Dresden enterprise and Sharon tribune. (Dresden, Tenn.) 1907-1997, 1920-09-17
COTTON GROWERS
URGED TO HOLD
Fight /. On for Better Cotton Prices
Six Things Every Grower
Can Do.
The fight for better Cotton prices:

| Six things you can 90.
The great meeting of the Ameri-
can Cotton Association in Montgom-
cry, Ala, discussed lot of things,
but we believe the gist Of the whole
conference may be given in six def
mite things every cotton farmer in
the South can do to help the fight
for better prices:
First and foremost, hold your
cotton. We must show the bear
gamblers and their allies that they
have absolutely mistaken the spirit
and determination of the Southern
people if they think we will sit idly
by and be robbed of half the fruits
of this years labor. It has cost be-
tween 80 and 40 cents pound to
make this years crop. The decis-
ion of the Montgomery meeting was
that 40 cents should be a minimum
price for middling.
Not only must each man resolve
to hold his own crop, but he must
see his neighbors and insist on their
holding. As J. A. Brown says, eve
must shut up the market so tight
that no man can buy or beg bale
of cotton at present prices-so that
the only way to get bale of new
crop cotton until prices improve will
be to steal it"
Mr.. J. A. Todd, the distinguished
English authority, who came to
Montgomery at President Wanna
makers request, sized up the pres
ent world-situation somewhat as
follows: ~ The world will need
every bale of cotton that is produced
this year. There is no real over
production; (2)Right now, however,
there is practically no movement OF
cotton goods, a wholly abnormal
temporary dullness in the business
of cotton manufacturers, and OF
course they are not offering nor
NAL prices for cotton. Present
prices are only fictitious prices based
on temporarily demoralized mark
ct.
Nevertheless if one-fourth of the
cotton farmers of the South are such
fools as to accept this fictitious
under-valuation for 1920 cotton,
prices on the whole crop will be
lowered. We must keep anybody
and everybody from selling at pres
emit prices.
2. Go to your county mass meet
ing Monday Sept. 20. Every coun-
ty in the South is asked to hold
mass meeting of its cotton farmers
on this date, to make plans for hold
ing, warehousing, cutting acreage
and cooperative marketing. Go.
and get your neighbors to go, both
landlord and tenant, black and white.
We must educate everybody and all
classes to the Importance of the
fight. And see to it that everybody |
makes some contribution for sup
porting the Cotton Association in
it's plans. A good method will be
to have every grower authorize his
ginner to deduct 10 to rs cents a i
bale for the organization. Business
men should subscribe literally, for
no one will be hurt more than they
if the South's spending power and
debt-paying power is cut in half.
3, Cut your cotton acreage next
year by sowing a record-breaking
grain crop this fall. Don't just talk
about cutting down ACREAGE
negative sort Of program. Tell
everybody to cut his cottoon acre
age by sowing more wheat, oats and
rye, and by sowing more clover to
enrich the land for corn next year.
This is the only sensible way
to reduce acreage.
A Put your cotton in warehouse,
and organize a cooperative market
ing association. Remarkably i'm
portant was the comprehensive re-
port on cooperative i, marketing
adopted at Montgomery, the result
of months of labor by Cotton Spe-
cialist Murph and others. The re-
port tells just how to start cO-ope-
rative selling with official grading
or CHASING in your community.
As for warehouses, if there is not
sufficient warehouse room in your
section, it will pay to hurry up the
construction of building Of q cheap
err sort. In next weeks Progressive
Farmer we expect to present some
plans worked out by Mr.. D. c..
Walty, vice-president and manager
of the Arkansas Cotton Association,
whereby 1000 bales may be taken
care of in a structure costing only
$500 We do not believe, of
course, that every community should