The Little River news., 1921-05-18
A MILLION ACRES
 LESS OF COTTON
Large Reduction in Arkansas Indi. cated in Reports fro mf5ankers.
 May Be Oyerestimated.

Little Rock, May 16.-Figures com- piled from estimates mace oy bankers in all parts of Arkansas indicate the reduction in Arkansas cotton acreage this year will amount to approximately a million acres This is a reduction of 36.7 per cent
 While this exceeds estimates made by those who are most familiar with agricultural conditions in the state, it probably will prove a disappointment to merchants and bankers of the state who had declared that a reduction of 50 per cent would be necessary if farmers were to receive a profitable price for their cotton next fall.
 The million-acre reduction figure was obtained from estimates made by 217 officials of banks in 59 of the most important cotton-growing coun- ties
 E. J. Bodman, vice president of the Union and Mercantile Trust Company and chairman of the Committee on Agriculture of the Arkansas Bankers Association, recently sent a question naire to all banks in the state. This questionnaire was intended to furnish information as to the amount of cot ton acreage and the probable planting of feed crops in the banks county. Replies were received from 217 banks representing the 59 leading cotton growing counties.
 Reduction of 36.7 Per Cent.
 In 1920 there was planted in these 59 counties a total of 2,723,096 acres of cotton, 95 per cent of the total area planted to the crop in the entire state According to the best judg- ment of the bankers Tn these coun- ties, the total area that will probably be planted to cotton this year in these 59 counties is 1 ,733, 300 acres, a reduc- tion of 999,596 acres, or 36.7 per cent There are nine other counties in the state in each of which cotton is reSu- larly planted. These will reduce then cotton paintings somewhat, making according to the bankers estimates a total reduction in cotton planting IT Arkansas this year Of 100000 acres
 In compiling these estimates each county was taken by itself. The acreage of cotton as reported for thai county by the United States Depart ment of Agriculture for 1920 was talk en- An average was made of the esti- mates of all banks reporting from county to compute the estimated cot ton planting for this year. The total is made by adding the individual esti- mated acreages of each of the counties and is not lump estimate.
 Nearly, one-fifth of the total acre age planted in Arkansas to cotton III 1920 was in the counties of Jefferson Crittenden, Mississippi and Phillips Jefferson county grew 16S,36O acres and the four counties total or 46O,- $40 acres. The bankers estimates o1 planting for this year are S7,64s acres in cotton, in Jefferson county and 271 ,43O acres in the four coun' ties, total reduction of Az per cent.
 S. c. Alexander, president Mer' chants and Planters bank, Pine Bluff writes: I believe the farmers II southeast Arkansas are entering the planting season with the lowest nor ale ever experienced. Many commen' ced preparation for planting without financial arrangements and when they tried to make them they were disap' pointed and today this land is either lying out or turned over to some one without rent for the purpose of plant ing peas or corn"