Americus times-recorder., 1919-02-25


striking address on the cotton situa-
ton as it is related to business inter
ests. J. Harry We'll, of L. w. We'll &
Co, held the close attention of fifty or
more representative business men con-
stituting the Membership Council of
the Chamber of Commerce at lunch at
the Gay-Teague hotel
Mr.. We'll spoke from the viewpoint
of the producer as well as the dealer
bringing some original ideas to bear
on the subject.
His address follows:
"It is fitting that one of the first
topics to be considered by the Mem
bership Council should be cotton,
which, after all, is the backbone of our
welfare and the barometer of our
prosperity. While other sources of
economic wealth within our bounda-
ries are many and varied and some
very large in their returns, we are
ultimately an agricultural community
and the cotton crop, year in and year
out, is the one dependable source of
fam revenue. 1t is fitting, too, that
the topic should have consideration
at this particular time when meetings
of delegates representing different
communities sections and states, are
being held throughout The southland
to formulate plans of which to avoid
the great, and only great danger to the
price of cotton-overproduction. We
have one of the richest h-rNa5e5 that
divine Providence has bestowed on
any section virtual monopoly of the
cotton growing business. Yet every
few years our lack of forethought, can
didly speaking, our greed to realize on
this monopoly, combined with favor
able growing season, bring circum-
stances by which we are traded out OF
our birthright for a mess of rotage.
It is to the consideration of this prob
lem of ever-production that l wish to
devote the time allotted ME.
"The human end of the matter of
acreage. The ultimate yield CT any
given acreage rests with tw. agen-
cies that are forever "clssed, the
weather man the boil weevil. The
visitation of the malefdcCor5 are so
uncertain that we can only figure on
an average production under given
conditions. The boil weevil as been
with us now for three seasons during
VIII On the state has averaged 125
pounds of lint per acre against an av-
eraga yield of 175 pounds Of the ten
years preceding. l do not wish to
bore you with dry statistics, hut here
ac' orc or two salient facts fcpe you
will get. Acreage reduction started
seriously after the disastrous over
production and low prices of 7314.
"Aiahama's acreage this past season
coniarred to 1914, shows reduction of
3: per cent, that of the entire cot
ton belt, exactly 1 per cent In 1914
we were the third cotton growing
state; in 1918 we were the seventh.
Alabama has kept faith with her sis
ter states in the reduction of acreage,
and has learned we'll the lesson of
diversifcation Nor has she failed to
profit by it. With perhaps full third
of the cotton crop still in the ware
houses unsold, there has been less
heard in this section of the so-called
distress cotton" during the recent
Throughout the entire cotton belt The
farmers, not the bank own the cot
ton in this state this year, and when
Mr. Spinner of Mr.. Speculator step
up to buy they are going to find the
farmer sitting tight on the fence rail
whiting away with Barlow knife
and not worrying much about his cot
ton nohow.
so much for the benefits of avoid
ing overproduction and the evils of
the one crop system. There is, how
ever, the other extreme which it is
just as wise to avoid Our labor is
educated to raising cotton, our climate
is conducive and now that we have
learned to cope with the boil weevil
fair crop can always be depended
upon. We are equipped for harvest
ing and storing and moving this crop,
it is always salable at any cross
roads village, or can be held indefi-