The free press., 1923-09-27
BY Herbert :. Gaskin

ouarter of million Dixie cot
,on growers will market cotton CO.
operatively during the l923-24 sea-
son Described as the greatest eco
,omic movement for marketing re-
form that is destined to more visally
sffect the financial status of more
neople for the better than any other
single factor that has come to light
Il the history Of the cotton indus
trv since the invention Of the cotton
Sin cotton growers from Albermarle
Sound 70 the Rio Grande have organ
lied for orderly marketing through
fourteen cooperative associations.
Two million farms in the South
are devoted chiefly to cotton produc-
ton. The average crop form Texas
to North Carolina is nearly double
the amount grown in the rest Of the
world Despite this supremacy in
production, cotton has kept the South
Door. What price the South has
paid for it's supremacy in cotton!
Cooperative Marketing Begun
The concerting effort to develop
cooperative cotton marketing be-
gan in 1920 and the movement is
bringing the dawn of new day for
the entire South. Oklahoma cotton
growers were the first to organize
but growers in other states have
rapidly followed the lead with the
result that the opening of the pre-
sent season will see fourteen associa-
tions in twelve states in action.
Nine associations in operation last
season averaged from SIS to$40 per
bale more for the cotton Of the mem
bers than the individual farmers re-
ceived.
In Mississippi there are two CO.
operative cotton marketing associa-
tions with combined membership
Of more than 10000 farmers. The
Staple Cotton Cooperative Associa-
ton with headquarters in Green
wood, is composed Of $500 growers
Of the Delta section Of the state.
This association was organized IN
1920 and in 1921 it sold $4,000 bales
Of cotton at q 36-cent average while
the average price received by in
Jividual farmers was about 30 cents.
The Mississippi Farm Bereau Cot
ton Association is statewide IN It's
scope including all the cotton coun-
ties with the exception of the Delta
counties. 1t has 1850 members with
approximately 100000 bales OF cot
ton pledged for cooperative mar
keting.
Organization Of Cotton Growers.
The organization of the coVton
growers Of the hill section OF the
state was sponsored by the Missis'
sippi Farm Bereau Federation.
Throughout the campaign for meil'-
bers it has received the support OF
the entire Extension Division OF the
A. and NJ. College; the State Cham
ber of Commerce; chambers OF com
merce in the cities and town OF the
state; the banks, business men ana
the, most progressive farmers In the
state
In the organization campaign IL
600 members were secured and in a
second sign-up campaign during she
past summer the number was brought
up to the 1880 member mark The
association is controlled by board
Of directors, ten Of the directors
having been elected by the members
and the other appointed by DR.. "
c. Hull, president Of the A. and "a
College to represent the public az
large.
Organized on the. Sapiro plan, SIM
liar to the lines of the California
fruit .co-operatives, the cotton asso-
ciation are non-stock, non-profit or
carnations Of cotton growers, each
of whom has signed standard con
tracts, under which they pledge
to deliver all their cotton for period
of five years, with five cents dam
ages per pound for failure to deli v.r.
The association agree in turn to
sell the cotton on an efficient basis.
returning to the grower the actual