The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-09-07
AUGUST
COTTON
REPORT
Department Of Agri.
culture Estimate IN.
tlicates the Small
est Crop Of Cot
ton il Thirty
hree Years

growing has just suffered the most
disastrousmonth b IN its history. The
fns.1cated crop viii be the smallest
in the last IS years. while the con-
ditioR now is the lowest, ever re-
caEded ID any month in the history
FoftRe Industry Ravagess OF tie boil
Weey are principally the cause Of
{ the severe decline Of the crop,
amounting to a loss OF 1,I16, 600
bales III prospective production
since last months forecast. The
depasInenE OF agriculture in an
mourning today its forecast Of a to-
tal pAducfion Of z .037 400 equiva-
lent 30 bales based en.a. canvas
1nadesAngust %. declared every
thsngsee1ned to have gone wrong
wit sthe crop.
M acre yield sof 127 pounds to
ge acre IS indicated for the coun-
{ tTy as q whole this year. Never in
the last Sc years has the yield been
so low The nearest approach. was
129 pounds in 1865. onN 10 per
cent Of crop is promised III some
conlsies of South Carolina, Parts
Of Oklahoma win have not more
than Is per cent of a crop. About
one-third Of q crop or less. will be
produced a sections of TEXAS, S.
Carolina and Georgia. Is half crop
er better may be produced in Mis-
sissippi, northern Alabama north
ern edge OF the cotton. belt. may
have ABOUT tWo-thirds Of a%crop.
The production was forecast a
month ago at S,263 900 bales, based
ON The July % condition of the crop,
Which was 647 per cent. Of a
normal Last years croa was 49,
COS bales and the August 25
condtion was 67.5 per cent. of a
normal The average condition of
ss4sse esap en- sagust 225 for the ten
81 1-20, is IT per cent.
rsae asaa;Q liz sandi dition from July
70 August 25 was l5.4 points.
compared with an average decline
Sof z G poin1s for the ten years.
The condition OF cotton on Au-
gust 25 was the lowest It has. ever
been In any month in the history
OF the cotton growing industry. ac-
cording TO the, records Of the de-
partn1eRt Of agriculture. In COM
menting on the condition the de-
partment IN. a statement said:
The damage has been the great
est In the area from central Okla
Z horaa TO north central Texas, the
fall in condition amounting to from
25sto 80 points. Declines, of from
10 to20 points are shown for south
erE South Carolina. for Georgia,
northern Alabama, the delta sec
ton of Mississippi ard throughout
{ the belt west of the Mississippi riy-
er except in the northern edge,
where some slight Improvement
) occurred.
Conditions are especially bad,
not above / per cent. In northern
Oklahoma and not over a third of a
crop is promised in the adjoining
portions Of northern Texas. In
southern and central South Carroll
ma the promise is not less than a
third and in Some counties not over
80 percent. Of a crop The. central
belt ef Georgia and most. OF. east
ard south Texas promise about a
third
Everything seems to have gone
wrong with the crop In southern
South Carolina, in Georgia and Ar
kansas and in portions of other
states. excess rainfall and cool
>weatber have combined to give a
bl weed which the boil weeyil in
: the ssh OF early invasion, has at
tackled yoraciousiy, destroying all
squares and bolls set during, Au-
gust and even attacking the larger
bo1ls.
From 40 to so per cent. of the
bells are affected IN southern South
Carolina and the proportions run
very high in other states. West
ward from Georgia through Ala
oama. Mississippi and Louisiana to
Texas and Oklahoma the weevil
has multiplied far beyond the US
nal Iexperience. In Oklahoma. not
withstanding heat and drought, it
is worse than ever experienced. In
Texas it. is the chief cause OF de-
terioration.
Tke mild winter is held respon-
sible for sparing an unusual num-
Der OF weevils, as well as other in
sects which have multiplied beyond
measure and are devastating the
new growth in practically all the
areia Of its present range. The ar
my worm is present in large num-
bers Throughout 1;iost Of Arkansas
Tennessee and north Mississippi
huf the defoliation Of the heavy
growth is not looked upon as an
nnrnixed evil. Boil worms and the
usual pests are present IN greater
numbers than usual, but their dam
ssage is small compared with the
& ,a,oov;f Tn North Carolina and