50-' 



COTTON 



under irrigation, in Egypt, in India, and even in America, 

 in the new regions of Arizona and California. May it 

 not be that the next development will be a return to the 

 supremacy of those countries where the uncertainty of 

 the climate is mitigated by irrigation; and an unlimited 

 supply of cheap labour is available to take full advantage 

 of the ideal conditions thus secured ? Cotton has always 

 been a ''cheap-labour crop," a "black man's crop." 

 The negro labour supply in the United States is now 

 insufficient and no longer cheap. It is doubtful whether 

 the crop will pay for white labour. Is it safe to reject 

 as absurd the idea that the day may come when it will no 

 longer pay to grow cotton in the United States of the 

 kind which at present forms a large proportion of the 

 American crop, and that the future of the " bread and 

 cheese " cotton supply of the world lies, say, in India? 



ESTIMATED COST OF PRODUCTION OF COTTON IN TEXAS 

 IN 1913. 



Farm of 100 acres, held under crop-sharing lease, landlord taking one- 

 fourth of cotton lint and seed. Yield taken as 200 Ib. lint and 400 Ib. seed 

 per acre. 



Tenant's Capital. Horse, mules, harness, imple- 

 ments, wagons and miscellaneous plant $1,478.55. 

 Interest thereon at 10 per cent, and depreciation 

 at 12^ per cent. ... ... ... ... $332.67 



Seed. 75 bushel*, at $2... ... ... ... 150.00 



Labour. Two hands (or six months, at $20 each ... $240.00 

 Chopping cotton twice ... ... ... 150.00 



Picking 40 bales, at average 85 cents per 100 Ib. 



of seed-cotton ... ... ... ... 510.00 



Weighing cotton, at 75 cents per bale ... ... 30.00 



Hauling cotton to ginnery, 24 days at $2 ... 48.00 



Ginning and Baling. Weighing at ginnery, at 10 cents 



per hale ... 

 Ginning, baling, and wrapping, at $3 per bale ... 



Stock Feed. 450 bushels corn, at 50 cents ,., 

 365 bales hay, at 50 cent? 



Supervision, estimating the wages of a manager for 

 i, ooo acres at $100 per month 



Value of Crop 



40 bales cotton at, say, 12 cents per Ib. 

 40,000 Ib. seed, at $20 per ton 



Less one-fointh share to landlord 



4.00 



120.00 



225.00 



182.50 



$2,400.00 

 400.00 



$2,800.00 

 700.00 



978.00 

 124.00 



407.50 



120.00 

 $2,112.17 



$2,IOO.OO 



