University of South Carolina Libraries
VOL. XIV. MANNING, S. C WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 4, 1905. NO. 15. VALUE OF OROP. What Cotton Is Worth by Yield Per Acre. THE SELLING PRICE May Be Misleading as to Value. As Important Distinction. The South Carolina Weather Bureau's Re por t for November Con tains Startling Data. The November report of the South Carolira section of the weather bu reau service, just out, contains much that is of interest to fsrmers and all others who keep up with crop condi tions. The mcst interesting and valuable portion of the report Is in the nature of a reminder, or advice, to farmers as to what makes the value of the cotton crop, and this is especially timely just now when there are Fo many b:zarre notions as to how to in crease the price. Tte report shows that tha return on the crop to the in dividual farmer is representt d not by the price per tale, but by the price per acre, and some comparisons be tween Sfnthi Carolina and Texas are made w14jch illustrate the point. The o~r-rt says on thRis line: "It is the common opinion that the selling price of an agricultural pro duct is alone the measure of its profit ableness. Theoreticallv this Is true, but in actual practice it is not wholly true, and in some instancEs is not even the most important factor, when productivenels is compared with crop prices. "By far the greater part of what the average farmer raises is for use and consumpoOn on his farm, and the residue is the surplus on wh.ch alone the sellirg price has any effect so far as the farmer's finances are concerned. The case is d.fferent with the cotton farmer, for the entire production of this staple must be sold, and none can be piofitably consumed on the farm, and yet a series of comparisons would indicate that the selling price of cot ton is less impcrtant tnan the pro ductivene-s per acre, in calculating the profitablene's of this crop. "f he statement that more money is received for a small than for a large crop may be true, and yet the larger amount of money received for the smaller crop represents a loss to the cotton planter, in comparison with the smaller amourt received for the larger crop. This view is less com mon, and it is based, of course, on the larger yield per acre of a large crop than a small one. It may be as sumed as an approximate fact that the cost of cultivaticg an acre cf cot tona varies but littie from year to year, far less than the price per pound or the yield per acre, and it may also be assumed to be constant in the same locality, however widely it may vary in different loalities. "To illustrate all of the foregoing points, the value per acre has been calculated for the total cotton crop of South Carolina and Texas for a num ber of years, selected to represent the conditions britfly stated above. In the value per acre, in South Carolina, was $14i 20; in Te xas, $22.50; the price per pound was 11.2 cents. In 1894, the value for South Carolina was $14.30; fcr Texas, $12.50; the price per pound 6.9 cents. In 1896 the valu23s were, f. r South Caralina, $15.90; for Texas, $10.90; the price per pound 7.9 cents. In 1898, the T'ear of greatest production for which values are available, the values were, for Scuth Carolina, $11; for Texas, $13 80; the price per pound 5. cents. "The 1. mits of this article wll not ner mit a full discussion of the weather that prevailed, and the acreage cul tivated, in connection witn the amounts realized per acre, but it can be safely stated that the yield per acre Is the controlling facter in the profitableness of raising cotton, rather than the price per pound. A large yield and high price would be the most profitable combination, but the rule of 'supply and demand' as serts itself very quickly in such cases, -operating cn the variable factor, I. e , the price. The conclusion is that in -tensive farming will do more to make cotton raising profitable than will vary ing the acreage from year to year in the hope of raising the price by limiting production or increasing the acreage to supply an existing defici ency at high prices, If the supply can be made fairly constant the price will remain fairly .constant. The E ffect of the weather on the growing crcp is, after all, the main factor in the prcfitableness of raisin-g cotton." PROGREsS OF FARM WORK. As to the progress of farm work during November the bulletin says: "-The weather conditions through out November were favorable for gathering what crops remained In the fields, consisting mainly of late, scat tering bolls of cotton, alt bough some fields received their first picking dur ing the montlh; gathering and husking corn; picking seed ;peas; digging and piti ing sweet potatoes; and gathering mirtor crops such as turnip, peanuts and other root crops. "A general killing frost, except along the coast where it was a heavy fros.t, in the 15th, with freezing tem peratures and thin ice over the upper parts of the State, stopped all further growth except of the very hardiest ,egetables in the coast truck regions, and ended the growing season of 1904. "The temperature averaged slight ly below normal, but was never c-old enough to afford safe opportunity for butch'. ring farm hogs, have in the wes'.ern portions where much meat was cured and packed. -'Plowing was delayed by drcught, but en- ugh rain fell early in the m-mth to s- frxn the ground and permit preparation of landls fo.r wheat and oats and a large acreage of both grains were sown <uriug the month. Ger mination was slow, owing to the pre v-ilng col weather, but was In the main satisfactory. wteat and oat seeding was not tinished. "Rice thrashing was practically fin istled, and the yields were not as larg as the mid-summer condiLion indicat ed that they would be. "The 3 ields of corn came up to cx pectation and gathering confirmed th earlier promising reports. Both earl; and late planted corn were equall good. "Tbere were generally poor yield of minor fall crops over the westeri parts attributable to the long anc severe drought during September act Otober; in the eastern parts when the rainfall was more copious, the fal crcps were general'y xcellent. "Durirg November, as during thE previcus gathering seaon this year there was practically no less in har vesting froni bad weather, and al crops were saved in the very best con dition." CLIMATOLOGY FOR THE MONTH. The main temperature for Ne vem ber was 41.6 degrees, which is 2 2 de. grees below normal. The highest loca] mean was 57 2 degrees at Charlestor the lowest was 46.2 degrees at Gre n ville. The monthly extremes were a maximum of 80 degrees at Walballa, on the 22nd, and a minimum of 22 de grees at Greenville and San: u: on the 15t"h, making the State range 58 de grees. T e greatest k cal monthly range was 56 degrees at Walhalla, the least was 37 degrees at Charleston The mean of the daily maximum tem peratures was 63.6 degrees and of the daily minimum temperatures was only 39.7 degrees, making the average dai 17 range 23.9 degrees. Frost (tirst killing of the se:s-n) In addition to the list in October: On the l.t at Cheraw, Dillon, Lugoff. On the 13 h at Trenton. On twe 14: h at Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bates turg, Calhcui Falls, Camden. Edisto, Effingham, Georgetown, Kingstree, Pe zer, Pinopolis, St. Georges, St. Mat tbews, St. Stephens, Saluda, Smith Ettlls, Summerv;lle, Yemassee, York ville. On 15th at Beaufort, Columbia, Dcnway, Society Hill, Walterboro. Winnsboro. lee-Thin ice was quite general on the 1st, 14th, and 15th. fECIPITATION. The precipitation averaged 2 78 in ,hes which is 0.05 below normal. Tne zreatest monthly amount was 4.39 at Yorkville; the least was 1.20 at Con Nay. The greatest 24-hour fall was 1.06 at Stateburg on the 12th-13th. rhe average.number of days with 0.01 )r more precipitation was 6, rangir g rom 1 at Allendale to 8 at Columbia. Little Mountain, Saluda and Trenton. Sleet-Columbia, 13th. Snow-Twenty-seven stations re ported snow on the 13.h, generally >nly a trace, but amounting to 2 in ,hes at Batesburg. The snow meltEd Ls it fell. Weather-The average number of :lear days was 17, of partly cloudy )nes 6, and of cloudy ones 7. Winds-The prevailing direction of he wind was from the west at 17 sta Aions, from the northwest at 10, from ihe southwest at 97 from the north mast at 7, from the north at 5, from he east at 2, and from the southwEst it one station. High Winds-High winds, reaching relccties of 40 mles or more, at many places, prevailed over the State on the 3th. Jor-don Issues a Call. President Harvie Jordan of the Southern Cott on Growers' Protective issociation Wednesday issued a call for an interstate convention to be held it New Orleans, Jan. 24 26, 1905. imong the matters for consideration to be acted npon are the following, 3.cording to the ~ali: "Financing rthe entire spot cat n business of the south; creating a bureau c f statistics for benefit of the producers; establish went of a cotton exchange in each tate through which cotton can be sld direct to the manufactureri ; or ganizrtlon quiekly of all the cotton producers In each cotton growing county; reduction of cotton acreage and use of c( mmercial fertiizers ftr 1905, of not less than 25 per cent.; adoption of a local warehouse system to meet the practical demand of both farmers and bankers throughout the south; to make New Orleans the lead ing cotton exchange in the United States; the formation of a close alli ance between all the southern agricul tura~l organizations now in existence for mutual co-operation and protec tion. These are among the lead:ng matters for consideration. They are momentcous and scme of them involve tremendous propositions. But none are incapable of quick solution and practical realization. The south po; seses the brains, the manhood and the money to solve any great questior which threatens her prosperity." "Bess I'm Rteady To Skia The Cat.' A special to The Augusta ChroniclE from Thomson, Ga., says: John Butlei and Guy Reed, the t~vo men who werE convicted of the murder of Mr. R. G Story here 21 days ago, were hanget in the jaIl yard at 10.30 a. nm, Wed nesday. They both book the nmattel coolly, showing but little fear or ner vousness. Just before the black ca; was slipped over the head of Butler with a grin on his face, he said to thi sheriff; "Boss, I'm, ready to skin thi cat." The negroes kilied Mr. Rt. G Story, a promineilt farmer, becaus< he would not let them off from worn one af ternoon. The body was found i a canebrake. A lynching was averte< by the quick work of Judge ilenry C Hammond of the supreme court, ii convening court and gIving them; trial. The crime was committed, tb criminals tried and flanged within 2 days, being the record for prompt ad ministration of justice in this State Shot Aisallant. In an effort to arrest Jesse Wofford Charles HIolland, Fred Westmorelant and a young man named Pattterson a Oakwood Ga., Wednesday night, Bd Ptckett, chief of polIce of that town was shot through the bowels and a he fell he shot Jess Wofford throug] the stomach. The latter died shorti after while Puckett is In a dangerou condition. The men were drinkin and rowdy and when Puckett er deavored to quiet taem a fight follow 'ed, with the above results. Pattersar Holland and Westmorelacd wer lodged in jail at Gainesville at n'x Wednesday. The townk, six mile south of Gainesville, is great] wrought up oer the tragredy !WHATBEAT BRYAN Some Inside History of the Cam paign of 1896. A CORRUPTION FUND Of Fve Million Dollars Raised by the Trust Magnates a Few Days Before the Election for Special Use in Five Doubtful States and Given to Hanna. Thomas W. Lawson charges that Henry H. Rogers, president rf the Amalgamated Copper Company and one of the leaders of the Standard Oil group, directed the raising I f a $5 000, 000 fund to buy five doubtful States for William McKinley in the 1896 elec tion. The charge is made In the Jan uary issue of Everybody's Magazine, the sale of which Mr. Rogers tried vainly to stop by threatening criminai libel proceedings against the Ameri can News C mpany, which is the gen eral distributing agent for periodicals and magazines. Lawson makes the charge in ton nection with his exposure of the secret of the Bay State gas fight between J. Edward Addicks, of Delaware, and Mr. R .gers. - Lawson for Add-cks had ar range. a settlement with Rogers by which the latter was to be paid $86,000. 000 on a specifie da;e for his rival gas plants in Boston and other important concessions. The money was to be raised by a new issue cf Bay State Gac stock. Everything was running smoothly, whLn R ger Foster, a well known New Yor k lawyer, acting for a client, threw the Bay State Gas Company into a receivership, Dwight Braman being appointed receiver. The r ceivership proceedings were put through with such a rush in the Delaware courts that A ddicks only knew of it after the receiver had been named. DISASTER FACED srECULAToRs. Unless the receiver could be d's obarged and Addicks regain posses sion of the comoany all hope of rais ing the money nt cessary to perfect the settlement arranged with R gers would have to be abandoned; the war would be continued, and Lawson, Ad dicks and all of their following crush ed. Lawson hints that Addicks c-n tem'plated suicide when he first heard of the receivership. Lawson says he went to see the Bos tcn broker to learn if the receivership could'be ended. He asked the broker; What's the price?" and the latter, he says, replied: $150,000 for the lawyer and his client, who bad $100 000 of Bay State bonds, and $150,000 for himself and those behind him. Law son said he told the broker receiver that the only hope of getting the money was from Mr. Rogers, saying: "The question is how to get Rogers to advar-ce so large a sum in such a ticklish business. He does not want to get mixed uip in a matter in which any one man's treachery might mean State prison." Lawson then visisted Mr. Rogers He says in his article: "Rogers refused absolutely to be a party to any payment that could be traced back to him.- He canvassed the sources of ba z Ir ; first, th:-ough treachery on the part of Foster, Bra man or Add'cks, he mn'g it be accust d of bribing a court officer, the receiver: Addicks might blackmail him by charging him with conspiracy, or a conspiracy charge might be brought by Bay Strte st< ckholders ai d be held for tremendous-damages. He refused to put himself into any such trap. I put forward a dc z-n ways to meet the emergency, but he would have none of them. ALEE*LX "Finally he suggested a method which was certainly perfect of its kind. He began by letting me into the secret that the chance s of a Mc Kinley victory in the election the ful lowing week looked pretty bad, and that the latest caniass of the States showed that unlkss something radical were done Bryan would surely win. Hanna had called into consultation half a dozen of the bigge st fmnanciers In Wall street, and it was decided to turn at letst five of the doubtful States. To do this a fund of $5,000, 000 had been raised under Rogers' direction, to be turned over to Mark Hanna and McKinley's cousin, 0O borne, through John Moore, the Wali street broker, wbo was acting as R g ers' representative in coilEcting the money. "It wculd be legitimate for the National Committee to pay out money to carry Delaware, and he (Rogers) would arrange it that the coin to sat isfy Braman and Fosmter should come through this channel. Thus he would be completely protected. "'Lsavson,' said Mr. R gers, look ing at xme with deadly seriousness, his voice charged with conviction, 'if Bry.ns elected there will ce such a patac in this country as the world has never seen, and with his money Ideas ad the crazy headed radicals he will call to Washington to administer the I ation's affairs busin' ss will surely be destroyed and the working people suffer untold misery. You know we all hate to do what Uncle Mark says is necessary, but it's a case of somre of us sacrificiug something for the coun Itry's good. Bryan's election would set our country back a century, and I believe it's the sacred du ty of every honest American to do what be can to save his land from such a calam s ty.' VISIT TO B.N1KER 3MOORE. Continuing, Mr. Lawson writes -Havir g clearly set forth the politi - cal situation through which we st ould be saved, Mr. Rogers proceeded to ,map out my (O program. First, I e must perfect an alibi for him by going a to oster and Braman and impress 5 ing them that be was absolutely out Y of the affair, and must under no cir convince Addicks to the same effect, and in addition tell him that Mr. Rogers had angrily refused toget into the mix up, that I should then hold myself in readiness to meet John Moore and Hanna or 0 .borne as soon as an appointment could be arranged. That afternoon I got the word and went to No. 26 Broadway, and from there Mr. Rogers and I went over to John Yoore's office. " 'John,' said Mr. Rogers, 'I am going to turn this matter over to you and Lawson, and I am to have noth ing further to do with it. What you two agree to will be satisfactory to me, and remember, both of you, every dollar that is paid by the National Committee, but after it's all settled, an if there is no slip up, I will look to L .wson for whatever is expended. Is ir understcod?" "We agreed that it was, and Rog ers lelt us." Lawson Eays that the John Moore mentioned was of the stock broker agg fi'rm of Moore & Schley. Mr. Moore is now dead. Lowson describes the Washingten connections of Moore & Subley, saying they did business for Senators, Congressmen and other na tional officials who speculated in stocks on their inside knowledge of legislation. When everything had been arranged for the quashing of the receivership by the payment of $300,000. LawEon went to Boston with Mr. Rogers' at torney and the dirt ctors of the Boston ccmpanies. Legal transfeis were to be made in Bos'ton immediately upon telephone news from WIlmibgton of the retirement of the receiver. -An other party, headed by Addicks and including the lawyer, the receiver, a representative of Mr. Moore and coun sel for Mr. R'gers, left at the same time fur Wilmington. This latter erntingent. Lawson says, was to carry the money. Mr. Lawson writes: HOW THE FLAN WORKED. "Before I took the train for Bos ton, just after the last deed had been signed, I had c:me to a complete understanding in the manner in which the court proceedings the following morning should be conducted. It was understood that no one should take another's word for anything, and con sequently that no money should pass until specific performance of all the required conditions. ''Immediately on the release of the receivership Foster and Braman were to be paid their "fee,' and they asked that the $150,000 cash coming to them should be arranged in separate piles of bills. The twa packages contain ing Foster's and part of Buchanans and Braman's $50,000 were to be In the costody of John Moorer's repre sentative and my partner, who, with R 'geo' counsel and Addicks, had been assigrad to represent the Bay State in the court." Lawson said that Addicks had planned a revenge upon Foster and Braman af ter the payment of the mon ey. Some of his political "heelers." Lawson writes, had learned of the pay ment in cash that was to be made, and had planned a scuffle on the sta tion platform while tte lawyer and the receiver were waiting for the train that was to take them from Wilming -on to New York, Lawson doesn't state outright that the two men were to be robbed in the scuffne, merely sayngt: 'Well, many things happen in a rush." CASE FULL OF MONET. Judge Wales was on the bench in Wilmington Circuit Court room the next day, says Lawson. All of the parties to the arrangement were pres Ent and two dress suit cases were stackt d up in the sight of all present. The formal motion to dismihs the re receivership was made and consented to. "At once," writes Lawson, "the two drt ss suit cases, each loaded witth currency, were slipped to Braman and Foster. In the bustle Braman and Foster, each with his booty fled." They had arranged for a special train to carry them out of Wilming ton, and in this way. Lawson says, tbe plans of the Addicks men were defeated. Lawson says he learned that the two men had planned to make a big coup in Bay State Gas, but he got into the market first, sending the price up from 4 to 10 a share, and then causing slump when they got aboard at the high price. In a separate article Lawson again attacks the life insurance companies, and to upset the charge that he was actuated by their ref usal to insure him, prints a fac-smile of a 61,000,000 bond policy which he hold in the Equitable Life and cn which he pays a yearly premium of S144.220. This policy expires on August 22,1912, when Mr. Lawson is to receive $1, 300,000. Shot Hirnself. J. B. Harrison, a prominent cotton buyer fatally shot himself at 4 o'clock Wednesday afternoon In his room at Magnolia inn, at Barnesville, Ga., the ball entering just above the right ear and lodgir.g in the brain. Heavy losses on cotton contracts led to the act. His losses are estimated at about 825.000. He has been despondent for the past few days and Wednesday af..rnton bought a pistol from a hardware store. Immediately thereafter, seeing the figures giving the close of the market for Wednesday, he went to his room and shot himself. He das 45 Sears old and stood well among the people there. Besides the lots:s sus tained he had considerable property and money left, amounting to $12,000 or $15,000. Killed the Boy. At Chicago while E'mer Hunt, 19 years of age, bilanced a tostle on his head, William Dougherty, who had been boasting of his prowess as a marksman, it is alleged, attempted to enrulate William Tell by shooting the bottle. At the second shot Hunt fell to rhe floor with a bullet between is eyes and died almost instantly. Dougherty escaped and the po-lice are searching for him. Killled by an Explosion. Specials from Covington, a town on the Georgia railroad about 40 miles east of Atlanta say: The boilers at Ithe electric light plaut exploded there Wednesday and killed the fireman, J. L. McCullough. The cause of the ac cident Is unknown, the boilers being practically new, having been used but 'for yeaars. ADARINO RESCUE. Brave Life Savers Take Twenty One Men from Ship. VESSEL TOTAL LOSS. The Large Oil Steamer Northeastern Pounding to Pieces on the Treach erous Shoals of Cape liatte ras. Crew. After Great Peril, is Saved. After being imprisoned on the wrecked oil steamer Northeastern nine miles off Cape Hatteras fir 36 t urs, Capt. Wilder and his crew of 21 men were taken ashore at noon Thursday by the crews of Kinnakeet, Creeds Hill and Hatteras life saving staticns. The big steamer is p unding Dia mcnd shoals under a terrific sea afnd is given up by the crew as a total css. In a bewilderirg fog Tuesday nigbt the Northeastern, on her way up the 3oast from Port Arthur, Tt xas, to New York with a cargo of crude pet rolerm, shoved her prow into the eadly sands on Hariteras and was rst in the clutches of the graveyard f shippiDg before her crew realized what bad happe'ned. This was at 11 o'clock and before Jay bad come the gale that swept )ver the country from the middle west had at uck the s-a and waves nere crashing over the helpless Incess .tly. The force of the wind and tide threw er on her port beam and the flood >f water extinguished her fires befo'e ier inflammable cargo could become gnitrd. Had this not been the case, ihe 22 men aboard the Northeastern would have met a ho Able fate with ao possible chance -scape. When mornirg .ned the wreck was sighted by the life savers and the weather observatory at Hatteras. She was nine miles off shore and the water etween was a seething m-ss of moun ainous waves. No surf boat ever >uilt could have lasted one minute in ,ch a sea and the life guards on the :oast had to stand by helplessly and watch the big ship being pounded by ihe waves. During Wednesday nigbt %he wind diminished, but the temper ture dropped about 20 degrees, add Ing to the suffering of the crew. This morning at sun-up the hardy life avers began their attempts to get a urf boat to the ship. Again and again Lhe life boats were sent head on into he sea, only to be caught up by a monster wave and hurled back on the beach. Human determination con juered the elements af ter a three-hour itruggle, and at 9 o'clock three life oats, with their brave crews, were afely across the breakrs. When the ~uri man reached the wreck they were onfronted with a prcblem of great langer and diffculty. The sea, while t had ubsided to some extent, was still in an angry mood and the little life boats were being tossed like cockle shels about the helpless mass of teel. Lines were finally strung be ween the boats and the Northeastern ad every man was taken from the essel in safety. It was over six hours bfore the first of the bats reached shore again. The almost exhausted rew was oared for by the Eatteras life savers. No statement could be se ured from Capt. Wilder Wednesday. ight, owing to the fact that thel oast wires were broken shortly after~ he barest facts cancerning the rescue were obtained. The vessel, it is said, will be a total loss. The Northeastern is a steel ocean steamship, built in Chicago in 1901, ad is owned by C. Counselman of incinnati. The Northeastern sailed for Part Arthur, December 7, from New York, arrived on the 17th and sailed the same day. Dr. Richardson Resigne. A dispatch from Spartanhu-g says Rev. W. R. Richardson, D. D., has severed his conncction as editor with The Southern Christian Advocate and has received an appointment from Bishop Duncan as pastor cf the First Methodist church at Pulaski, Tenn He will leave in the near future for his new field of labor. It is not defi nitely known who will succeEd Dr. Rchardson as The Advocate editor. It is currently reported that for the present the ediboril1 work will be done by one of the following gentle men: President Snyder of Wofford college, Pastor E. 0. Watson of Cen tral Methodist church, or Rev. W. A. Engers, D. D. Tre departure of D'. Richardson and his family will be a matter of genuine regret throughcut city. As editor of The Ad vocate ano as pastor of Central Metbolist church in years past, Dr. Richardson had made many friends, irrespective of creeds, who held him in high esteem. Whipped White Man. A. D. Lewis, a white man, 33 yeatrs of age, whose home is in Chicago was whipped in the woods near Natchez, Miss., Wednesday, and orderei out of the State. Lewis was being taken to the county convict farm to serve a senter ce for insulting women on the streets. While under arrest, a crowd of six white men took him from the guard, carried him to the woods three miles from town, stripped him and gave him 60 lashes across the back, then placed him on a train and orler ed him to leave the State. kHe Was Lynched. A special from Neal, Ga., says. Herbert Simmons, a negro, was lynched there Thursday for the 1li lng of J. A. Park, a white man and one of the community's best known citi z ns. Th e negro was taken from the offers by infuriated citizens while be ig carried to the Z balon jail and after belig strurg tpon a tree his body was riddled with bullets. Mr. Park was murdered on the night of Dc. .'7, his skull being crushed in with a large stick. The coroner's ver diot was that he came to his death at the hands of THerbert Simmons. "HOLD YOU& COTION." Such Is the Advice Given the Farm ers on All Sides. The concensus of opinion on all sides is that to sell cotton at this time is little short of suicidal. This Is the time, it is declared, for the farmers-of the south to stand firm-st and pat and not show their hand. To yield, to s'-ll at this time, is to simply add to the panic and give the bears a still further chance to beat down prices. It is argued that if the crop should reach the unprecedented figures of 13,000,000 bales, not more than 10, 000,000 bales of this will be marketed before the decreased acreage of 1905 is a fact beyond dispute. A heavy cur tailment of the acreage planted this spring means a higher market and a rush of spinners to secure st ck for fu:ure use. There is common sense in this view. The Augusta Chronicle says the be lief is strong among the cotton men of that city that the fleecy ataple is already far below its real market val ue. They feel that the reaction is bound to come. They argue that Jan: uary contracts for exportation have al ready been supplied and hence there are few seekers of cotton on the mark et. But there are Fbzuary, March and April contracts yet to be arrang ed, and factors claim that the borrow ing scheme speculators and exp~rters' agents aitempted just before the holi days, is a proof that they fear the consequences if forced into the mark et later as purchasers. The advice from all srtions of tne south is the same, to hold cAtton. The further advice is to the effect that throughout the south the cotton factors and farm. ers will hold wbat has nut already been marketed. It is a fact. the cot ton men affrm, that the farmers were never in a better condition to hold the residue of their crop not already sold than now, and that not to do so is to give up the fight when every thing points to ultimate success-the whipping of the fight. Factors called attention to the fact that New York financial papers ad mit that throughout the present crisis cotton has been friendless on their exchange; "a friendless waif" is their term, and had been umercifully hammered down by the bulls, bent on the freezirg out of the southern hold ers of the goods. Under these condi tions they are not surprised that cot ton is as low as it is. They wonder that the slump did not continue. That It did not they-argue is good eviderc. that the bulls know the staple is fear fully underva'ued. W. P. Brown, ana authority on cotton In New Ork ans, is cut in a long interview along the same line, urging the holding of cot ton at all hazards, and, as a second measure, a reduction of acreage next year. He urges ti-at the farmers of the south have the situation in hand if they will remain quie: and hold cot ton. The indications are that the advice will becarried out to the letter by the people of the South. Buyers and ex porters' agents report from all over the cuntry that no spot cotton is be ing offerd for sale. At [eridian, Miss., factors refused to sell where offers above prevailing prices were made and the parties stood ready to buy In any quanities. The New York letters and papers are loaded with telegrams from Southern representa tives to the effect that farmers are determined to hold what cotton they have and that none is being offered on the markets. They cannot buy. They are not buying. The consensus of opinion is that cotton abodld be held and acerage reduced for the next season. It is the hope of the southern farmer. The belief Is firm that the speculators and manipulators are in the main responsible for the severe slu ~p of the past few weeks, that cotton is at least t wo cents below the real market value, and that the pre sent crisis Is precipitated hy the bears only in the hope of breaking the hold of the farmers on the fleecy stsple and thus easing off the situation which they have created. Commissioner of Agriculture Ste vens of Georgia says: "Tne thing for the farmers to do is to hold on to the cotton they have now. If they will only hold, and cut down the acre age next year you wiil see the price go 'shuting up' Instead of down.. If tvery one would cultivate onily ten acres of cotton to every plc ugh and produce instead of 11,000,000 bales, only 5,000,000, thezr you would see the price go skyward in a hurry. A man can make more money out of a 5,000.000 bale crop at 12 to 15 cents than he can out of a 11,000,000 crop at 6 cents. Then by confining him self to ten acres of cotton to the plow it would give him an opportunity of plantir-g more grain, and more things upon which to live at home. If he doesnt want to do that he could allow his land to rest. If the farmers will see cotton bringing 12 cents next year this time. "I am going to talk with ommis sioner Poole, of Alabarna, over the telephone Friday afternoon. He is president of the Commissioners of Agriculture of the Southern States. My idea is to have a meeting in New Orleans some time next month to dis cuss the situation. If each commis sioner in the cotton growing states would write a personal letter to each farmer in his state, advise him to hold what cotton he now has on band and to plant only ten acres to the plow. I believe it would have a wonderful ef fect. It did in 1899 and we got ten conts for cotton. I have a list of over 30,000 farmers in my offie, and I can get them out letters in a very short while. Coming from the head of the agricultural department In each state I feel sure that the farmers would tae notice of It, and many of them 1would act accordingly, It Is a ques tion for the farmers to determine?' but I am fually convinced if they will follow my plan we will have twelve cent cotton next fall." skates Like a Boy at so Years. William Hammel, eights years old, went skating Wednesday with the rest of the "boys" at Shiloh, N. J. Hie wrote his name oh the Ice, cut the figure eight, and then raced a mile with a much younger man and won. The venerable skater used the skates he bought in Pilladelphia sixty-seven years ago. THE GOSPEL OF THE CORN. One Scientist Wortb Millions to tb Farmers of Iowa. One single scientific brain; study Ing on the subj: -t of scientific carz raising, has earned in the last year to the State that emp!ovs him over 810, 000,000, and this is only a beginnirg Professor P. G. Holden, of the Iowg Agricultural College, in Ames, is the man. He bcgan as a school teacher, teaching about grain as a side Issue. Now he is known as an agronomist and preaches the "gospel of the cora from special cars drawn throughout the rural districts. The farmers of Iowa once laughed at the idea of a professor with such a title teachirg them, the best corn growers in the world, anything about raising corn. Now they flock from miles away to listen to him and he is revered and obeyed as no other man in the State. As a result, In large part, of follow ing his advice, they have raised about one hundred million bushels more corn this year than In any year of this century, and they exp-ct to add an. other one hundred million bushels to their crop next year. Prfessor Holden became an agrono mist-that is, an expert in grain raising-by accident. When he taught sahool in Michigan he got up a corn growing contest among his pupils. He induced the boys to pick out the earliest, biggest and most perfect ears from the fields, eave them and plant from them the best and most perfect kernels. Tne result, aided by scientific methods of qultiva. tion, was that the bovs raised more corn on their little patches than any body had ever dreamed of. Professor Holden worked on his system until it was perfected. His fame spread, and the Funk brothers, who own a 25 000 acre farm in Illi nois, offered him a big salary to run it. He planted 20,000 acres of corn a year for 'tbem. sand added to their yield more ths.t one hundred thous and bushels the Arst year. Thf. State of Iowa thought he was a good thing and engaged him to occupy the chair of agronomy in the Iowa Agricultural College, in Ames. The chair was created especially for him. Professor Holden made the farmers believe after a time that he knew more about corn raising than they did. He travelled all over the State in special trains last spring and win ter, making "tail end" speeches and getting better crowds than any Vice Presidential candidate saw later in the season. He told the farmers how to select their seed corn, how to plant and cultivate it, and on what sort of ground to plant different sorts of corn and how to handle It under diff-rent conditions. The results are read In the crop re ports on Iowa's corn yield this year. The average crop of Iowa corn for 1904 Is forty bushels to the acre. For nine years it has been 27 1-2 bushels. This year's crop will aggre gate 350,000,000 bushels, about 125, 000,000 more than last year's yeld. The crop is worth about $30,000,000 more than a year ago, and Professor Holden Is universally credited with a third interest iD the extra yield. Burned to Death. Tp.ree persons lost their lives in a fire which totally destroyed the farm residence of Chas. McMillan at the head of Conesus Like, N. Y., on Thursday. The dead: Charles McMillan. Lottie McMillan, his sister. Frank C. McMillan. Lula McMillan, another sister, escaped. The cause of the fire has not been explained. The McMilian's were among the prominent families of Li vingstone county. Tne three McMillans lost their lives in an attempt to save the house from destruction. Atoused by the crackling of the na~imes the family fled from the house in their night clothlrg and awoke a farmhand who occupied a house a few roads away. He arrived on the scene just in time to see Charles, Frank and Lottie rush into the burning building with pails of water. Lula McMillan and Mary Dornan, a servant, were restrained by main force from following the others. The charred bodies of the victims were found in the ruins. It is sup posed the third body Is still in the dc ris. Report Incorrect. At a meeting of a number of gin ners of Georgia and Alabama at Ate lanta, Friday, two vice presidents were named from Georgia to attenc the next convention of cotton ginnen to be held at Dallas, Texas. Presiden1 3. A. Taylor of the National Ginners assxociation was present at the meeting and ma~de an address urging the gin ners to retain information regarding cotton produced. Among other thing: he said: "The government report o: the cotton crop is totally itncorrect These reports are as far wrong as any thing I know. Many ginners did no: count their bales correctly, often add ing many hundred bales more thai they t ai in reality ginned. In man: intstances the number of tales ginne( eras guessed at. I have come to the corc'usion that I and the other gin ners were chumps for giving out th. reports."_________ Shot in a Cotton M4ill. At Spartanburg Arthur Leiste: shot and killed George McAllister it the card room of the Appalache mil at Arlington Wednesday mdining Leister was card room boss, and hat discharged one of McAllIster's famit Tuesd .g, and this caused a qiarrel be tween the two. This quarrel was re newed and resulted in Leister shoot ing McAllister three times, the latte: dying almost instantly from the ef fecte of his wounds. Leister came t< Spartanburg arnd gave hirmself up t< the sheriff'. Hie was lodged In thi county jail. F ailing Tree Killed Two. A special from Ellijay, Ga , say: that Wmn. Gantrell and Joe Chastini were killed and a brothier ct Chastin< seriously Injured near Burnt wountai: by a falling tree. The tree was blow: by a high wind across a small fra~m house in which the men were sittini at the time. A BAD BREAK In the Price of Cotton on Ac count of Ginners Report OF THE GOVEi2NMENT. Prices the Lowest in T. Report, as (liven Out by the Census Bureau, Indicates a Yield of Thirteen Million Bales for this Year. A dispatch from New York cotton market broke 30 to:3 on the census tureau's giers'.. indicating a crop.in excessfthe g ernment's estimate.:There was every heavy trading on the decline. The bears contend that the ginners' report probably forecasted a crop of -nearly 13,000,000 bales. Following the re port pr!ces, which had shown weak- 4M ness since the 6pening, broke sharj with January selling aroud;8.46. March 6 81 and May 6 96, or. A e cline of 22 to 23 points and a of practically $6 a bale in two weeks time. The market was very active. during Wednesday afternoon with big short interests covering while there was also heavy liquidation and on every little bulge the bears seemed disposed to withdraw .their buying orders and sell more cotton. The'low figures reached In the slump are the lowest that cotton has reached Inj . nearly three years. THE GIlNN1ERs' EPORTS. The census bureau Wednesday is sued a report giving the quantity of cotton ginned in 737 countirs up- to December 13 last to have been 11 986,614 running bales, which is the equivalent of 11,848,113 ommercial bales. The commerolal bales reported to the same period for 1903 amounted to 8,747,669. In arriving at the number of com mercial bales, round bales are count t d half bales. The report to the same date last year covered 812 counties as against 737 this yt ar. The report for the present year covers the output cf 29,527 ginneries, wbile 29.527 were inclu4d in the ieport for i903. The product of the different states for this year, in rennsng bales, reported to December 13, is as follows: Alabama.............1,296,915 - Arkansas. ............. 96,186 Florida.................75283 Georgia ..............1,795,79W7 Indian Territory..... ....433,755 Kentucky.................. .1,252 Louisiana.................. 870,518 Missislipp ............1,403,458. Missouri......... .......36,444 North Caiolina.......... 657,195 Oklahoma................. 294,041 South Carlina.........1,083,756 Tennessee ............... 271,235 - Texas......... .......2,982,819 Virginia................. 14,960 NEW OELEANs FEELs IT. A dispa ch frc m New Orleans says with the reading of the ginners' report on the ccotton exchange Wednesday cotton slumped 47 to 55 points. Er traordinary excitement attended the~ break. Tfhe market was hammered - with gretat energy. After the first. excitement the market grew quieter though the decline was not arrested. January cotton went to 6.40, which is a decline of about four cents during the last three months. Cotton Burned. A dispatch from Atlanta, Ga., says one bale of cotton was burned In the streets of Fort Gaines Thursday after noon by farmers of Clay county, who set fire to the fleecy staple after a mass meeting in .which the cotton planters of that county declared they were willing to burn their interest in the two million bales representing an Excess crop produc~ed .in the cotton states. The burning was accompanied by great ceremony and fellowed by still greater excitement. Much en thusiasm was evidenced at the mass meeting of the farmers at which this radical action was planned and adop ted. Several speeches were made and then followed the resolution which provided that Clay ccunty should take the initiative and burn the 2,000,000 1.ales above the normal crop. Other counties have been asked to follow this action and in this way rid the market of the surplus crop. Mur-dered in a Club Room. Travis Johnson, a well known citi zen, was foully murdered Wednesday in rooms at the Arlington club, his head being nearly severed from his. body by either a knife or a hatchet. John Griffith, marine engineer, was arrested almost immediately after the assassination and charged with the crime. The victim was at breakfast when he received a telephone message to return to the club rooms, as some -ore wanted to see him. He was ac companied into the room by Griffloh, who was seen a few minutes there after leaving; the place oy a rear en trance. Feeling against the prisoner is intense and a. quick trial is de Imanded. The m->tive for the crime was preably robb~ery, as nearly 3200 was taken from the mrdered man. Trains in Fatal Crash. The neavy fog caused a fat'il acci d int on the New Haven road Wednes day nighti. Tbe Boston express due at 7 03 in charge of Canductor J. A. Day fHartford, and Engineer Chares Bahyn, of New Haven, crash ed into an accommodation train in -the Stanford depot. Gs,2rge How land, a tra~velling conductor, of Mount Vernon, was killed, and many were. iInjured. _________ At Chicago on Friday, after buying a cotfin ('stensibly for a fciend, Leroy K. Nesbt,- a baoker, committed sui cide Fricay in an undertaking estab lishmetnt. Scribbled on a card In the banker's pocket was a note saying:. "I am tired of being a cripple." 3 Nesbit had a shrivelled leg, and has s spent thousands of dollars in a vain