The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-01-25
Why Cotton Is Worth 40 Cents Or =
More And Why We Can Raise Neither
A large Nor Cheap Crop This Year

Cotton is the cheapest commodity
to-day in the woiid at 40 cents for
miIdling at any crossroads village
IN America or in the world. This
prlce is justified 10y every other
commodity necessary TO the comfort
and convenience Of humanity, and
more than anything else:by the price
of cotton goods. Mini you. this
is the lowest price at which We
would advise any middllng cotton
sold anywhere, but the market Is
liable TO go very much higher for
the REASON that the spot holders
have Il well in hand and can control
the price by refusing to Sell on de-
clining market or for less than 40
lents.
Had Germany and the other Eu.
ropean nations been financially able
TO supply themselves with the cot
ton needed this paper would say sell
not lale of cotton under FIFTY
CENTS PER POUND. minimum. Tn"
fact that Germany has to pay the
cquivacn, If s. rC- puund for what
cotton she ia 600 To get is Vh"y
beari9h factor When ste peace trAl.
~ is rate q and order Is restored ~
over ;ai word 'n- condition vii
be changed. so really a.. man Lod, ,e
of Massachusetts, ablJ e. sisted
by Old man Jim Reid OF MissoiIi,
and old man Tom Gore Of Obal o,ra,
are responsible for a condition which
prevents the cotton producers Of the
south from getting about $50 per
bale more for their cotton than they
would haye gotten had not these
tilibusterers prevented a ratification
of the treaty at least six months ago.
The indications are that we will con.
sumo in the United States and Canada
about 100000 bales and our cX-
ports to all the balance of the world
Will be about that much more, thus
consumption OF 1900, 900 bales
viii clean this country Of every bale
OF spinnable cotton long before the
new crop is available, but there ap.
pears to be a scant supply for the
world at least for the present. This
brings US to consider the coming
crop.
We contend that We will not be
able to raise u large or cheap
crop in 1920, Already the demand
for labor is the greatest the world
has ever known, and from very
careful observation and sitting the
Information from varied and reliable
sources We do not believe the labor
10 produce the coming crop can he
obtained for less than approximately
800 per month. Why should labor
so to the cotton fields for less than
wage readily paid in cities and
on construction work generally. and
as far as we have been able to
ascertain any kind of unskiled labor
can obtain from SO to So per day
eight hours in the cities.
Not only labor, but mules feed,
fertilizer and provisions of all kinds
as well as farm implements, to say
nothing Of the land. has all advanced
m price to where il will be impossible
10 make the 1920 crop at less than
30 cents 10 40 cents per pound by
the most conservative estimate, even
with bOuntiful or fair yield per
acre.
Allowing for the recuperation in
purchasing power of Europe and the
rapidly increasing consumption of cot.
ton, especially in the industries the
world over We think a forecast of a
consumption Of 10000 bales of
American cotton Of the 1920 crop is
most conservative. Suppose some.
thing should happen that would pre-.
vent us making that much? Can we
make that much? Let us analyze the
outlook
Very naturally we expect to see
very high fertilization and intensive
cultivation for lack Of labor to in.
crease acreage. II we make a H..
100000 bale crop Texas, Oklahoma and
Louisiana will practically have to
make it. Suppose we distribute two
million bales among three States?
1t will make every one of them
make a bumper crop-perhaps the
largest on record. Then let us add
half million bales more to the south
east. This would make all the At
lant!c states make big crops Have
We labor TO either cultivate an
gather such crops? Certainly moi
at anything less than prices which
will make 30 cent cotton like swap
ping dollars. This paper took issue
with all the big crop liars early in
the season last year and pointed out
the mpossibility of making cror
over 100000 larger than 1918. There
fore the chances that We will be q
million bales short Of the worlds
required the scant supply We now
have. suppose other countries come