The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1882-03-04
THE COTTON SEED.
Va Unexpected Industry which iS Enrlchins
Southern Planters,

The following correspondence to the
Atlanta Constitution shows the true
md varied value of the cotton produc
ION ia the South:
Suppose we start the new year with n
umance? All right, here goes The
q mluce OF Cotton Seed In the Law
ish and careless days of slavery cotton
y,s raised for its lint alone. This was
.pt off the snowy surface of the field
md the rest was wasted. Under the
pressure Of poverty the South learned
hat il was Just rs foolish to raise sheep
Tor the fleece ms to raise cotton stalk
tnr lint, aud that the heavy seed from
which the fiber lowered was just as
valuable A. the mutton from which the
wool grew, The story of the slow hut
ure way in which the despised seed
grew into appreciation is MI interesting
one, involving enormous figures and
.lln8trating the progress that is being
made in the South.
ltARfNG CRUDE on PROM SEED.
A yoir oc Two ago 1 wrote letter
concerning certain mills that had been
established ior the purpose OF pressing
the oil ont of cotton seed. The process
was then a rough one, and the oil pro
duced of inferior grade The bulk of
seed from which the III had been taken
Was made into cakes and sold for stock
food on fertilizer. There were then
about siXteea seed-oil mills in the
South. Cotton seed was worth So
ton, ana the oil 30 cents gallon.
Iher> are now siXty-seven secd-oil
miiR, and the price Of cotton seed has
ften doubled, being now about S12 a
tor. This increase OF So per ton for
cotfon-seed adds about 50 to every bale
OF cotton raised by farmers who sell
heir seed, as each bale represents a
half ton of seed The mills take 80
gallons of oil from every ton and sell it
at 40 cents IL gallon, Thus they take
S OF wealth from each ton OF seed
and the dry bulk left is better food or
fertilizer than it was before the oil was
tikeu ont The 20 mills worked up
lS1,000 tons last year, stripping out
~ 5000 600 worth of oil that had previ
oasly been wasted, and paying the
farmers nearly 81 100000 moro for the
seed than tho same seed would have
brought three years ago. This business
is increasing very rapidly, new mills
being built every year.
REFINING THE CRUDE OIL.
But another step has been taken in
the handling Of cotton. and mills have
been established for the purpose of re-
6uing cotton.secd oil, and thus increas-
ing it, value. Oil that has been re-
Guod is worth from 60 cents to 81 a
gallon, while crude oil is worth only 90,
so that the refining process adds about
so per cent aud makes the oil of one
/ ton Of seed worth about $40. or one
fonTth tho value OF the cotton that the
seed produced. There ore nine of these
rofnorios now in operation. One of
Them, in Montgomery, refues 100 bar
rcls or five thousand gallons a day,
tiius adding one thousand two hundred
and fifty dollars every day to the value
OF the product it handles. The other
mills average perhaps fifty barrels Il
day each, making five hundred barrels
o day for tho total; thus crenting value
Of over six thousand dollars every
twenty.four hours and adding it to a
heretofore despised product. The bust
ness lie increasing rapidly. The profits
alc lnrgo, and next year will see the re.
Guing capacity doubled perhaps. The
mills now running sell all they can
make, and could sell ten times as much
England and France would take the
product of one hundred redneries al
present prices. Indeed, most OF the
mills sell their yearly product by oon
tract. A lsto suit developed that AT
English company had deposited thirty
thousand dollars in Memphis as bonui
to secure the output o. ono oil refinery
for one season.
SUBSTITUTE FOR LARD.
In the meantime the rehners are ere
ating new market and n better de
mnnd for their oil, 1t is used largely
o m illuminating oil, being the bes
for headlights and roilectors. II is uset
as al adulteraiion OF linseed oil, and il
pronounced by painters preferable L
linseed itself II is used almost en-
tirely for packing fish, and especial,
sordines, in America, and it is used rs
: guhstitato for lard in cooking. 1t i
uade into what is called cotton butter
and in this shape is rapidly supplantint
, lard. Two pieces OF steak fried, on
! with oil and the other with lard, cal
not DO told spart For bread it is
I perfect substitute for lard, aud for bat
I tor breads it 10 much better. IN egg
y bread it fills the place of eggs, In fac
q in tho kitchen it is cleanlier, healthier
y and better than lard. il the testimon
q OF honsekoepers can be taken. IL
Q much cheaper. A pound Of cotton but
: ter will do the cooking OF pound an
+ half Of lard, and costs only ID cent
6 while lard is worth sixteen to twont
1 cents. When pan Of steak has bee
j cooked with oil, the oil not abb orbed /
o tho steak can DO poured back into IA
} can and used again, being Just as cloa
and purc as before il was put over Ia
fro. II il was used entirely in IA
plsco OF lard We should have to writ
The epiiaph, Died OF a Frying Pan
over departed Southern vigor less fr,
J. daenily than before. This oil has bee
: tried Ia making the highest and bost A.,
u cake, and found Incompatible. Iasko
Mr.. j. X. Boston, who ia Interested /
, the sale Of cotton butter, why Il was,
being half as costly, quite a. good, an
q oleaulier than lard, IL did not supplai
3, tint once and entirely Simply bocau,
u there ia prejudice against chanl
s ing q custom which our fathers an
mothers used, II Ia just the san
4 prejudice that eau OF people TO carry
p pumpkin Al ono end of a stick and ba
IL auco u with a rook NJ the other I,
10 years and ycara before they diacoyeft
thaf taV a,ttl s,t, 4 l.,, d. q, 49,. =. 4 j..