Morning journal and courier., 1882-02-20
fSoutnal arr6 Courier .
Monday Morning, Feb. 20, 1882. :
THE ADULTERATION OF AMERICAN

THE ADULTERATION OF AMERICAN
COTTON.
We referred the other day to the report of
Colonel Shaw, United States consul at Man
| chester, England, concerning the allegations
made by British cotton spinners against cot
ton growers and exporters in this country.
The charges are serious ones. Briefly they
are as follows: That cotton in the same bale
is often of different staple and fibre, the char
acter of the admixture being such that it can
not be well attributed to careless sorting
that water steam is used in the process of
packing to dampen the cotton and thus add
to its weight; that in order to increase the
weight of the bales, sand, dust, stones, iron,
and other foreign substances are introduced
into the cotton during the packing process
that the baling itself is very unsatisfactory,
the wrappers being of the poorest stuff, care
lessly put on, and the pressing being INSULT
GENTLY done either for safety or convenience
in transportation. .
Colonel Shaw has endeavored to obtain
precise information concerning the ground
for these charges, and his Investigation has
been altogether too successful for the credit
of those who pack and sell cotton in this
country. One of the cotton spinners report.
ed to him concerning damp cotton as follows:
I'm numbers of cases the bales give the ap-
pearance of water having been thrown in
during the process of packing, as the center
of the bale is frequently found to be in lay
ers of caked cotton, very wet and often
highly discolored. In other instances whole
A. l.
ed to considerable extent before packing.
In March last we made several tests for
damp, in all cases subjecting the cotton to
temperature of 1902 till dry, and then allow
ing the cotton to cool for one hour in the
open air. These tests showed the
following results: 1924 per cent. of water,
1874 per cent, 10 per cent, and II per cent.
respectively. In none of these tests was the
caked cotton dried. The cotton tested was
good middlipg Orleans" The average shrink
age in weight in this instance was 1864 per
cent, and it is easy to see that the loss at the
same rate on several hundred bales would
amount to something. From the sand stories
we select the following: "a spinner in the
Stockport district states that he purchased
lot of 100 bales one-quarter of which were
heavily laden with fine red sand, varying from
nine to twenty-si per cent of their weight"
Also "A Warrington firm of cotton spinners
inform me that they have recently made
several tests to learn the amount of sand in
the cotton they were using, strictly good and
good ordinary Texas and Orleans. The re-
suits varied from twelve and half to twenty
five per cent, and averaged seventeen and
half per cent. of sand, which in their opinion
had been wilfully put into the cotton" A
test made showed that one lot of AS bales
lost twenty-five per cent. on account of sand;
another lot of ten bales lost on account Of
Sand 1872 pounds; another lot of 5000 pounds.
taken indifferently from the middle of ten or
fifteen bales out of each separate lot when
received at the mill, showed a loss of over
314 pounds by damp and sand. In another
instance one bale weighing six hundred weight
and thirteen pounds contained 126 pounds of
sand; and in another case, where the bale
weighed six hundred weight and twelve
pounds, more than two hundred weight of
sand was found.
These and the other instances given by
Colonel Shaw show that the British cotton
spinners have cause to complain. It will be
well for the American cotton interest if their
complaints are not suffered to pass unheeded.
To continue such practices as those COM
planned of will eventually ruin the reputation
abroad of all our cotton growers and dealers.