The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1921-12-14
REMARKABLE INACCURACY IN
COTTON CROP REPORTING

Influenced by acreage reduction propaganda,
decrease in the use of fertilizer and the boil
weevil menace during the early part of the
growing season, probably the most misleading
forecasts of the cotton yield on record were
made for this year. The final estimate is $780,
600 bales, which is 100000 bales above the
July forecast.
In Alabama the July forecast was 418,000
bales. The final estimate is 635, 900 bales. Acre
age reduction was estimated at 33 per cent. 1t
appears to have been little over IL per cent
Evidently many growers did not practice the
reduction that was preached to them. Extreme
anxiety for small crop must have uncon-
sciously influenced farm crop reporters.
The boil weevil was curtailed by prolonged
warm weather. An ideal crop maturing and
gathering season helped to increase the yield.
Making all allowances for the setback to the
weeyil and the unusually fine season, the re-
markably inaccurate forecast of the cotton
crop of 1921 was to great extent an instance
of ''the wish is father to the thought" The
mistake was honest, but it was glaring just the
same.
1t should hardly be necessary for the scholarly
Philadelphia Public Ledger to point out that
person is not illiterate because he cannot read
and write the English language. There are
other tongues than ours, but they are deucedly
queer.
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say officials, was due to violation or orders
which cannot be explained. With that little
formality out of the way damage suits may now
begin.
No one appeared to claim yacht which
burned off the Florida coast with fortune In
liquor on board. In case like that a man
prefers to pocket his loss and say nothing.
"If General Lee was traitor wish France
had more of them," said Marshal Foch. Return
tc the south at any old time, marshal, and you'll
find the latchstring hanging out!
Except in musical comedy and motion picture
penitentiaries, desperate criminals under sem
tence of death should not be permitted to have
firearms
down dale have already launched their often
sive against Article 2 of the four-power treaty.
That chip which flew up and struck Wilhelm
on the head accomplished more than the allies
best marksmen were able to do during the war.
Cocktails and American cooking have invaded
the South Seas. The average American is more
apt to pursue the cocktails than the cooking.
1t would look rather foolish to make great
ado over scrapping battleships and fight the next
war with airplanes and poison gas.
Tom Edison says Henry Ford is weak in
chemistry. Including history, that makes two
subjects in which Henry is weak.
Now that the poets have accepted the limi-
tation of armament as fact, little more re-
mains to be said on the subject.
The four-power treaty will be suitable
Christmas gift for four nations who are making
a desperate effort to be good.
1t is interesting to study photographs of CO.
lebrities taken 20 years ago. Most of them
have larger waist lines now
What we need to prevent gunner from break
ing out of prison is few Bill Harris to act as
guards and wardens.
1t is rumored that Josephus Daniels Quest
of obscurity is leading him toward the vice
presidency.
Say it with jobs is the slogan of the
American Legion. The flowers can wait
The passing of the flapper will not leave
what is in our estimation an aching void.
Political prisoners have not been conspicuous
in recent attempts to break out of jail.
Settlement of the zap problem is going to
take an easy word out of the headlines.