New-York tribune., 1918-03-11
Cotton Planters
Urged to Produce
Maximum Crops
Conditions Favorable to 10 Per
Cent Increase, Survey In
dicates

dicates
Compared with the gloomy days OF
the fall Of 1914, when the price OF
cotton was down to about 6 cents q
pound. the prospects Of the Southern
planters for the Forthcoming crop seem
strikingly bright. When the nations
Of Europe plunged into war and the
industrial channels of the world were
thrown out Of gear, the market value
Of cotton approached closer to zero
than ever before, and the South faced
bankruptcy and depression. Now cash
cotton is quoted at more than 33 cents
a pound and futures from about 20 to
80 cents. These quotations are almost
double those of year ago.
The extraordinarily high price for
cotton stimulates interest in the COM
parative economic wellbeing. Of the
cotton growers and other dealers in
the staple of the South. What does
this amazing upward trend mean in
the terms of the planters? Is the bet
tefment of the growers condition as
enormous as it seems? An attempt to
answer these and related questions is
made in the report of study of costs
in cotton raising published by II. r.
Bachman & Co., bankers.
The average net cost of producing
pound of cotton in the United States
IN 1917-18," says the survey, "was
1928 cents a pound. after subtracting
the value of the by-products. The
average net profit per acre in all states
in 1917 was $31.55. Is it not clear
that at 271s cents pound for lint
and 81 bushel for the by-product tha,
cotton is very profitable crop? The
TACT seems clearly established that at
20 cents pound cotton was profit.
able crop"
Planter Perceives His Chance
In forecasting what the economic
world may expect from the forthcom,
ing crop. the sketch declares that. if
the war continues throughout 1918. the
t present acreage (34,600,O0O acres
should be increased by at least 10 per
cent to insure an adequate supply
since since this would produce only 14,800,-
ooo bales. And. the report adds, if
peace should come before the close of
the year, increasing the acreage to
more than forty millions of acres
would barely meet the worlds require
ments.
The profits of the Southern farmer
arc not as large relatively as they seem
at first blush. ain connection with the
hlgh and increased price Of cotton" !"
says the report, at is interesting to
compare the present price of some OF
the items necessary to cotton produc-
ton with the price before the begin
nlng OF the European war. Of the i'm
plements enumerated single and double
morse ploughs have increased, respec-
lively, 67.8 and 73 per cent. Bageinp
per yard has increased 60 per cent and
ties per pound 1892 per cent. The av-
erage price of plantation mules is now
SZi2.10, as compared with S156.1O in
1914, an increase of 36 per cent. Fer
tlllzers most commonly used have in
creased from $20.27 to $377O, or Sc per
cent. Plantation bacon now sells for
81 e cents. as against 13 cents, an in
crease OF 1923 per cent, while corn
meal is worth 81 per bushel, compared
with S1.O8, an increase of 85 per cent
Day labor has advanced from a frac-
tion over 78 cents to slightly over $40
an increase Of 81 per cent, while labor
by the month has increased from $16.11
TO $29.31, or 81 per cent. Cotton pick
ing per 100 pounds has advanced in
almost the same ratio-from SO cents
to E: fraction over $1.16 cents a hun
dred, Or about so per cent
An analysis of costs is given in the
survey; The ingenuity of man." it
says, so far has failed in devsing a
successful cotton picking machine. so
that we have still to depend upon the
nimbler fingered whites or blacks to
gather the crop. AS the average amount
picked per day is less than 150 pounds
to the hand, the process is necessarily
slow, and it is often late in the winter
and almost time to begin preparations
for the new crop before picking is
finally completed. The cost of picking
is generally governed by the price OF
lint cotton, and as this was very high
throughout the last picking season, the
cost was proportionately, high. The
average price paid in all states for
picking cotton per acre in 1917 was
$5.88, which is just about the equiva-
lent of ST. per 100 pounds. This was
the average for the season, or to Janu-
ary l, but as the price Of cotton con-
tinued to advance from the opening of
the. season the price for picking also
! advanced.
Urge Heavy Planting
"On most we'll regulated cotton plan
tations the cultivation Of the crop or
dinarily involves greater outlay than
any other expenditure The cultiva.
ton of the crop consists chiefly in
chopping or thinning out the plants to
a stand in repeated ploughings and
harrowings, also in repeated hoeings-
all of which are carried on throughout
the growing season and until the crop
has reached that stage of maturity to
be laid by The average cost of cul-
tivation in 1917 for all states was 81. .06
an acre. which in this instance happens
to be below the rental charge, the HIGH
rate OF the latter being due to the cx-
traordinary price of lint and seed, Civ
ing the land owner, who received n
share of the crop. an abnormally high
allowance for rent"
The conclusion Of those who mnde
the foregoing study is that the high
price Of cotton ,is due not to specula-
tion but to II real shortage Of cotton.
The booklet constitutes n plea for
! farmers to plant up to the hilt for tho