The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1919-07-17
COTTON INTERESTS
ARE ORGANIZING.
Continued from page one.)

Continued from page one.)
done great service to the farmer in
keeping him abreast of the science Of
s"tN irg his crops hut ne needs TO be
corsGrrly :nfor,nct as he other
aspects of the business of growing
and selling his prduce. The Cotton
Association proposes that the farmer
of the South shall be kept informed
as to the world demand for cotton
and what portion of this demand can
be profitably met by the American
producer. 1t proposes that he shall
be continually informed of the state
of the growing crop, in order that he
may rightly estimate the probable
price which can be obtained for his
reserve from the previous year and
the new crop. 1t will see that he is
rightly informed as to reserve on hand
at any time. 1t will also keep him
informed as to the demand for manu-
factured cotton, the cost of manu-
facture, and the prevailing market
price, in order that he may not be
subject to the arbitrary determination
of price by the manufacturing inter-
ests. If he knows that manufacture
ed cotton is in great demand at exor-
bitantly profitable prices, he will un-
derstand that the withholding of his
cotton from a low market is certain
to induce the manufacturers to offer
fair prices from the raw material on
which they are realizing large gains
The Cotton Association proposes to
provide the farmer with the sort of
knowledge which will be the power
whereby he may secure justice and
square deal.
Diversified Farming.
But information will never win free
dom unless supported by other aids.
The American Cotton Association pro-
poses to bring to realization the
dream of all thinking business men
of the South since the Civil War, di-
versified farming. The cotton grower
of the South will be economically free
when he produces the necessities Of
his own people and OF his own work
animals from his own knowledge of
the world cotton business, for he will
not be forced to sell cotton at loss
in order to get ready cash for buying
food. While he eats his own meat and
bread, he can hold his surplus crop,
cotton, for a fair market. The. cotton
association will soon have in opera
tion the necessary machinery where
by the farmer can finance other
sorts Of farming than cotton farming
A propaganda of correct information
as to the world demand for cotton
is already inducing the farmer to re-
duce the acreage devoted to cotton,
and plant more food. The operation
of the merchant and banker of the
South in this movement is rendering
possible this diversification. The far
mer is no longer obliged to plant
cotton for every dollar he can borrow
to finance his farm. The vicious cir
Gle of borrowing to plant cotton and
selling hurriedly to repay the loan is
being broken.
Still further aid is needed, howev-
er, in order that the producer of cot
ton may determine the time of sale
of his product and keep himself free
of an adversely fixed market. He
must be able to store his cotton in a
way to prevent deterioration and risk
of fire loss and use the stored cotton
as collateral for money on the best
possible terms. The American Cotton
Association is is moving steadily for
ward toward the solution Of this big
and difficult problem. 1t is practical
certainty that before the fall crop Of
cotton is harvested, there will be in
operation in the Southern States a
system of State-owned warehouses
for cotton, scientifically constructed,
and operated under uniform State
laws. The farmer will store his cotton
in these warehouses and obtain for
it negotiable paper almost as easy of
circulation as bank notes. In close
connection with these warehouses
there will be in operation Domestic
Financing Corporation which will
have access to sufficient capital to
finance one-third of the cotton crop.
Since this one-third of the crop will
represent the portion usually left on
the hands of the farmers by joint
agreement of the New England and
English spinners to furnish the sur
plus forl the following summer and
in order to keep down the apparent
demand for cotton and thus depress
the market, the holding and financing
of this portion of the crop for the
farmer by the Domestic Financing
Corporation will abolish this abuse.
There will no longer be what is called
distress cotton, cotton thrown on a