San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-08-24
Our Cotton In Switzerland.
Globe Democrat

trade specially have OF late devoted
considerable space to the question
whether the staple is ever purposely
"sanded" TO increase its weight. Con-
siderable diversity of opinion appears
among cotton dealers, and no very clear
light has been shed on the sui lect as
yet. 1t is, however. admitted that
through careless handling good deal
of dirt and other refuse gets into muoh
American cotton. This evil may be
remedied, and doubtless will be reme-
died in course OF time.
A rather interesting contribution 10
the literature of the subject was FUR
nished by Consul F. Fl. Mason OF
Basic, Switzerland, for late NUMBER
of the State Departments Commercial
Reports" About 40 cotton mills are
at work in Switzerland, using annually
from 100000 to 100000 bales, OF which
10000 to $4,000 come from the United
States, and the rest from Egypt, Turkey
and India. This is comparatively
small business, and yet it is to DE pre-
sumed that an average quality of Amer
lean cotton goes to Switzerland, that
the cotton reaches that country In the
average condition of the exported fiber
and that it exhibits the average amount
of foreign matter and the average per-
centage of waste in manufacture:
The evidence shows, then, that IN
point of cleanliness American cotton
ranks among the best. 1t contains lar
less of dry leaves and seed-hulls than
Egyptian or East Indian cotton, and IN
the process of manufacture the loss OF
weight in the best grade is only to D
per cent, as against to 6 per cent each
in the Egyptian and the Turkish artl-
Gle, and 6 to per cent in the East
Indian. All the spinners agree that
American cotton spins more easily
than any other, and is, to that extent
preferable. There is, however, in the
inferior qualities, by general consent,
a considerable quantity OF dirt. Now
and then, but only rarely, and suspicion
is inevitable that sanding" has been
resorted to. In some cases there can
be no doubt of it. The largest mill in
Switzerland found last year 200 bales
of good middling Georgia upland hea-
Willy charged with sand, the proportion
in some bales being as high as II per
cent. The sand was evenly distributed
the entire mass, and the con-
clusion that it had been introduced IN
tentionally was irresistible, because it
was not mere dust, or even the earth
Of a cotton field, but clean, sharp heavy
sand. Mr.. Mason reports that this was
can exceptional case" but if the facts
are correcly reported it certainly shows
that adulteration is not unknown.
In one other respect the Swiss manu-
facturers find American cotton shippers
greatly at fault. They complain bitter
ly of careless, slipshod baling. Accord
ing to Mr.. Mason. -.
All grades of cotton brought to this
from the United States are
packed with inexcusable slovenllness,
and bale of American cotton is dis
from every other in ware
house where cotton of different nation
alities is stored by its ragged, dirty and
appearance. 1t is huml-
liating to an American to see the aWk-
ward, misshapen bales from our vast
cotton-felds contransted with the neat,
uniform packages from Egypt,
and particularly India, both of which
countries are SO inferior to our own IN
the construction and use of machinery.
While the Egyptianand Surah bales are
square, clean, uniform in size and
weight, sheathed with fine strong hemp
en- and iute cloth, and securely bound
with rope or iron bands six inches
apart, the american bale is picture OF
ragged and unkempt shabbiness. From
one to three or four of its broad but
jointed iron bands are
broken and gone, one end
bulges with corpulence, while the other
tapers to the shape of a stumpy cigar,
and the coarse, dirty stuff, like cocoa
mating, with which it is incased, is
broken and torn in a dozen places,
=. L--.l... -. II