PRICE OF COTTON BY MONTHS. With the corresponding price of staple cotton goods. [Latham, Alexander & Co.] NOTE.-Sheetings.-Agents' prices (for Atlantic A) are given. Printing cloths are manufacturers' net prices. Discount on standard sheetings is almost invariably 5 per cent. For Lancaster ginghams the prices in the season of 1896-97 were subject to a discount of 5 per cent. *Owing to a prolonged strike at the Lancaster mills these ginghams were hardly representative of the market. The Amoskeag, a corresponding fabric, abvanced to 5c. COTTON MILLS OF THE SOUTH. Last year the number of mills added was 55. The record of cotton spindles in the south shows: RECORD OF COTTON SPINDLES. (From the annual report of Henry G. Hester, secretary of the New Orleans cotton exchange.) As a whole there is cause for satisfaction at the general results of the year's showing. In face of two successive seasons of trade depression and uncertainty the cotton spindles of the south have increased in round numbers 675,000, or, say, 21 per cent, while the aggregate of the bales consumed is greater by 180,000, equal to 25 per cent, and the tendency is toward a further material increase in the immediate future. No surer or better indication could be afforded of the substantial basis of the industry. Total in operation... Idle New, not completed. This year. Last year. .3,419,663 2,956,396 143,148 162,542 289,180 574,300 Grand totals............3,851,991 3,693,238 Showing an increase of spindles, old, idle and not complete, over last year of 158,753, and a gain of spindles at work during more or less of the last year of 463,267. As indicated by the tables annexed the total consumption in all the mills (old and new) for the year was 1,042,671 bales, against 904,701 for the season of 1895-96, and 862,838 for that of 1894-95, an increase over last year of 137,970 bales, and over the year before of 179,833 bales. The changes in each state, as compared with last year, were as follows: MILLS. Missouri Total number of mills last year..... 475 North Carolina.26,851 concerns 8 The decrease in the average consumption per spindle in mills in operation has been 2 51-100 pounds, due to fewer working hours by some and partial stoppage by others of the mills during part of the season. As stated above, change to finer numbers and short supplies of cotton toward the close of the year had some effect, but in reality ac Total closed temporarily. Total closed last year. *Two mills, with 12,480 spindles, stopped to put in new machinery Georgia Kentucky Louisiana Mississippi Missouri *12 47,042 12,904 5 13,504 (Actual figures reported by the mills.) +Spin 2 18,369 States. *Mills. L'ms. dles. Alabama 240,856 31 131,951 Arkansas 3,000 52 252,486 663,039 Thus, out of 414 mills in operation during the season but thirty-one have stopped for the present, the spindles they contain amounting to less than 4 per cent of those in action. The stoppages above only allude to mills that have been in operation during the year, and not to the forty idle mills with 143,148 spindles given in the table below, which have remained closed during the entire twelve months. As a general thing the weights of bales consumed by the mills have been lighter, the average for all mills showing 6 53-100 pounds per bale less than last year. It must be remembered that the southern mill weights are given net-that is, exclusive of bagging and ties. SOUTHERN COTTON MILLS IN 1896-97. 226,717 207,744 24,421 20,135 Virginia 2 *39 32 Arkansas 3 1 Georgia 81 73 1 Kentucky Totals Less consumed and taken from southern seaports and included in port receipts.. New consumption to be added to crop.. 54,289 41,066 988,382 863,635 *Mills in operation only; for total in south see other table. Employed in mills in operation; for total spindles in south see other table. The following table shows the consumption of southern mills during the last two years, in pounds of lint cotton and the average net weight per bale: States. Alabama Arkansas -Pounds (lint)This year. Last year. In opera *New, not tin. com fold. Idle. pleted. 14,220 72,400 6,000 Georgia Kentucky 19,714 22,000 Missouri 1,494,378 705,240 Kentucky. 65,024 64,736 Louisiana.. 62,400 55,800 6,600 South Carolina. Mississippi. 71,132 63,832 7,300 Tennessee Missouri S. Carolina.1,250,324 1.055.824 15,000 132,000 Tennessee.. 158,536 136,024 22,512 Totals 479,314,513 421,793.485 December..... VISIBLE SUPPLY OF WHEAT AND CORN, (According to Cincinnati Price Current. VISIBLE SUPPLY OF WHEAT THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH. 1891. 1897. 1896. 1895. 1894. 1892. .54,651,000 69,958,000 88,561,000 80,228,000 81,238,000 45,908,000 25,478,000 49,591,000 66,734,000 84,665,000 80,264,000 81,487,000 43,118,000 23,592,000 .43,797,000 64,089,000 79,476,000 77,257,000 79,463,000 41,111,000 22,926,000 .39,023,000 61,048,000 74,308,000 71,458,000 77,654,000 41,036,000 22,764,000 .34,412,000 55,519,000 65,776,000 66,583,000 75,027,000 37,936,000 20,980,000 .26,897,000 50,340,000 52,229,000 59,394,000 70,159,000 29,522,000 17,493,000 .18,794,000 47,860,000 44,561,000 54,657,000 62,316,000 24,262,000 13,590,000 .17,814,000 46,734,000 39,229,000 57,144,000 59,349,000 23,992,000 16,768,000 15,473,000 45,574,000 35,438,000 66,949,000 56,881,000 36,260,000 19,124,000 .21,104,000 48,715,000 40,768,000 71,413,000 60,528,000 47,901,000 26,862,000 .26,974,000 58,680,000 50,486,000 78,190,000 69,327,000 61,694,000 36,232,000 58,914,000 63,903,000 85,159,000 78,091,000 72,580,000 43,265,000 VISIBLE SUPPLY OF CORN THE FIRST OF EACH MONTH. 1892. 1897. 1896. 1895. 1894. 1893. 1891. .19,852,000 5,817,000 9,630,000 8,322,000 11,454,000 7,081,000 2,568,000 .21,938,000 11,976,000 12,654,000 14,406,000 12,534,000 7,386,000 2,610,000 .26,408,000 13,936,000 12,969,000 18,172,000 15,093,000 10,385,000 2,767,000 .25,152,000 16,366.000 13,407,000 18,538,000 15,315,000 11,508,000 2,988,000 .16,997,000 11,319,000 11,107,000 13,114,000 11,539,000 5,956,000 3,125,000 .12,494,000 8.905,000 10,763,000 7,495,000 5,627,000 3,724,000 5,153,000 .16,913,000 8,760,000 9,060,000 6,441,000 8,075,000 7,844,000 3,850,000 .15,677,000 10,752,000 5.207,000 3,973,000 8,020,000 7,004,000 3,874,000 .27,873,000 13,964,000 5.407,000 3,151,000 5,546,000 8,471,000 5,611,000 .37,048,000 13,218,000 5,451,000 4,305,000 8,071,000 10,945,000 8,887,000 .45,958,000 19,340,000 4,805,000 2,759,000 9,174,000 13,290,000 2,972,000 18,228,000 5,517,000 4,866,000 7,104,000 10,720,000 2,626,000 UNITED STATES WHEAT STATISTICS. Compilation by the Cincinnati Price Current, from official data, showing the annual har vested area of wheat, average yield in measured bushels per acre, total production, estimated farm price in December, and exports for years ended June 30, together with range of cash prices of No. 2 spring wheat at Chicago in December and May of each crop year: Farm Chicago price, 1884-85...39,476,000 13.0 512,764,000 65.0 price. 119.3 122,598,000 88.4 148,785,000 111.534,000 132,570,000 77.0 827@ 89 94,565,000 68.7 75%@ 79% 153,805,000 68.1 75%@ 794 96%@105%2 81%@ 89% 119,625,000 88,601,000 69.8 764 @ 80% 83.8 87%@ 93 8934@100 62.4 69%@ 73 684@ 764 191,832,000 59%@ 64% 52%@ 60% 164,283,000 49.1 52% @ 63% 6034 @ 85% 144,813,000 534@ 6434 74%@ 93% 684@ 97% 145,000,000 |