The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1920-12-22
New York Editor Questions Ac-
curacy of the Census Bureaus
Estimate of Cotton Crop
OPINION ON PERSONAL
OBSERVATION
Says That Government Estima-
tors Have Made No Allowance
For the Thousands of Acres of
Cotton That Will Never Be
Picked

Columbia, Dec. 1S.--Walter Il,
Brown. editor of the New York Com
mercial. who spent several days in
South Carolina last week. having
come To Columbia' for the purpose
OF addressing the annual meetings OF
the South Carolina Automotive trade
and the South Carolina Cotton asso-
Citations, declares i'm a telegram -sent
To his paper from Washington that
the estimate of the American Cotton
ASSOCIATION that the total crop of cot
ton crop this year will be 12.250. 900
bales Is probably correct. He teic-
graphed his paper on Wednesday
from Washington as follows:
AS between the final estimate OF
the cotton crop. just issued by the
department OF agriculture. placing the
total at l2.900.000 bales, and the es.
innate OF the American Cotton asso-
ciation. OF 12,25O.O0O bales. 1 am moro
Inclined to believe that the latter Is
correct
II have just returned from a ten
days trip through the Carolinas and
Georgia. I have motored through the
cotton growing districts and have seen
with my own eyes thousands of acres
OF cotton that will never be picked.
The present price OF cotton will not
pay the fertilizer bills. and simply
TO pick cotton, gin IL and carry 1t to
mafast would involve loss to the
farmer. In other words, he Is actual
~ better or leaving ii unpicked. Most
or the cotton now i'm tho fields will
grade only good ordinary and below.
Tho department OF agriculture's
estimate was arrived at by following
Its usual formula. and failing TO take
into consideration the effect produced
by the drop in price. IL Is also true
that the government report makes no
provision Tor bo!lies and snaps. as
claimed by the cotton association.
which last year amour. d TO $50
900 bales. There can he no doubt.
howev, hat a very large quantity
OF tho cotton now I'm the fields can
never be made use of.
j. Skottowc Wannamakcr, president
OF the American Cotton asso alton.
issued the following statement giving
further information on the crop cs-
innate:
The American Cotton association
estimates the production OF The 1920
cotton crop TO be l2.s47,0O0 bales. ex-
elusive OF lintCrs. The estimate OF
The United States government was
1891 900 bales exclusive of lntCrs
There will remain In the fields. un-
harvested. from the present crop.
large proportion Of the bollies and
snaps which will amount TO around
$4,000 bales. based upon the produc-
ton of bollics and snaps from pre-
NOus crops oC this size.
I'm addition to this. much of the
cotton now unhorvcstcd in the fields
will not be gathered. az on both boil
lies and snaps and on low grade cot
ton the expense &C gathering same is
IN excess OF the price for which the
cotton and the seed can be sold. Be-
yond question. more cotton will re-
main unharvested from the present
crop than from any previous crop i'm
the last twenty-five years.
Even aside from this. based upon
ginning To December LIST. i'm compar-
lson with previous years, the estimate
OF The government would seem u be
excessive and the estimate OF the
American Cotton association would
seem TO be correct.
Tho ginning-of iO1ii.OOO bales or
cotton up To December 1st. does not
IMPLY large crop. In 1911 there
were iO,if0.O00 bales ginning I'M I'm
December lst, and the total crop ey-
elusive OF lintcrs. was only li,5GS OOo !
bales. In lJi7 the ginning In Do.
cember ist was 1O.352.6OO bales and :
the total lint was only tI.3ClOO0 /
h.,
inE lintcrs IN 1911. was only II. .9SS
oVO and IN 1917. l2.66i.QOO when the
hhter production was the greatest ON
record As matter Of fact. cxcIu-
s.Vc ot liutcrs. there has never bc,n /
two million bales o. cotton ginncd at Z
tor the LIST of December, except in
l9ls' Not even the years of the big .
100000 bales or more crops of /
1919 end 1915. Tho following is tho
number of bales OF lint ginncd after
December LIST: 1910. total 1886 900 ,
bales; 1911. total t.l2s,dbO bales;
lol4. total i,S55.O0O bales, 1916. to-
tai 100000; 1917. total 1.Ol2.OOO
bales: 1918. to;al l.53f.OOO; 1919. to-
tai 2.235. 900.
II have not the ginning of 1919
ana 1870 hut the ginning OF the I.>t
Two years was backward until the ~.
OF the year because Of the conditions
on the Mexican border. preventing nc
MeNiacns from going into Texas trd
Oklahoma TO picl, the cotton. Thjs
year tho picking and ginning scago1
has been remarkably good. We g..
fma'c TIE total cror this year is e..
$4,000 hai"S. or course. this is r>.
elusive ot l0tcrs. Mako noic ,t
this AMI tee how close wc com, Fl,
being correct"