The Marietta journal. (Marietta, Ga.) 1918-1944, 1922-02-23
FARMERS MUST AWAKE TO
NEED OF QUALITY COTTON


of staple and weakness in break
ing strength we are forced to go
out of North Georgia for cot
ton. Our consumption annually
is around twenty thousand bales
For forty years prior to season
of 1918-19 we bought all our re-
quirements within so to rs miles
of Atlanta and if, by chance, a
small lot was bought from other
territory we specified in con-
tract staple equal North Geor-
gia.'
eve have in the past bought
four to five hundred bales per
season from Marietta dealers.
Beginning with season 1920,
on account of shortness and
weakness of staple, we began
buying in Mississippi, Arkansas
and Alabama, buying about 25
per cent of our requirements in
that territory that season. In
1920-21 we increased our pur-
chases to so per cent and this
season, so far, we have obtained
rs per cent from these sections.
Naturally we would prefer to
buy from nearby points, but
making the character of goods
we make it's impossible for us to
use cotton less than 7-8" staple.
1" to l Lie" being better. In
cotton of less than 7-8 or of un-
even length the per centage of
waste is too great, besides short
staple has not sufficient breaking
strength to meet necessary re-
ouirements."
The Exposition Cotton Mills is only
an example of what has happened to
our cotton market here and what
hundreds of mills have been forced
to do, in various sections of the
country, but this is not all. To give
some idea of the loss entailed by the
farmers on account of the introduce
ton of these runious short staples
submit quotations on various staples
received in letter from one of the
biggest cotton brokerage firms in
North Carolina under date of Febru-
airy 16, 1922:
"a" and 7-8" staple almost impos-
sible to sell.
1872 to 1" around II Sac in MIDI
ling landed mills.
u staple Is lie in Middling land
ed mills.
1" to l 1-16" 10 Sac to 19c midi
ling.
/ 1-16" 20 IL to BIC Middling.
These prices are based on March
futures being around 1850.
If the farmer can only be made to
realize that he can get from one half
to two or three cents a pound more
for his cotton when he plants seed
for selected staple instead of any
kind of seed that will produce any
kind of lint, it will only be question
of time before your section would be
known as a good staple section and
the cotton would bring much better
prices than it now brings. Unless
the farmers plant better seed it is
only a question of another year be-
fore North Georgia cotton will bring
the same as South Georgia"
This shows a difference of 3 lac
according to length of lint which is
certainly enough to merit the earnest
consideration of every farmer IN
Cobb county. In practice the differ
ence would be even greater if we had
a reputation"o of growing a very fine
staple. These changes are not
brought about in day but as surely
as we continue to grow cotton, and
contiue we will, it has got to come
and the sooner the better.
There was a time when a man could
be proud that he was handling North
Georgia cotton, as it was the stan
dard by which most of the mills south
and east bought their supply, but the
Introduction of chaffy short staple
varieties is making our once boast
ed standard a joke and is driving
some of our best customers, the eX-
porter and the eastern mills to other
sections for the kind of cotton they
demand and must have. Not only
this but mills right at our very door
are going elsewhere for their cotton
when they much prefer to buy from
us.
Little mention was made about sta
pie until the introduction of these
short staple varities because, as stat
ed by the Exposition Cotton Mills
North Georgia cotton was the cotton
by which all other was judged and 1t
was bought with confidence. 1t will
take longer to regain this confidence
than it did to lose it, but it will have
to be done. 1t is a serious matter in
which | am much interested because
it is of vital interest to my county
and my section. l have no axe to
grind, am not selling cotton seed and
so far as | am aware | have no friend
who has any to sell. | mention Cleve-
land and College No. l not because
they are the only good coteons with
inch or better staples but just as eX-
amples of this type. There are 9th
ers, of course, but Cleveland Big Boil
is more largely grown in Georgia
than any other, and College No. is
the earliest of all big boil varieties
and they are undoubtedly among the
best.
IhA loss in growing and marketing
the short stapled cotton is not a d.
rect one to me because my margin OF
profit is the same on good staple as
on bad, but the sum total of the loss
to the farmers of Cobb county is a
staggering one and in the end we all
must rise or fall together.