Evening star., 1924-12-31


cents pound, only to be succeeded by
an abating degree of nervousness at
tended with falling values. While the
question of the size of every growing
crop provides an element Of uncertainty
each year, details Of the past season
furnished a unique experience for the
trade. and one that will not be quickly
forgotten. The sun failed to warm UP
the ground rapidly, and for weeks tenn
peratures continued more like early
March. than the month of May. Begin
ming along the Atlantic seaboard and
working westward to the far cotton
regions of Texas and Oklahoma. tenn
peratures We're progressively below a
scasonabie average
Mercury Remains Too Low.
Taking the months of April and May
as a whole, the average in Eastern sec
tions of the Carolinas and Georgia was
about a degree or two too low. In Ala
bama and central Tennessee. 8 to de-
grees below that usually experienced at
that time Of the year.
In the Mississippi Valley. TO de-
grees, while in the extreme Western
portions OF the belt temperatures aver
aged as much as degrees below nor
NAL. AS a result, when 1t came time to
report on the condition Of the growing
plant for the purpose Of making up the
May % Government estimate growers
over q vast area Of the South simply
stated that figures were an inpossibility
either because the seed had not germ
mated, was hardly out of the ground or
that stands were so small and late that
accurate description was difficult
So Washington called the condition
65.6, per cent below the lo-year aver
age and the lowest on record with the
single exception Of 1920 The interest
ing feature of the two crops, 1920 and
1924. is the fact that both started un-
der the most discouraging surroundings
ever attending planting season. yet
both eventually emerged with fine
yield Of cotton
Crop About Snme az 1920.
While the acreage this year was
larger than in 1920, being a record
planting of over 40, 600. .0G0. the size OF
both crops proved about the same
Those familiar with cotton culture
are of the opinion that the delay fol-
lowing seeding developed a tap root
rather than top growth. so that a
sturdy plant resulted. What appeared
a hopeless outlook was in reality the
best preparation that could have been
devised at that stage, and the forma-
tion of a strong tap root enabled the
weed to resist deficient moisture later
on.
A larger quantity of fertilizers was
used this year than usual, and of bet
ter grade. It Is estimated that the in
crease in fertilizers amounted to over
IA per cent above 1923 and, accordine 6
to the Department of Agriculture
commercial fertilizers were used on
| 38.7 Of the total area under cotton
cultivation.
The fact that the distribution OF
moisture was virtually normal with
| out q repetition of the disastrous
! foods and overfiows that prevented
the planting of tens OF thousands OF
acres in the Spring of 1928, enabled
the grower to complete his contem-
plated acre.
Nature Proves Generous.
While cold weather necessitated
considerable replanting in nearly
every State, the 1st of June found
preparations about completed, and
only the appearance of Summer
weather needed to force termination
AS though ashamed of her apathy
her indifference to the special needs
| of the Southern cotton grower, nature
began a process OF minute, painstak-
ing attention to the requirements oi
vegetation in a way that evoked the
the first half OF June, she turned or
the heat in western sections of the
belt. The mercury rose gradually, sc
as not to bake the ground or wilt the
| tender plants just emerging from cold
storage. Days grew steadily hotter
until maximum temperatures of over
| 100 degrees prevailed throughout the
greater part of the enormous cotton
producing area of Texas, Oklahoma
and Arkansas.
| The plant grew rapidly under the
best possible surroundings, with
warm days and nights replacing the
| cold weather of the previous two
months. And then, having made hel
| atonement to the West, she devoted
lher energies to the East during the
4 latter half OF the month of June
Here the plant was small with a poor
start, but under the combined infiu.
ence of forcing temperatures and suf'
ficient precipitation to provide ade.
ouate moisture, the season soon ad
4 vanced rapidly, and in few weeks
| the Government was able to report
that in Alabama, Georgia and Missis
sippi what had previously baen de
lay of three to four weeks had beer
replaced with a condition only a few
days behind normal. at
Average Condition Improved.
AS a result of this unfortunate Sc
Quel of events, the average condition
of the growing crop was raised abov,
II, or nearly points over figures o.
the previous month. and apprehension
gave way to a feeling, that the out
look now promised a fair crop. /
has always been a moot question
among those engaged in it's cultur,
whether cotton was a wet or DIR.
weather plant 1t looks now, after
careful analysis OF the experience o