Evening star., 1924-02-27
GANG P[0WS TURN
SOD FOR COTTON
Acreage in Texas to Be
Greatly lncreased-ShIp-
ments Falling Off.
BY j, c, ROYLE.

Special Dispatch TO The Star
NEW YORK, February 2I.-The gang
plows are working day and night in
West Texas turning up the sod on new
land, which will be planted to cotton.
1t is anticipated that the fields to be
covered by the white bolls the coming
season in that state will be increased
from 100000 to 16,000,000 acres.
Most of this increase will be on new
land never cultivated, and much of 1t
will be done under IL system not extern
sivcly employed in this branch of ag
ritulturc heretofore.
A pow 4 mule and Il negro formerly
were the prime requisites for cultiva-
ton of cotton in the south. 1t has been
found, however, that by employing trac-
tors. and working them on gang plows
twcnty-four hours u day, it is possible
to piow new land at about "a cents an
acre as compared with about $3.50 an
acre under old conditions. Many of
the new plantations will he without
livestock. All labor will be done by
machinery eXcept picking, and for that
SangS of MeXicanS are available at
prices somewhere around IL cents a
pound.
Land Outside of Pest Belt.
Much of the new land being broken
Is outside the boil weevii belt. If
tho pest reaches them it will be pos
Sible TO fight its incursionS more ef-
fectively on big fields than on scat
tered patches In addition the cul-
tivators will not have TO devote land.
time or labor to cultivation of feed
crops, as no farm animals will be
employed. However, none can guar
anteo the weather and that is fac
tor more potent even than the over
coming of the boil weevil in assur-
Ing Il large crop this year.
Cotton can and will be produced
T.: the south as long as the climate
and soil remain the same, but the
weather is Il factor beyond control.
cost of production undeniably Is
growing higher in the old districts
aud it is only through adoption of
new methods in new districts that
down.
SO far as the situation affects the
mills. however, New England man
ufacturers and government officials
are fairly hopeful The latter point
out that the requirements of the
mills are so varied that even mills
located III the heart of the cotton
belt are taking supplies from fields
1000 miles away in order to secure
the specific kinds of raw cotton they
desire.
High Quality Required.
Tho New Bedford warehouse au-
thoritics state: "Shippers would do
wcIl to note that staple cotton such
:S NV England uses is in relatively
greater supply in proportion to the
normal demand than is the case with
common short staple varieties. This
fact may enable New England fine
goods mills to keep running after a
number of southern goods plants have
been compelled to close for lack of
material. 1t is the selected staple
types ot.cotton that now are finding
ready market in almost all the chief
New England consuming ccnterS,
More particularly has the demand
been centered here, for it is TO this
city that most of the cotton mills look
for their high quality cotton"
Shipments of cotton from the south
10 New England continue to diminish,
according to official reports of freight
agents. Receipts in the last month in
the five leading New England mill
cities We're less than for the last few
months. 1t is admitted that spinners
1akingS have fallen off. but it is
seriously questioned whether these
reflect the facts as to consumption.
British Mills Supplied.
Few people i'll touch with the cotton
situation take seriously proposals
that manufacturers should themselves 5
20 into the raising of cotton for their
$own needs. such efforts III the past,
they agree, have been far from sue
crssful. The investment of the Good
wear Tire Company in Arizona is cited
AS one of these instances. An English
syndicate bought 100000 acres of cot
ton land in Mississippi not SO long
ago with the object of securing an in
dependent supply. but ii is understood
that the American managers could
not operate the property successfully
along the lines desired by the Eng
lieh spinnerS. Government officials
say. incide ntaily. that british mills
this season have anticipated their
needs far into the future and that
therefore in event Of 4 shortage they
would not be Il factor in a rush to
buy.