The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1889-09-10

sold the cotton short u must nave
cotton to fill their contracts. These
two classes are deeply interested In
anything that will induce the planter
to sell at once. The cotton man who
has sold short wants to fill before the
rise, and the jute man wants to crowd
the farmer to sell before he a get
cotton bagging. There is another
class of men who are terribly fright
ened lest the farmer will not sell his
cotton In time to pay his merchant
early enough for the merchant to
meet his maturing obligations on
time, and as a consequence they claim
that any delay in selling on the part
of the farmers will bankrupt all the
merchants in the country. They for
get that the farmer has for several
years been accommodating the mer.
chant by turning bis cotton loose as
soon as gathered, regardless of price,
until now the stomach argument Is
compelling him to look after his own
financial interests, and for once to be
just before he is SO generous. Be
just to himself, his wife, and his chill
dren before being generous to the
poor merchant. The merchant who
is a friend to him will be glad to as
sist him to hold until such time as he
can get the best price, and will not
join in with his enemies and try to
make him surrender to the jute man
and the gambler in futures.
1t would probably be best for the
cotton-grower if he were i~rrevocably
pledged to use cotton bagging and
the mills made it so slowly that it
would require till August, 1890, to
make enough to cover the crops. But
such is not the case. The mills have
the capacity to make enough to- cover
the crop by February, and it is not
likely that members of the order will
market Q all the crop by that time.
Brethren should get together in the
subordinate organizations and com-
pare notes, and such as have obliga-
tions that must be met before the cot
ton can be sold should be assisted by
those who r able, so that each Sub
Alliance or Wheel act as a unit to
hold every bale of its cotton to the
proper time. Merchants to whom in
definite obligations and crop mort
cages will fall due should be notified
early of the purposes of the order in
the premises; so that they may prepare
and assist in the effort.
The question of tare is beyond the
reach of Liverpool and American cot
ton exchanges, and must be solved
finally by justice. The mills want to.
buy cotton and not bagging and ties,
and whenever they learn that the
white bales contain ten pounds more
cotton than the brown bales, they will
certainly pay about one dollar per
bale more for them, and when a buyer
can always sell a white bale for about
a dollar more than a brown bale he
will soon be compelled to make that
difference in his purchases. This is
plain, because two bales each, weigh
ing 500 pounds, if one be wrapped in
jute and the other in cotton, will not
contain the same amount of cotton.
The cotton-wrapped bale will contain
about ten pounds the most.
In conclusion, IL is suggested that
every member who has not placed his
order for cotton bagging do so as soon
as possible, and then make his arrange
ments to meet his obligations without
selling his cotton, so that he may have
plenty of time to wait, not only for
the cotton .bagging, but after that
comes, to wait for Instructions from
the National cotton committee. De-
mand on every sale the eight pounds
premium over the actual weight of
the bale, unless the price is based on
cotton as the standard and jute is
locked eight pounds. In that case
the premium could not be claimed,
but when jute is the standard and the
gross weight of a bale wrapped in
cotton is 500 pounds, it should be set
tied for as sos pounds.
Stick to cotton bagging. There is
plenty of time for it before the spin
ners come after your cotton.
G. ". MAcUNE.