The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1920-09-30
THE AMERICAN
COTTON ASSOCIATION

During the first week in August,
1920 picked up a daily newspaper
and read this headline: Cotton Goes
Off So a Bale" The article went on
to explain that the favorable crop
report" Of the United States Depart
ment Of Agriculture showed a much
improved condition and prospect for
larger yield, causing a reduction in
the price Of the October future mar
ket On the cotton exchanges. At the
time Of writing this article October
futures have sold as low as 30 cents
while spot cotton is still nearly 10
cents higher.
/ should like to have the farmers
and business men Of the South pause
and consider this proposition pretty
cyarefully. The governments re-
port showed no alarming or enormous
Increase in the amount Of cotton to be
expected. We must remember that
every cotton crop since 1914 has been
less than 100000 bales The gov
ernment's estimate this time, with the
present excellent condition, is only
1853 900 bales, with the frank state
ment that this will be either in
creased or, possibly decreased, ac-
cording to weather conditions. be-
tween the making of the report and
the final harvesting of the crop. From
10 years intimate association with
the Bureau Of Crop Estimates, United
States Department Of Agriculture, 4
am constrained to believe that the re-
port told the truth, but in the light
Of other circumstances | still fail to
see how such a report should cause
the gamblers Of this country to out
the price Of the farmers cotton by 20
4 bale. or more than s60000.000. How
are we to explain such proposition
Iii the light of the present circumstan-
ees2 The cotton Speculation on the
market says that it is caused by de-
mand and supply To be perfectly
frank about it, don't believe 1t. 4
think this particular illustration Is
one Of the strongest reasons why the
work originally contemplated by the
American Cotton Association and It's
subsidiary market associations should
Be promptly carried out.
The farmer prepares his land, sows
his seed and tills his crop. This ne
NAV do wisely and well. on poorly
His ability ard the quality Of ms
farm practices have considerable
bearing ON his yield per acre,
but after all. either good farmer Or
poor farmer, rich land or poor land.
the seasons control the crop, the yield
per acre and per farm, and the total
output Of the country, Indeed the
record shows that the issue is mainly
ii the hands Of God and His seasons.
If the season is a good one, then the
crop.is large and the price goes down.
but often. long before that crop Is
used up by the world. there comes an
other season which is poor, resulting
IN a short crop and up goes the price
That is what has happened repeatedly
II is shame to have to say that
Southern cotton farmers have more
often than not profited most when
nature has been unkind to them and
the crop has been cut IN spite OF their
efforts. In all the struggles to pro-
duce a crop. in the battles with in
sects and plant diseases, excessive
rsin and drouFh and All these natural
conditions which So hammer the FARM
ers in their field work, how comfort
ing II is to know that when his field
problems are solved his marketing
problems begin.
Remember that we have had five
short crops. Remember that cotton
at 40 cents a pound is not high, but
simply advanced in somewhat the
same proportion as other crops. An
- LII a,ln1.