The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-01-24
COTTON ED
n vslsa Us.s = WaisA ~ ~ -


- @m ars ~ lsew AlprHens
Mw.a. h - Asluaan
Suppose Ne start ~ nsw year nith =
rOuancef All rixEe keIa eoee re
Romance of GottOn Seed
In the Lavish and cnrslens dags of
slavery cotton was raised fss iss lint aIo1e.
This vas swept OF che ss0wg snrf1ce oe
the 6eld and the rest was wasted. Under
the pEessnke AZ poverty tie SonEh Iearnsa
that 4 waa Just ~ foolish - raise akeep
for the fleece ns to raise . costaa stalk for
lint, and that the heavy seed fram whicl.
the fibre AoHered vas just as valnzbIe -
the mutton from which the wool grew.
The story Of the 6low but s,sre WV ir
which the despised seed grew into appre-
ciation is an interesting one involving
enormous figures ard Illustrating the
progress that Is being made in the South.
MAKING CRUDE on Hnom SEED.
A year or two ags.E sss5te letrer con-
cerniRg certain mills that had been esiab-
lished for the purpose of pressing the OIL
out Of the cotton seed. The process was
then rough one, and the oil produced of
inferior grade. The bulk of seed from
which the oil had been taken was made
into cakes and sold for stock feed or fer
tilIzer. There were then about l6 oil
mills in the South Cotton seed was
worth 90 = ton, and the oil so cents .
gallon.
There are now 81 seed oil mills, and
the price Of cotton seed has doubled, be-
ing now about el2 ton. This increase
of % per ton for cotton seed adds about
&3 to every bale Of cotton raised by farm
ers who sell their seed. as each bale rep
resents half ton of seed. The mills take
IS gallons of oil from every ton and sell
it at 40 cents gallon. They thus take
$I4 of wealth from each ton of seed and
the dry bulk left is better food or fer
tilizer than it was before the oil was
taken out. The 81 mills worked up lS0,-
600 tons last year, stripping out 81. .5O0,-
600 worth of oil that had previously been
wasted, and paying the farmers nearly
81, ,000, 900 more for the seed than the
same seed would have have brought three
years ago This business is Increasing
very rapidly, new mills being built every
year.
But another step has been taken in the
handling OF cotton, and mills have been
established for the purpose of refining
cotton seed oil, and thus increasing its
value Oil that has been refined Is worth
from IS cents to 81 gallon, while crude
oil is worth only Soc, so that the refining
process adds about so per cent, and
makes the oil Of one ton of seed worth
about $22, or-one-fourth the value Of the
cotton that the seed produced.
There are nine of these refineries now
in operation. One of them, in Montgom-
cry, refines 100 barrels or 5000 galIdns
day, thus adding 81 ESD every day TO the
yalne Of the product it handles. The
other mills average perhaps so barrels a
day each, making 500 barrels day for
the total, thus creating value of over
81, 900 every "a hours adding it to a here
tofore despised prodnct. This business
is increasing rapidly. The profits are
large, and next year will see the refining
capacity doubled perhaps. The mills now
running sell all they can make, aud could
sell ten times as mnch. England and
France would take the product os 100 re-
6neries at present prices. Indeed, most
of the mills sell their yearly product by
contract. A late suit developed that an
English company had deposited sc, 900
in Memphis as q bonus to secure the out
put Of one oil-refnery for one season
A SUBSTITUTE FOR LARD
In the meantime the refners are Gre
ating new market and better demand
for their oil. 1t is used largely as an IL
Illuminating oil, being the best for head
lights and Fefiectors. It is used as an
adulteration of Iinseed oil, and is pro-
nouneed by painters as preferable to the
linseed itself II il used almost entirely
for packing fish, and especially sar-
dimes, In America And it IS nsed IS
q substitute for lard in cooking. 1t Is
made into what is called cotton butter,
and in this shape is rapidly suPpIanting
lard Two pieces Of steak fried, one with
oil and the other with lard, cannot be
told apart For bread Il Is perfect sub
stitute for lard and for tter-breads it
Is much better. In egg-bread it filIs the
place of eggs In fact, in the kitchen it
IS cleaulier, healthier aud better than lard,
if the testimony of housekeepers can be
taken. 1t is much cheaper. A pound Of
cotton butter will do the cooking Of
. pound and half Of lard, and costs only
Is cents, while lard is worth 1e to 20
cents. When q pan Of steak has been
cooked with oil, the oil not absorbed in
the steak can be poured back into the can
and used again, being Just as clear and
pnre as before it was put over the hre.
If it was used entirely in the place Of lard,
we should have To write the epitaph,
g Died of Frying Pan over departed
Southern vigor less frequently than be
fore. This oil has been tried in making
the lightest and best Of cake, and found
incompatible. asked Mr.. J. X. Boston,
who is interested in the sale Of cotton
butter, why Il was, It being half IS costly,
quite Is good, and cIeanlier than lard, il
did not supplant il at once and entirely.
aSimpIy because there Is . prejudice
against changing custom which our
fstkers and motEers used Il u just the
same preiudioe that caused people 20
carry 1 purnpkin st one end Of stick
and balance with rock at the other for
years and years before they discovered
that they eonId PIT one pampkin up
against another. However, L 3 being
introdneed more rnpidly than Va bad
dared TO hope
Elf vou tan seIl ell ron reline, Issked
III: Boston lhe oeher llay, % EnFope,
Why o. ron lnber 90 oEeate demend II
AMefiea