Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-01-10

yASHINGTON, D. c., Jan. 6.-The
w world rarely, if ever, produces as
much cotton as it needs, and now,
with the Russian crop somewhere around
the zero mark, the Indian crop smaller than
usual, and the United States crop depleted
by the summer drought, there is distinctly
outlined cotton situation.
The extent of shortage in the United
States crop is shown by the fact that 49,
900 bales were counted upon and only
100000 survived drought, pests and dis
ease. Of this crop and past crops the cotton
growers are holding between four and six
million bales in the hope of securing what
they term fair price for their product.
The cotton growers attribute their present
situation partly to the government method
of reporting the cotton crops The growers
are firm in their belief that no mortal,
however much he may know about cotton,
can predict with accuracy the size of a cot
ton crop earlier than September. In July,
when the department of agriculture looks
ever the crop and estimates the amount and
value the cotton is young. 1t has not stood
the dry weather of the late summer, and it
has several months yet to be exposed to the
attacks of the boil weevil, and all the other
insects which can, and often do, cut down a
promising crop by half.
This year, they point out, the estimate
was sixteen million bales-a greater crop
than the United States has ever produced.
The prospect of so large crop lowered the
price of cotton in the market, the record
breaking crop did not materialize and the
planters are still holding on.
The case of the southern cotton growers
is summed up by them about as follows:
There have been elaborate rules for price
fixing and distribution of wheat and corn
crops, because of war conditions, and the
success of these rules has inspired some Of
ficials to fit them to the cotton situation,
wit cotton a
totally different product, produced under diff
ferent conditions.
For one thing, say the growers, the cost
of growing and picking a bale of cotton is
so much greater than the cost of raising the
same value of wheat that what would seem
fair price for bale of cotton in compari-
son with wheat prices is really loss to the
planter A statistician Of the Department of
Agriculture of Texas estimates the minimum
cost of raising a pound of cotton in war
time at twenty-six cents This figure, being
the minimum, is not the average cost of
production under present unfavOrable cir
CumstanCeS.
The main reason for the high cost of pro-
duction is the enormous amount of hand
labor required in picking and treating cot
ton. There have been wonderful advances
in cotton machinery since the Whitney gin,
but no one has ever evolved an engine with
sufficient intelligence to pick cotton. Other
factors making for greater expense are sim
liar to those experienced by other industries,
such as higher wages, labor shortage and
higher cost of machinery.
To offset their soaring expenses and safe
guard the demanded margin of profit, the
growers are holding the bulk of their crops
for minimum price of thirty-fve cents a
pound. That the growers can and will hold
the crop until the price rises there is not
much doubt. Cotton, unlike wheat and corn,
is in danger of deterioration, and although
it cannot be eaten by the growers, the sup
port of bankers strengthens the growers