The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1921-02-09
THE TINE HAS COME
TO TELL THE TRUTH

Declaring that the time has come
when the truth regarding the cotton
situation must be driven home to
every farmer in the State, the South
Carolina Division of the American
Cotton Association has issued a state
ment appealing to every organization
IN South Carolina to assist it in it's
efforts to secure an acreage reduction
in the State this year
Statistics arc given which tend to
show that on the first Of next August,
before bale of the 1921 crop is
picked, there will be on hand Il sur
plus of over 100000 bales, or al
most Il Onc-third crop. 1t is declared
that the planting of anything like a
normal acreage in cotton this year
will be simple suicidal business
policy not alone for farmers but for
every business interest in the South
For this reason it is declared that the
business and professional men should
be active in the movement to secure
acreage reduction.
"The gravity Of the situation con-
fronting the South as regards the
| planting of another cotton crop and
the apprehension on our part that
there are thousands of people in our
state who do not comprehend just
what we are up against impels us to
issue this appeal to the farmers,
business and professional men OF
South Carolina" says the statement
issued by the South Carolina Division
| of the American Cotton Association.
"We feel that it is our duty to place
| the facts squarcly before them, as
startling as they are, in order that
every organized agency in the State
may join with us in our efforts to see
to it that no farmer in South Carolina
plants over one-third of his cultivat-
ed land in cotton this year. TO do
otherwise will be to invite disaster
and financial bankruptcy.
"One of the most alarming features
of the present situation is that there
are so many who contend that they
cannot meet the requirements of the
association that they plant only one
| third Of their land in cotton. They
seem not to stop to consider that it
would perhaps be better that they
plant no cotton at al than to plant to
plant it and be forced to sell next fall
a; price far bel0 wthc cost of pro-
duction, which we believe they will
surely have to do if over onc-half
crop is raised this year. TO those
who still have their last years crop
or hand we would say that present in
d:cations are that they would profit
by not planting a bale because half
crop this year would mean that they
would get more for their last years
crop than they would get for last
years crop and this years crop COM
bincd if over half-crop is planted
this year.
"Now what are the facts about the
cotton situation? Here they are, and
we hope every farmer in South Caro-
lima, white and colored, who can read,
will read them and that somebody
will read them to every one that can
not read:
"On August /, 1920, there was a
surplus of American cotton on hanl,
according to Hester, of 6,0S6,0O0
bales.
The ten-ycar average amount Of
American cotton on hand August / ;,
is 100000 bales.
"lt is thus seen that the surplus on
hand on last August |, was almost
six times larger than the average
amount on hand at that time
"Thc probable amount of surplus
cotton on hand on August |, 1921, is
estimated by those who are in good
position to know, at over 10000
bales, or almost a onc-year crop.
"Thc greatest consumption of every
American Cotton ever known i'm one
year was 100000 bales. Ten-year
average Of consumption of American
cotton prior to the great war was 49,