The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-09-07
.FOODSTUFF SCARE
ITY. JUST AHEAD

Columbia, Sept. with a
wheat crop S0,000,O00 bushels less
than that of 1920 and 74.0o0,0OO
bushels short of the average Of the
fve-year period from 1915 to 1919;
With an oat crop nearly 400, ,000,-
600 bushels short Of last year, and
30,G00,oo BUSHES short of the
average OF the five years, 1875
1919, and with an enormous short
age IN white potatoes, in peaches
and apples and vegetables, we are
certain to face growing scarcity
Of ,foodstuffs. This will be espe-
cialB emphasized by reason of the
enormous exportation of wheat
and corn to Europe. The country
will enter the next wheat crop sea-
son practically bare Of all surplus
stock as compared with the
amount we should carryiiicc111pu
amount we should carry over. 1t
becomes especially important,
therefore, that there should be a
large increase in wheat acreage
this fan, and the south especially
needs to learn the supremely i'm
portant lesson of preparing for a
larger acreage in wheat and cats
and other food producing crops,
WITH a still greater decrease in the
acreage of cotton for next season" !"
Copied fro nlthe Manufacturers
Record OF August 10th.
It would have been a great
blessing if the South had cut its
cotton acreage in half and put the
balance in foodstuffs, as advised to
do by the best thinking men of the
South. Even men who had been
for years in the cotton brokerage
business advised the farmers to
cut their acreage at least SO per
cent. What they failed to do in
acreage reduction, the Lord has
done for them.
This Years Crops Ruined.
Now as to the condition of the
crop-lt is the lowest on August
25th that it has ever been. From
the best authority that I can get,
and I am in close touch with every
cotton belt state, the next govern
ment report should not be over AZ
per cent, and this means a crop
Of around 100000 bales, perhaps
less, surely not over that number.
Every one is asking just how
much it will sell for. That depends
upon the ability of the farmer to
get money to hold it off the market
and just what price he is willing
to- take for it. Some would be
willing to let it go at the price it
is fetching today, some say they
winssell for Is cents. Well, the
Is cents a pound man can sell
and get his price in a few days.
Some say IS cents. It will not
be long before he can sell. Some
say 20 cents. These can have the
privilege of selling by the time
we have a killing frost.
Crop Cannot Improve
There can't possibly be any in
crease in the prospective yield
from now to the end of the season.
1t is, too late for weather conditions
to put on more fruit, as the stalk
is too far spent to develop new
cotton, and even if late fall
should develop fruit, the boil weev-
il would get. that surely. The
crop will depreciate from now on.
The world is yet facing a great
cotton famine, accentuated by the
consumption Of accumulated
stocks. The demand is growing
daily for the using of more cot
ton, and the supply is certainly de-
creasing. Very soon the world will
wake up to realize the fact that
there is. not enough spinnab1e cot
ton. The Importance Of cotton will
be stressed by the fact that the
crop of 1922 will be so to 65 per
cent below the acreage of 1921. l
have talked to many farmers in
South Carolina and many have
said they would cut out cotton en-
tirely while others Viii reduce from
SO to Is per cent Of the acreage
This same report comes from the
entire cotton belt.