The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1919-02-21
COTTON SITUATION MORE
SERIOUS THAN In YEARS
DR.. Bradford Knapp. Chief Of Ex'
tension Work in the South,
Calls Attention Of Cot
ton Farmers to
Present Needs


to bulletin entitled "Safe Farming i
the Southern States in 19l9," which !
being distributed by the county agents
In addressing the people Of the SoutI
DIR. Knapp says:
You bave had four years of compar
ative prosperity. partly because of fou
short crops of cotton with resultan
good prices. and partly because yol
produced so much of your own foot
and feed. During the last four yeaIl
there have been short crops in rexsi
mainly due to drought. In 1911, 1912,
1918. and 1914 the Texas crop averaged
4.4l8,250 bales, while during 1915, 1916
1917, and 1918 it averaged only 8, l64, ,50t
bales, or 1888. 750 bales less per annum
Texas has bad good rains this winter
From 1911 to 1914, inclusive, 0klahom,
averaged. 1,036.25 bales per annum
From 1916 1918, inclusive, the average
was only 742. $50 bales or 294, 900 bale,
less per annum, mainly due 70 drought
Oklahoma had splendid rains this winter.
A big crop in Texas and Oklahoma has
always meant big crop in the whole
country. Think that over before you
decide to increase your acreage in cot.
ton.
"Will the mills Of northern France
and Belgium be restored to full working
capacity at once? Certainly not! viii
the people of Europe seek food or cot.
ton first? Food, of course People can
and will wear patched clothing and
sleep without pillow cases and sheets If
need be, but the hungry stomach must
be fed. Think about that.
"The last four years have been a
period of gradually increasing prices.
Farmers and business men have prof
tied out of this constant increase.
Cotton just about kept pace with
other things. A pound or an acre of il
would buy about the same quantity of
other commodities in 1918 at 30 cents a
pound as 1t did in 1914 at IL cents a
pound. But during this time the far.
mers had the advantage of purchasing
supplies in the spring and summer at
one level of prices and then selling cot
ton In the fall at the top price of the
year and paying the debts contracted
at the lower prices, Be on your guard
now. for when prices begin to settle
down the situation becomes more diff
ficuit. We may be In the position of
making a crop of cotton with high
priced supplies and settling our debts
out of cotton at lower price. Es.
peclally will this be true IL We produce
a very large crop and thereby do sll
In our power TO lower the market price
of cotton. Has not large crop always
meant lower prices? Think that over
"What about acreage? Let us look
at the acreage figures In the bulletin.
The total for 1919 was IS. 1870. 900,
Oklahoma had more acres planted in
1918 than in either 1911, 1918 or 1914
Texas had more acres in 1918 than in
1911 and OILY about 100000 acres less
than in 1914. The years 1911. and 1913
and 1914 were good years with big crops
and generally low prices. With only !
$50. 600 acres more In the whole country
In 1911 than we had in the whole coun-
try in 1918. we produced l5. .693 600 bales
and the farm price December |, 1911,
averaged SS cents per pound. In 1913
We had 27.0S9, 900 acres and produced
IA, LOG. 900 bales, and the farm price av-
eraged 1872 cents per pound Dec m
Der |, 1918. In 1914 we had SO. SS2. 900
acres. or only $4,000 acres mere than
In 1918, and yet the production was
l6, lS5. 900 bales and farm price Decem-
Der |. 1914 was 5.s. per pound on the
average, due in part. 30 doubt, to the
war:in Europe. Think II over.
with less acres than last year and
q good season we can easily make q
very large crop. especially with good
production In Texas and Oklahoma
In 1912 with only 34.2sS. 900 acres we
made Is. 70S. 600 bales OF cotton. With
q good season ahead Of Us, would you
Increase the acreage?
(Which would you rather do, produce
m0re cotton and take less price ior
IL after working . larger number Of
acres at greater expense. or limit
your production TO smaller number
Of acres. better tended, permitting the
tuIl production Of your food aud feed
and better chance for prses2
Il j. absolute FIJI. t. upset the
zresens prosperity Of tae cotton states
- planting large acreage which can
anly mean large crop and :