The Brookhaven leader., 1889-10-24

The above from q farmer CORES
pondent of the Avalanche is II con-
else, plain statement of the bagging
steal of 10 pounds on every 500 pound
bale of cotton. A part from the ques-
ton of jute or cotton wrapping, of
Furnishing the bagging trust, this
is quite sufficient to enlist effort at
correction.
The Appeal has been requested to
publish the following which eluci-
dates the tare steal more in detail:
Mr. l.. p. Feathcrston, Forrest City,
Arkansas.
DEAN SIR-YOufs of the 18th inst,
is to hand, and l note contents. L
hope that your people will not allow
themselves to be deceived on this tare
question. The fact of the matter is
this: The basis for the. deduction of
tare that our buyers have been work
ing on up to this date was fixed when
the bale of cotton weighed on average
about 400 pounds, and when the ma
jority of farmers used two-pound jute
bagging and seven yards to the bale.
This made about fourteen pounds of
bagging and ten pounds of ties-twen-
ty-four pounds in all, or 6 per cent.
on 400 pounds. OF late years, as you
are we'll aware, the weight of the
bales has steadily increased until
now they average in all 500 pounds,
while great number weigh as high
as 600 and 700 pounds. The buyer
deducts to-day 6 per cent. for tare
on all bales, irrespective of the
weight. Consequently the planter
who markets 500-pOund bales is
locked for tare the value of thirty six
pounds of cotton, while the tare is
actually only about twenty or twenty
one pounds, as the average of jute
bagging now used is not over one
pound and three quarters, and the av-
erage number of. yards is about six
per bale. Consequently the buyer has
clear margin of from fourteen to
sixteen pounds on these heavy bales,
and it is entirely to his interest to see
the planter put up as heavy packages
as possible.
The average weight of a bale of
cotton last year was about 4SO pounds.
Six per cent on this would be twenty
eight and quarter pounds, so
that the average loss to the planter
on account of the tarc last year has
been from six and three-quarters to
eight and three-quarters pounds, or
say in round figures 20 cents per bale
on a crop of about 100000 bales.
Now, we propose to fix the tare, in
stead of allowing the buyer to do it
for us. We know that the tare does
not increase in anything like the
same ratio as the weight of the bale,
for it takes little more bagging and
ties to cover 7OO-pound bale than to
cover one of 400 pounds, and in
giving the buyer twenty-four pounds
off the jute- covered bales and sixteen
pounds off the eottOn-cOvered bales
we are still leaving him q margin to
cover any loss in weight from the
time it leaves the scales until the
time il reaches the mill. The strong
est opposition to this reform in the
manner of selling our crop comes
from the cotton buyers, and this
ought to be sufficient proof to the
most ignorant of our members that
they are making money out of the
present system. AS soon as the rule
to sell cotton by net weight is applied
the price per pound will advance, and
cotton THAT is worth to-day, gross
weight, 10 cents per pound, will be
worth, net weight, nearly10i cents.
Yours fraternaliy,
T. A. CLAYTON,
State Agent.