Roanoke Rapids herald. [volume] (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) 1914-192?, 1919-04-04
THE PRESENT COT,
TON SITUATION
A Suggested Program For
Dealing With 1t.

(By b. w. Kilgore, Director, N. G.
Exp. Station and Extension Service,
Treasurer N. G. Cotton Association
The South, and North Carolina par
ticularly wrought wonderfully well
during the war period Large crops,
except cotton, have been made, par.
ticularly food crops. The cotton crops
Of the country for the four years OF
the war-l9l5 to l9lS-were 1l70O,.
600 bales, ll,3O2O00 lllj0,0OO and
11,l92,OO0, or an average of HILL 900
bales, against the four pre-war crops
of 1914 Of 16,135,000, 14,l5G,O00, 49,
703 900, 15,G93000 or an average OF
14922,0O0 bales, which is an average
OF 3,51l,0OO bales more annually prior
to, than during the war period
The acreage Of last year was but
$4,000 less than for 1914 when the
bumper crop Of 1G,135O00 bales was
produced The low production for
the past four years has been due
mainly to bad seasonal conditions in
Texas and Oklahoma Good winter
rains already have been had in these
States, and with the same acreage as
in 1918, near ,OOO000-and good sea.
sons, a crop well nigh as large as our
largest can and likely would be made,
which is far beyond what there are
any reasons to think the world will
consume.
Big Crop, Low Price.
Our bumper cotton crop Of 10000
900 bales in 1914 brought s300,OOOOO0
and our 1l.50000O bale crop of 1917
brought the South $1,000 100000, or
twice as much as the bumper crop.
We know what this means-"big crop,
low price Cotton at present prices
is at, if not below, the cost Of produc-
ton and not an inconsiderable mum.
Der OF North Carolina farmers have
cotton Of two years on hand.
II would seem that the world needs
and will consume at cost OF produc.
ton, plus fair profit, the small crop
OF 1918. especially as this is one OF
four small crops in succession, the av.
erage for the four years being HAIL.
600 bales, or 100000 less for this
four year war period than for the
four year pre.war period
To Make This Effective.
What can be done to make this eff
fective?
1. A well.defned cooperative pro-
gram on the part OF the banker, the
merchant and the farmer for holding
and selling should bring results.
2. Along with the movement to en-
! lble the farmer the merchant and the
banker, or whoever has cotton. to
hold it till the right time to sell, must
go a program to house the staple.
3. What is perhaps more important
when measured in terms Of its effect
upon the future n our farming in
dustry, is a plan for preventing the
production Of a cotton crop this year
greater than the world will require. A
reduction in acreage OF from one-nfth
to one.third has been suggested as
the method Of doing this This would
mean for North Carolina in round
numbers, a million acres instead Of a
million and half OF cotton. This
would leave half million acres here
tofore devoted to cotton available for
food, feed and soil-improving crops.
Better Land for Cotton.
Cotton should likely. in most cases,
be put on the better land. including
some at least OF the land planted to
soil improving crops during the past
year. II should he fortified with the
view OF economy so as to meet the
needs Of the land thus used and the
crop. and increasing the acreage pro-
duction and reducing the cost so as to
meet the almost certain lower price
for cotton next fall
4 Another matter NJ serious con
Germ is the price Of fertilizers. The
prices of fertilizers are the highest
we have ever known and while the
cotton grower cannot afford II posi-
bic. to allow his acreage yields to
decline. fertilizers must be used as tC
quantity and kind. to hest meet the