National Republican., 1888-02-08
THE COTTON SEED PRODUCT.
Methods for Utilizing It and Excel.
Ience of the Crawford Cleaner.


prevalent methods for utilizing II, tho amount
of consumption for the home and foreign
market, the distinctive excellence of the ma
chine known as the Crawford Cotton Seed
Cleaner" which is owned by the company
Iepresented by me, and something OF the
plans and operations Of the company whose
stock, to limited extent, Is offered to the
citizens of Washington as q safe and desirable
investment.
/ will avail myself of your courtesy to an
swer in this letter. through your journal, the
numerous questions which have been pro-
POUNDED TO me.
the year 1887 more than 6600,O 900 bales orcot.
ton, and the seed product Of this crop was In
excessof 3,5G000O tons. 1t IL estimated that
oil ana oil eafe TIE s oil ms Of the
United States furnished the market for this
amount, except TO the extent of not more than
pIees pala Aen 10 ne @ HSeiissn eotton seed pro.
ducer, In the home market, ranged from 81 to
$40, and averaged about IS; perton-makipg
his prod product tO s3Ssoooo The % remainIns lining SUR iPe
plus Of 100000, in an unprepared form, was,
70 some extent, applied to the lands for ferti.
but the greater proportion probably was
wasted, permitted to rot, and subsorved no
more useful purpose to the men who pro.
or the decayed leaves Of their forest. This
product in Its crude state, whether applied to
the land or given to stock, like every other
its values. This industry compared
with the cotton fiber industry, presents some
singular and startling contrasts. We may
affirm, without any fear Of successful contra.
diction, that the potential value of the cotton
crop OF l6o7-fber and seed included-was
OU,C0O000, and that the seed product repre-
sented at least one.fourth of that sum, while
practically yielding only 81, 920. 900 and adding
that amount only to the actual moneyed re.
turn Of The crop. Cotton fiber brings from the
OF national wealth the splendid contribution
Of $500, ,J00,0O0, while cotton seed, worth essen
OF the country the modest and pitiful sum of
$500 900. This startling disparity between
the potential and actual value of the cotton
seed product Is to be referred, not to any lack
OF merit in this product nor to any ignorance
among the men who produce II relative to its
INTRINSIC value, but to influences that have ex.
cluded 1t from the markets of the world. aud
fectiye methods for developing its utilities
When manufactured under proper con-
ditions the cotton seed Yields, In oil
and unquestioued value, which are adapted
-tc,many and important uses and are in re-
actual supply. The entire cotton fiber pro iuct
is used, none OF II is wasted-all OF 1t gives its
tribute of wealth and comfort to the world.
Why should not the same fortune attend the
cotton seed and the same pro rata of satisiac-
tory return be received from 1t by the pro-
ducer and consumer
planters unable to dispose of their full seed
Production There Is no question as to the
essential value of the seed. No question that
there is a demand for IL somewhere, greatly
in excess of its production The answer to
the leading question propounded is that the
producers are limited to the home market for
purchasers-they cannot dispose Of their seed
except to the 142 oil mills who now constitute
the exclusive consumers of their product.
The anomalous. condition of this industry de-
mands asomewhat detailed statement in order
to its intelligent comprehension.
l. American cotton Seed in the amount of
oil yielded, and in the per cent OF albumen
contained in It's residuum Of oil cak0, is the
most excellent and valuable OF all seeds of the
cotton plant, but, unlike its inferior fellows
and s hsndespsd Sda s0RS S, Il doss os nes ss
come from the cotton gin thoroughly ,denuded
of all lint, and prepared for cheap and safe eX-
portation ard ready for the most approved
nnd efficient method OF conversion into oil and
oil cake.
1t comes from the gin denuded of all the
lint that is valuable for textile purposes. but
short fibre which would, If the seed were
shipped In bulk, absorb moisture sufficient to
cause a fermentation that would seriously i'm
pair the food value of the manufactured pro-
duct This characteristic of the American
seed also precludes the application of the best
methods now in practice for extracting oil and
ing England as the best market for cotton
seed and the English method as the best for
converting said seed into oil and cake, Ameri.
can seed comes from the gin in a condition un.
III to be either cheaply or safely exported, and
IT, peradvenlure, 1t should reach the English
market unaffected by damp and fermentation,
IL would still be in such condition that the
English method of converting 1t could not be
applied. For both purposes OF expectation
d esyes ,be the 200 seed Bounds must Sf
short fiber found in every ton thereof No
method yet has been devised and put in gen,
eIal practice that perfectly cleans the seed
without impairing its value. The chemical
process, by carbonization, destroyed the lint,
but at the same time seriously and materially
impaired the value OF the seed. The Inter,
used in the common method OF decorticatlon,
leaves undetached 175 pounds of short ilber
and thus leaves the seed unfit for export and
unfit for manufacture In It's entirety. With the
disabilities enumerated attached to the Amer
lean product, and the removal of which Is not
provided for by the prevalent methods, II Will
be readily seenwhy the domestic market alone
condition will be found also one Of the re lsons
why the home market itself does not consume
more of the product. With production ham
ket limited to only one e-seyenth OF the product
is IL surprising that the cotton planter should
be forced TO sell his cotton seed for Us per ton,
nCG mole than one. third of its real value?
Nor, contemplating the helples, dependence
N the ca,tou.seed producer under the present
1rder, is Il surprising that great trusts should
ness Snd holdng PfSs In
acondition in which Its utilities cannot be ap.
pIopriated by the planter, except upon condi-
that have heretofore appropriated and CON
templated In the future, appropriating values
that equitabiy belong to the man that grows
2. simple extension of the markets would
not assure the producer a satisfactory return
for his seed. II the American product, nn-
changed in character, with Its offensive fiber
still adhering, could be placed in all the Euro
pean markets and the helpful competition re-
sulting from the free access to consumers
cotton seed would be materially advanced
But even under these favorable conditions
the product would possess deprecated value
the best methods OF converting 1t, which con:
templ'te the full utilization OF kernel and
hull, could not be applied. The short fiber re
american Rsi me method eS'f Of deeorticaiion, v Wouit
have to be resorted to by the purchasers OF oui
This method involves, before the processes o
grinding, heating. and pressing are under
taken, the use Of three costly machines-thC
Inter, huller. and separator. After the pre-,
been done, and the final work of grinding ant
pressing is accomplished, the valuable pro
ducts from a ton OF cotton seed would be 2
pounds OF lint, worth .25: $50 pounds of oil
worth sll,lO, and 700 pounds of of cake, wortl
S5.?5, making an aggregate per ton OF manu-
featured pIoduct worth Sl76O, and leaving
unu.ilized, o75 pounds In every ton OF treated
product.
Unless some method could be devised fol
utilizing more of the elements In the ton anC
making the margin of profit TO the mills tina
handle II thereby greater, II is not probable
that the assured ana free access of American
cotton seed to the markets of the world woult
bring 10 the producer more than Sl2 per ton
nor Is II probable that such price as thi
would stimulate the conversion of the full an
nual American product The difficulties tina
have heretofore attended the preparation o
American cotton seed for conversion by th
best methods into Oil and oil cake, and eX
Cluded II from foreign markets, have beel
deemed insurmountable. This conclusion, IL
view of the new method of treatment devised
and applied by Crawford, must be abandoned
3. The English method of manufacturing