The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1923-09-07
BOIL WEEVIL
BOOSTS PRICE
Shortage BY Reason of Weevil
Enhances Value Of Crop.

/ York Cotton Exchange issued q
statement few days ago, that the
damage to the present crop of cot
ton by the boil wecvil based on the
present price Of cotton would be
approximately S75O,000,000.
That is thoroughly misleading
conclusion. says The Manufacturers
Record, of Baltimore; which jour
nal goes on to say. Every state
ment which we have seen put out
as to the loss TO Southern farmers
by the boil weevil during the last
five or six years is like this one,
based on an erroneous assumption.
If there had been no boil weevil
to cut short the SOuths cotton crop
this year, we might perchance have
raised on the acreage planted A.,
600, 900 to $4,000, ,00OO bales. A crop
of that size. even in anticipation,
would have knocked the price down
to probably Sea pound, certainly to
Zoe. A 15,000.000 bale crop at Zoe
a pound would have meant an az
gregate to S750,000,000 to Southern
farmers for their cotton crop. An
100000 bale crop, which is ap-
prOximately the present estimate on
the basis Of 20c pound, though
| it Is now selling at % cents or over
and should command soc a pound or
more. would he worth at least ST.
! 100, ,000.O 900, or at 25c pound would
be worth over $1,000, 100000. Thus
instead of q loss to the farmers Of
$3.50, 0,000.O00 by reason Of cutting
short their cotton crop through
( the ravages Of the boil wecvil, they
have actually made by this shortage
4 gain of anywhere from $3.50. .000,-
600 to 5000. .000, 900. over what they
would have received for big crop
at low prices.
! We do not believe that anyone
would for a moment question the
probability Of cotton having gone
down to 10c or lower on 4 14,00O,-
600 or 15.000,000 bale crop. BY
reason of the shortage Of the cot
ton crop due to the boil wcevils
activities. this years crop will
yield not less than .250.000.000
and possibly much more. If there
had been no boil wecvil. 1t would
hardly have brought as much as
$3.50, 100000.
Individual farmers and individual
sections will lose tremendously. We
have one friend who two years ago
planted and cultivated for 5000
bales but he got only 200 bales.
That meant almost bankruptcy to
him. similar conditions exist in
many other cases and some whole
counties have almost abandoned cot
ton growing. but when one under
takes to figure out loss Of $780,
, 0O0.0O0 to the South by reason Of
this years boil weevilS activities
or a loss Of $5,000,000,00O or &c.
000.000.000 during the last ten
years, as some have done. he over
looks the fact that the boil weevil
is the only thing that has saved cot
ton from selling at n price far more
unprOfitable than wheat is now sell
ing for.
/ The folly of. cotton growers in the
South year after year in planting
large acreageS would have utterly
ruined large proportion of them
by reason of low prices if they had
produced an average yield per acre.
The boil weevil is Il great curse
to the cotton trade of the world.
1t must be overcome in order to
save the worlds cotton supply but
if the boil weevil drives Southern
farmers away from the policy of
putting too much acreage into cot
ton and forces them into growing
other things. it will in the end have
proved blessing rather than a
curse. 1t is heroic remedy.
1t has been impossible to force
Southern farmers into reducing their
acreage to sufficient extent to
enable this section to grow only as
much cotton as the world will take
at a profitable price. If this coun-
{ try consumed, say 4O.000.000 tons of
pig iron Il year and the manufact-
urers of pig iron insisted upon pro-
ducing 6O,O00,00O tons every year,
they would force prices down to a
point where all of them would go
into bankruptcy. But they have
better Judgment. and when the
market will not take their iron at a
profit, they shut down their plants.
The farmer must learn the same
lesson, viz, to decrease his acreage,
whether it be in cotton or wheat or
other things, whenever the demand
will not absorb at a profit to him
the output of his farm.
/ But let us get rid entirely of the
thought that this years boil weevil
has cost the South $750.OO0,OOO, for
it has not done any such thing.
Plenty of fun, frolic and thrills at
the Big Albemarle Fair at this city