Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-05

| very complaceutly. Theodore Inomas
| probably made sl00.0 900 last year, and
viii duplicate 1t this year. He gets
| ssO 900 for fifteen weeks IS leader Of
| me American opera. But he Is forever
| high. strung, excited and in trouble, and
| salaries come hard with him.
A NEW MosoPOLy.
An industry which is daily gaming
prominence, not alone in the South, but
All over this continent, is the msnufac-
ture of cotton.ssed oil. Up to very
| recent date cotton-sesd was nearly all
waste, and the principal use it was put
70 was as q fertilizer. Now, hoSever,
numerous mills for its manufacture
have been built all over the cotton
growing States, aud upwards Of Co.,
eco tons Of the seed are annually made
into oil, oilcake, and lint. The ave.
,see yearly cotton crop of the United
States amounts to about 1000, 900
bales. AS each bale gives half ton
Of seed the total production IS $780,
OCO tons. Each ton Of seed gives forty
gallons Of oil, $50 pounds Of cil-cake,
| and thirty pounds Of lint. The value
Of these products is about sl7 SO at
the mill, while the total cost Of pro-
duc,ion ia sl450. The uses TO which
the oil ia pat are increasing every day.
II is in almost universal use in the
South, baving taken the place Of lard
the saydine industry Of Maine uses it
altogether. to the exclusion Of olive-oil
and even IS per cent. Of the so-called
salad oil used in this country is nothing
but cotton-seed oil which has been ex.
ported to Europe and imported again
upder the name Of olive.oil. Immense
quantities of the oil are used by lard
refners, and even the lowest grades
bring high prices at the soap factories.
the oil.cake is used as fodder for cattle,
and the residue of the oil and cake
cotton. seed meals, when mixed with
phosphate rock, one of the best ferti-
lizers known.
1t is anything but strange, with ell
the uses to which the products of the
cotton-seed are put and the profits de-
rived from its manufacture, that com.
petition should have sprung up among
the mills. The number of cotton
mills increased SO much in n compare
lively short time that prices were forced
down far below the cost Of production.
The only remedy for this was co-ope-
ration, and, accordingly, many mills
combined under one management and
created new and improved facilities for
the disposal OF their products. This
proved to be the foundation of one Of
the largest and most successful enter
prises in the history OF commerce,
THE AMERICAN COTTON.OIL TRUST.
This trust vas formed with yieg
to combining all the principal mills,
lowering the price OF the raS material
to a reasonable figure, and increasing
the quantity and value Of the cotton
seed products. 1t took time to accom-
plish this, bnt the men Interested in
the scheme were shire wd, farsi GIFTED
businessmen, who knew what lnoy
were doing and how to do it. Toe
trust was formed, and new mills kept
Joining the combination until nov over
90 per cent. Of all the cotton. mills in
the South are controlled by the trust.
When The managers of al outside mill
expressed desire to join tho trus. the
mill was appraised, and certificates to
the amount of its value were issued.
These certificates have face value OF
300, but were exchanged for mill pro-
peIty at p1,ce agreed upon. As che
trust now controls Rb mt all the c)t.On.
mills it requires, AID as the certificates
canro. be issued for anything bat a.
tual miil.property. the auolns n0E
outstanding, some $4,000 600, willnO!
be increased.
GOOD FOR THE PLANTER.
Although but comparatively short
time in existence the CottOn-Seod OH
Trust has done great deal Of good.
1t has not only improved the quality
and value Of the products OF the seed,
but has benefited the planter besides,
even whIe paying less for the seed
than formerly. This has been done
by getting rid Of the middlemen. The
middleman formerly enjoyed mjuopo-
ly Of tie purchase Of the cotton. seed
from the planters, paying them the
lowest possible price for it, sometimes
not more than S. a ton. lie would
then sell il to the mills for an average
price of about 80 ton, pocketiog, OF
course, the difference. The trust is
putting 2 stop to the trade Of the mid
dlemen 10y establishing its own pur-
chasing agencies all through the cotton
territory. The planters benefit By
selling direct to the trust, which gets
the seed much cheaper from them than
from the middlemen, although it pays
now higher price for 1t than th9
planters formerly received.
As to tee Improvement in the Qusn-
tity and quality Of the products of cot
ton.seed oil, the trust has purchased
sole control Of a patent process Tor ex-
tracing the oil aud removing the lint,
which increases the value Of the pre-
ducts Of ton Of seed about 80 psr
cent.
JOURNALISTS IL CONGRESS.
In a short time Congress will Assem-
BILE, and among the delegation from New
York city will be several Journalists, a
fact that recalls some "reminiscences Of
newspaper men who have figured among
the national legislators Of the republic.
Amos j. Cummings, for example, will
take his seat az o congressman, aud
his record will be watched with interest.
lie is one Of the most brilliant writers
en- the American press. He Was born
in New York State forty.six years ago;
his father was a clergyman, and at one
time tho editor Of religious journal.
lie has set typei in nearly every State in
the Union. lie joined the Walker ex-
petition to Nicaragua in 1857, was
captured and only secured his release
through the interposition of the Ameri-
can Minister to Mexico. In 1862 he
enlisted in the Twenty.sixth New Jer-
sey volunteers, and was officially ga
zetted for gallantry at the second battle
of fredericksburg. Returning to New
York, he became compositor on the