The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1888-09-18

purchases, and that would place pro-
ducers on the same footing as regards
transportation and other charges.
If this is not done now, cotton bales
will increase in weight constantly, un-
til, probably in the middle OF the sea-
son, the men at the seaports will refuse
to handle them, with consequences to
the whole trade that can be readily
conceived.
When the existing system of cover
ing the cotton bale is considered, it is
hard to see where it has one redeem
ing feature.
The jute bagging used affords a
most inadequate protection against
damage by wet and dirt, and against
loss in weight in handling, and it
positively and considerably increases
the risks of damage from fire, the
fuzzy nature of the material making
it specially liable to ignite from the
slightest spark. .l.uas. ..s&g o.,
The producer pays a high price for
this bagging and gets absolutely moth
ing for it, as it is practically Of no
commercial value when stripped from
the bales by the spinner.
1t has been frequently stated-it has
been maintained even in Congress
that the producer gets the same price
for, the jute bagging that he gets for
his, cotton. In q certain this is
true, but will any sensible man dis.
pute that the price Of the cotton is re-
duced in proportion to the quantity Of
jute bagging that has to be paid for ?
Is it necessary to point out that
European spinners-much less Ameri-
can spinners-are not SO simple Is to
wish to pay us full cotton value for
jute bagging that is to them of no
use ?
English buyers, in calculating the
prices they can pay for cotton in our
markets, deduct I lbs. per cwt. of l12
lbs. for bagging and ties, and loss of
weight in transit, so that for every
bale of 500 lbs. that a farmer sells, he
receives, at most, the actual value of
1850 lbs. of cotton, while he has to
pay for the transportation and hand
ling of the full 500 lbs.
There a be no question that the
only return the cotton producers Of
this country get for the jute bagging
they purchase is the inadequate pro-
lection of their cotton. OF money re-
turn they get absolutely none at alJ-and
the same may be said of the iron ties.
It takes to cover a bale of cotton of
500 lbs. say Z yards of bagging,
weighing II lbs. per yard, l24 lbs.
To this add the weight of 6 iron ties,
say 10 lbs, and we have 224 lbs. as
the weight of the covering and fasten-
ing of the average bale of cotton as it
goes through the purchasers scales, in
this country. The tare and loss of
weight calculated by English buyers
on each 500 Id. bale is as we have seen
81 3-4 lbs, so that we have to stand a
loss of 9 lbs. of actual cotton per bale,
equal to one and AS per cent, or
about 80, 900 bales of cotton actually
lost to us on annual exports of $780,
600 bales. .f> t" 4" n.'"
This is surely sufficient commentary
on the protection afforded by jute
bagging, without proceeding to con-
slider the waste during transportation
and handling in the interior, the in.
creased risks of fire, and the onse-
quently increased rates of fire insur-
ance, and the liability to damage on
account of the open texture of the
bagging.
1t may be argued that this loss of
weight is caused to a great extent by
the rough usage the bales meet with
on board ship. To this we would re-
ply, that a roughly and imprectly
covered package, like a cotton bale to-
day, will be always roughly handled,
while a neatly and carefully covered
package, even of less value, will meet
with careful treatment wherever it
goes.
But it will be advisable to consider
the amount of money this jute bag
ging costs the cotton producer in the
course of a year, and the hands into
which the money passes.
At the present date, jute bagging
is selling in New Orleans at II IA cts.
per yard, and it is safe, to predict that
this will be at least the average cost to
the cotton producer this year. At 7
yards to the bale, the covering will
cost IS cents per bale, making S.
300, 1000 on a crop of six and a quarter
million bales. #-a
al The use of this covering will cause
a loss, as we have shown, Of 80, 900
bales of cotton, say at $45 per bale