St. Landry democrat., 1889-07-13
Millions in Cotton Oil.

A Columbia letter to the Charleston
Neacs says: "Great interest naturally
centres now in the cotton seed oil business,
for the reason that so many new mills are
projected all over South Carolina. Six
teen of them have applied for charters al
ready this year. and as more than half
have been incorporated, it is reasonable to
suppose that they will be at work by the
opening of the next cotton season. This
is an opportune time for considering the
possibilities of the new manufacture in
the State.
ga rough idea of the quantity of raw
material available may be obtained by
means of the following calculation. The
cotton crop of the State in good season is
about 800, 1000 bales of $50 pounds each, or
243, 900, 900 pounds. AS the seed product
is twice as heavy as the lint, it appears
that the full annual yield of cotton seed is
1856, 600, 900 pounds or 2l5, ZOO long tons.
No figures have been given for the season
just ended, but during the preceding sea-
son the Columbia mills paid the producer,
according to the Neaos and Curriers' re-
view of the business of Columbia in 1887
SO, an average of $13 per ton. At this
valuation, the States annual crop of cotton
seed would be worth So, 1916, 900. Of
course, under no circumstances would all
of this seed be available for milling pur-
poses, as much of it is produced too
far away from the markets, much has to
be retained for planting the next crop, and
quantities are wasted and damaged. But,
SO far as the production is concerned, it is
believed that this estimate of seed is below
rather than above the mark. During the
season of 1SS7-SS the Columbia mills sold
their product for an average price of
about $40 a ton, roughly divided as fol-
lows: Oil $12, meal Sc, lint 50. At
these prices the seed product of South Car
DINA, after passing through the mills,
would be worth $4,25O,0O0 1t may be
thought that the business is being over
done, and that the seed cannot be obtained
in sufficient quantities to supply the mills.
But when it is considered that the new
mills are nearly all very small as compared
with the two leading Columbia mills, and
that combined they will not more than
equal the capacity of the mil1s already es-
tablished, which grind say $4,000 tons
year, it is evident that the States supply
of seed cannot be mere than half consumed
during the next year or two. !
"For example, the three new mills to be
erected by the United Cotton Seed Oil
Company-and they are the largest of the
new ones-will grind about sixty tons each
per day, while one of the Columbia mills
has capacity of 1876 tons day, and an
other can grind 100 tons. An expe
rienced cotton seed miller tells NE that the
next season will be the first in which
full test of the success of the manufacture
on competitive basis will be afforded. At
the same time he has no fears that the
supply of seed will run short, as he has
found that the greater the number of mills
the greater has been the supply of seed
of cotton oil must of course,
consider the danger of over production, but
his would seem to be remote at present,
as the consumption of the production is so |
rapidly extending and increasing.
The United Cotton-Seed Oil Company |
will probably establish mills in other
States, as well as in South Carolina The |
stronger and more numerous these Compel
tors, the smaller will be the chance of the
Trust again securing control of the BUSH
less and depressing the price of seed. So
I'll ought to be welcomed"