THE COST OF PRODUCING COTTON. 11 
quantity of seed used was also recorded for reference in connection 
with a study of the basic requirements of this crop. The latter 
subject will be treated in the concluding pages of this bulietin. 
FERTILIZERS. 
The commercial fertilizers which are applied annually to the 
cotton represent a direct cash expenditure. As a rule, the indi- 
vidual grower has no difficulty in recalling the total cash outlay for 
this material. He also has very definitely in his mind the number 
of tons or the number of pounds of fertilizer purchased during the 
year. If a part of this fertilizer was applied to some crop or crops 
other than cotton, these amounts were determined and this infor- 
mation aided the operator in arriving at the total amount of fertili- 
zer applied to cotton. The records, therefore, show the total quan- 
tity of commercial fertilizer that was apphed to cotton and they 
indicate the cash expenditures which were made in the purchase of 
this fertilizer. | 
FARM MANURE. 
Farm manure was used only to a limited extent upon cotton land 
and the total cost for such manure was relatively small. Usually the 
grower who apples manure can give an accurate estimate relative to 
the number of loads that were hauled and scattered upon a given 
field, and each agricultural community has also set up a standard of 
value for farm manure. With several estimates of this character 
available, the cost for manure can be approximated quite closely. 
BASKETS, SACKS, AND SHEETS. 
There is an annual replacement charge for baskets, sacks, and 
sheets which are used in harvestine the cotton at the end of the 
erowing season. Like the charge for farm manure, this may also be 
considered as a minor item. Estimates were obtained from each 
grower upon the annual cash outlay for baskets, sacks, and sheets. 
Table VII contains a summary of the costs for seed, manure, fertilizer, 
baskets, sacks, and sheets. 
Tasie VII.—Summary of material costs (842 records). 
Material costs per acre. Mate- 
N ee Ab otal pacld rial 
per of | number | of lint | | costs 
State and county. rec- | acresin | per Ma- | Ferti- | S2¢ks per 
ords. | cotton. | acre. | Seed. ane liner and | Total. | pound 
| UUs - | sheets. | of lint. 
Georgia: Pounds. | 
Laurens County ....... 85 |- 3,968.0 277 | $1.27 | $0.04 | $8.85 | $0.24 | $5.40 | $0.0195 
Greene County ........ 78 4,147.5 260 1.75 30 4.17 -18 6. 46 . 0248 
Sumter County. -....... 80-| 4,188.5 244 2. 05 . 44 4. 92 a2 7. 63 . 0313 
Alabama: 
Tallapoosa County...-- 89 1,169 172 1.60 moe, 3. 07 .18 yale . 0300 
Marshall County ....-. 90 | 1,249.5 227 1.72 1. 90 6. 43 -25 | 10.30 . 0455 
Dale County........-- 90 | 1,226.5 194 1.69 39 3. 54 . 26 5. 88 . 0303 
South Carolina: 
Anderson County... -.- 89.|. 2, 865. 5 248 1.70 - 46 5. 93 aly 8. 21 . 0331 
fe Barnwell County .-...-- 91 | 3,935.5 268 1.48 .46 | 11.24 .23 | 13.41 . 0501 
exas: 
Ellis County.......... 75 | 8,148 176 1.14 01 eee . 05 1.20 . 0068 
Rusk County...-...- ot 75 2, 568 185 1.12 . 02 2.11 27 3. 52 °0190 
