The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-09-28
KEEN BIDDING
ON TWO STAPLE
CROPS BY BUYERS
Cotton and Rice Men Hot
on Trial Of Large and
Small Lots
COMMISSION FELLOWS
HAVE HARD SHEDDING
One Old Timer Says There
Are Many inexperienced
Men in Game

Farmers are experiencing no diff
Guilty whatever in disposing of their
cotton and rice on a highly competi-
tive market this season. 1t makes
little difference if a farmer has one
bale or a hundred, ten bags of rice or
a thousand, the buyers get hot-foot
after his holdings as soon as they
learn he has such stuff for sale, and If
he is not quite ready to sell they use
their best persuasive arts in order
to get him to turn loose at the prices
being paid that particular day.
All through the cotton and rice
growing country the same keen COM
petition for the two crops is in evil
dence. There are more men engaged
in the buying end this year than ever
known before, though the two crops
are admittedly shoter than for sew
eral years. One old-time and
thoroughly experienced buyer stated
that the men who buy on commits
sion basis are experiencing difficult
time in getting by. There are many
saIaried men in the game and they
get paid a fat sum whether they buy
much rice or not, and on the other
hand, said this old-timer, there are
a lot of inexperienced men who
never handled a rice trowel before"
and who are buying without regard
to limits. and between these two lat
ter named classes the commission
buvers are having the time OF their
lives.
Just let a report get abroad that
some farmer, living far in the Interior
has a small quantity of rice for sale
and 4 half dozen buyers hop into fliV
vers and light out after that lot OF
rice. and If they happen to reach the
farmer about the same time he has
the satisfaction of receiving the very
hest urice the market will justify, FOL
the buvers want the rice and he want:
the hest price obtainable for his hold
ings.
The same thing exists in the cot
ton market. That fact is attested D!
the familiar scenes on the streets o
OpeIousas every day and sometime
many timse day. Wagon cotton a
we'll as shipments by freight are SUI
rounded by all the local buyers a
soon as the stuff hits town. As re
suit of the dry weather and the abur
dance of labor, the cotton crop Is a
most gathered and ginned. 1t come
to market in large and small quaint
ties daily and is being snapped u
bv the buyers as fast as the farme
offers it for sale. In fact, often time
the buyer doesn't even ask the farme
if he wishes to sell. They presum
that he wishes to dispose of his co
ton and they hop on his wagon an
begin getting out samples and the
the fun begins"
The cotton compress fs simpl
swamped whit daily receipts, thoug
. its daily capacity is one thousan
bales. Night runs are frequent an
necessary in order to keep pace wit
the receipts, and additional help hs
, to be engaged in the attempt to kee
pace with the flood of cotton th'
has been rolling on the platforms
wagon and train.
The grade of cotton grown mel
this year is the best ever grown, mo
of it CHASING better than middlln
This is accounted for by the dry sur
mer and early fall and the fact TIL
! the growers have been exercisiI
more care in picking and handling
their crops and they have been &c
ting better prices for their cotton b
r cause of these facts. SliJshod met
+ DDS OF former years nave Lee
e abandoned and the producers have
: last learned that it pays to be ca
2 full Buyers and classers state th'
2 never saw as good cotton grown
this territory in many years