Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-03
sOUTH'S GREATEST CROP;
COTTON GROWERS Time
Relation OF Cotton to Nations Well
fare Make Absurd Maximum Sug-
gcStions OF Spectators.
SOUTHERN PLANTERS CHANCE
Slogan Should he: Plenty to Eat
and Then All the Money Crop
Possible-Priccs Secure for Long
Time to Come.

The timely address OF the Manufac-
turcrs' Record to and in the interest
of the cotton growers of Dixie, rs the
| leading article Ill rhe current issue OF
that journal may he called. is god
ard Instructive reading matter. Ike
tobacco grower and the peanut raiser
and the other strictly money-crop
growers of the South. as we'll as the
cotton planter can find instruction and
encouragement In 1t.
The average cotton crop of tho five
years from 1911 to 1915. as reported by
the United States Department of Agri-
culture. was 14.175.S72 bales. as COM
pared with 11.44s $50 bales in 1916 and
10.949.000 bales in 1917. The average
crop of the last two years is. there
fore, 100000 bales short of the aver
age for the preceding five years. Last
years yield was 100000 bales short
of the average for the five years from
1911 to 1915.
Using these figures, which indicate
an acute crisis II. cotton production.
as text for its sermon. the Record
says:
These figures indicate an acute crisis
in cotton production. Notwithstanding
the war, the consumption of cotton
must so on at an accelerating rate. To
some extent it is temporarily halted
in some countries. hut those countries
are draining to the las ounce their
supply of cotton goods. In this coun-
try and in Great Britain and France
and Italy, while the consum 2tion of
cotton may he decreased for domestic
purposes. An enormous amount of cot
ton is being used for explosives. The
world is. therefore, becoming as bare
of cotton and cotton goods as 1t is of
foodstuffs. The production OF the last
two years has been short of the worlds
needs. and whenever peace comes the
demand for cotton goods to fill up the
existing stocks Of the world and to
reclothe the people whose supply is
now exhausted will make demand
for cotton as phcnt.m enally great as
will be the demand for foodstuffs.
LOOKING BEYOND THE
TRIALS OF THE WAR
In producing cotton. looking toward
the future after the end of the war.
the South would. therefore, be not only
helping itself. but helping the world
situation. In the meantime, however,,
II seems TO be almost impossible for
the South, under existing conditions
to produce enough cotton to meet the
actual needs of the hour. Increasing
cost of raising cotton by reason of
higher price for fertilizers, higher cost
for labor, higher cost of agricultural
implements and of everything which,
enters into cotton production has COM
pletely changed all basis OF calcula-
ton as to the cost of growing cotton.
Unlike wheat, which is harvested by
machinery. cotton must DO harvested
by hand labor. and the cost of cotton
production therefore increases more
rapidly than the cost of wheat pro-
duction.
While everything that can DO done
TO increase food production must be
done. we should not lose sight of the
iact that cotton is essential TO c!yiii-
cation. IT is absolutely necessary for
clothing. for tcnting and thousand
and one things for which there is no
substitute available. Another small
crcp would be disaster, and vet II
Will be very difficult for the South to
plant, cultivate and pick larger crop
IMAM the average OF the last two wears.
IL is possible that it can lie done. but
IL VIII stretch the resources Of labor
10 accomplish il. II Is almost as vital
10 the winning OF the war that the
government Should cooperate for
larger cotton crop as it is to coon
crate LOT increased wheat production.
FALSE DOCTRINE Of THE
SPECTATORS IN COTTON
), some OF the suggestions put out by
new YORK spectators and cotton
buyers 10 the effect that q low mavi.
mum prica should be nut on cotton
would. II put into erect. be national
disaster. The South could stand such
IL situation much better than the rest
OF Inc country. for the South can
.m'Me on the production of other crops.
"niie the rest OF the country cannot
exist except in terrific suffering with
out an adequate cotton crop The fig
ures which have been named by soem
OF tho New York so-called experts as
maximum price for cotton are alb
ss"au , absurd They might have been
Justincd as a maximum price on cot
TON hefore tho war, for cotton never
mas Sold at anything like it's intrinsic
'aiue. nor have cotton growers and
cotton laborers ever secured. at least
IN me last thirty to forty years. one
n"i. a" much Tor cotton as a better
economic system for this section would
nave amply justified and dema nded
cotton growers and cotton laborers
having monopoly of the most i'm
portant single crop in the world. have
heen held down to bare existence
oiten selling their cotton at less than
the actual cost of production. even
counting. rs the small farmers and
tenants have had TO do the labor or
their wives and children as nothing
on the balance sheet
me whole policy OF the cotton-buy-
ing interests OF the world has been
20 crush out the prosperity of the
cotton grower. perchance not inten-
llonaliy. but actually so by reason OF
Inc conditions which prevailed after
the war. and which established pre-
ceGents in the trade tibet have been
vigorously followed to the poverty OF
the cotton growing interests
While Western farmers have grown
rich on grain production. Southern
farmers, whose staple crop is Just as
importan. to the world as grain, have
by reason OF the economic conditions
over which they had no control, been
kept to q large extent in poverty.
The higher prices OF the last two
wears have been bringing a few RAYS
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III