COTTON 203 
crop may do for him, but on the next, hope and 
expectancy may have departed. 
With exactness he cannot calculate—he can only 
anticipate, hope, plan for the best. 
The point is, the cotton farmer cannot estimate 
at the beginning of the year just what his total 
outlay for his crop will be; nor can he bargain on 
final yields or results. This, however, the manu- 
facturer can do, and he does so with advantage to 
himself. 
It follows that the farmer is entitled to the right 
of considerable margin as to cost of production 
when compared with the price it shall bring on the 
market. These risks which he has to encounter all 
along the growing route are just as legitimate for 
use in the final calculation as waste of fiber, vari- 
ation in cost of power, strikes, depreciation in 
a etc., are essential factors in considering 
the final cost-estimate in the cotton factory. 
NATURAL CONDITIONS THAT INFLUENCE 
PRODUCTION 
Were it not for uncertain natural conditions 
cotton farming would be more stable in its ability 
to produce certain and constant results, and the 
farmer also would be able to calculate his profits 
on his labor and equipment in advance, and with 
reasonable accuracy. <A few of these active, ever- 
present conditions are: 
Variation in productivity of the soil; 
Wet or dry seasons; 
Diseases and insects affecting the crop adversely; 
Ease of securing labor, its cost and efficiency ; 
Efficiency of fertilizers for different seasons; 
Different tools of culture for different seasons; 
