is to invite the
gravest danger, because cotton is es-
sential for both clothing and for food.
''It goes without saying that any
good farmer ought, as nearly as pos
sible, to raise on his farm what he
consumes, but in great many in
stances this is not practicable or pos
sible. In my opinion, the serious cur
tailment of the cotton crop of the
South would be a calamity from the
standpoint of its food-producing val
ue alone.
''For each bale of cotton produced
there is produced approximately
1000 pounds of cotton seed. This
1000 pounds of cotton seed pro-
duces about 140 pounds of refined
cotton seed oil. This cotton seed oil
will produce approximately 14O
pounds of compound lard-the very
best, edible vegetable oil. If, there
fore, we should crush only 100000
tons of seed out of crop of 13, OO0,-
600 bales of cotton. we would pro-
duce 1,500,000,00O pounds of oil or
lard compound.
Cotton Early Product.
''The cotton crop begins to ma
ture in July. In August ginning be-
gins, and as soon as ginning begins
the seed are ready for the cotton |
seed oil mill. Within thirty days
from the time the cotton is taken
from the field, the oil, compound lard
and OleOmargarine is ready for the
use of man. At the same time, the
cotton seed meal and the bulls are
ready for the cattle, and the linters
for the powder maker. If we should |
need food supplies early, then we |
certainly do not want to materially |
decrease the cotton crop in the |
South, as this is the earliest crop pos
sible to grow and is useful for the
feeding of both man and beast. After
the corn crop is made, it is several !
months before it can be converted |
into food, that would be in the fall
and winter, while from the cotton
crop you can get oil and lard and
oleomargarine certainly in Septem-
Der.
another thing: the whole world
can make corn and wheat, hut it is !
only small section of it that can
produce cotton, from which the
world is clothed and from which
tremendous percentage of edible fats
and animal foods are made.
Therefore, 1 believe that it is
hardly good time to try to prevail !
on the South to minimize it's cotton |
CROP"