The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-10-02
AEBEvILLE's COTTON MOVEMENT.
Some Statements of Interest as to the
Merits and Demerits Of Jute and
Cotton Bagging--.COttOn Seed by
the Hundred Pounds.

the Hundred Pounds.
We have had Il busy week in tho Abbeville
cotton market. Nearly every day we nave
had more or less business. but on wednesday
and Saturday there was rush, anu Go.roii
buyers, and cotton weighers, anu merchantS
were up to their eyebrows In work.
The shipments to October LIST, was 10 bales,
and the total receipts In this market 10 that
date was lUO3 bales.
The price of the lint and the price of seed
still stand at high water mark. Nearly all
cotton has brought ten cents, while Inucn q,
it has commanded higher figures. Inc seeu
is still readily bought at ~ Genus i'r ="
pounds. ,
AS the seed is sold really by the pound, why
should not our buyers quote prices by Ing
hundred pounds. For instance, why snoi,.lu .,.n,
we not say that seed in the Abbeville market
is worth G622a cents per hundred? Tnls klnu OF
a statement would be definite. But wneh
bushel of cotton seed Is estimated III some
places at 33h pounds, at other places az 81
bounds, ana ut Abbeville at 30 pounds, there
seems to be no standard bushel. AS there Is
a standard pound, let the seed be sold by that
standard. An,
ance. we would give it as our own imprcs.
sion, that light has dawned on the minds OF
some of those who, at first were extremely
anxious to pack their cotton In cotton oag-
ging. Upon the second thought, we presume
that they begin to realize the fact that tne
Farmers Alliance long since fully accom-
plished their purpose IN reducing the price OF
jute, and that now there is no use 10 spe%H e1,f
butting their brains out
against stone wall. Jute Is now down 10
fair price, and the Alliance men, like other
people, must see that If six per cent OF tare
a loss of thirty pounds on u bale OF fiVe nun
dred pounds. II, therefore, only SIX pounas
of expensive cotton bagging and nine pounds
of iron ties is put on bale almost any man
in AbbeviIle county can figure IL out Cnat
they have to make up the difference IN INT
cotton. .,,,
Some of the Alliance men, and presumably
subscribers to the Press and Banner, see
that II they put on only fifteen pounds OF oag,
ging and ties on bale, that there Is loss OF
fifteen pounds in lint cotton. Fifteen ponnas
| of lint cotton at present prices Is WoTtn sloo
Realizing this fact report mas IL Inae naned ID
their cotton bagging to more enthusiastic
brothers of the great and glorious order, VINO
may be laboring under the delusion that they
themselves in the use of cotton bagging.
But there never was better time 10 agnt
an imaginary foe than now. TIne ilnt Is
about So a bale higher than 1t was last year,
and the seed is worth about Sl.5O more per
| bale than 1t has ever been. So that the iar-
mers who choose 10 do so. can we'll afford to
loss the trifie OF sl.5O on the bale.
AS we have heard of no merchant VINO mas
ordered cotton bagging, to be kept In stock,
and as it is now too late to order more, IL Is
fair to presume that the Alliance men who
have loaned their cotton bagging to others
will be forced TO use jqte, when VIII 9rlhg
the tare nearly to the Liverpool standard:
We presume that there is not man within
the limits of Abbeville county, who does not
know that the farmers are now on SOHO
basis In so far as 6agging Is coneernea. inc
have already fully paid the cotton mills lor
changing their machinery, and the situation
is this: The cotton mills have their machln-
ery in readiness 10 fill orders. The jute mer-
chant has his stock in hand. Next spring
all the Alliance has To- do is TO see the Jute
men. If they refuse to sell at fair prices, tne
cotton mills can be set to work. The cotton
| lutte will protect us from extortion by the cot
ton mills.
tory was never won by any organization, out
some men seem desirous TO keep up the light
at their own hurt, even after the adversary
| has surrendered. But at this warfare Inc
Press and Banner makes no protest, excepl
that we desire the welfare OF the county, anu u
dislike to see any farmer-nore especially q
subscriber to the Press and Bdnner-bllndly
throw away any Of his hard earned pronts.
We make perhaps 10000 bales OF cotton ID
Abbeville county. If therefore, hfteen pounas
| OF lint is taken out Of every bale to make up
| for the loss OF weight or tare by the use OF
light bagging, the loss to Abbeville county
alone would ne $4,000, or more than all the
Ia xes which we will pay this fall. Even though
It may be desired by some that we keep these
facts from the public, yet we owe duty 10
the subscribers OF the Press and Banner, some
| OF whom in justice to their families, or thelr
debtors, may not be in proper condition 10
| which they pack. ,
buyer discounts 500 pound bale ~ pounds
| II. therefore, only Is pounds of bagging and
Ties is put on the aforesaid bale the farmer
| losses lust Is pounds of his lint-and the
| b bIindest man in America can see this, II he
viii only open his syes: The poorest scholar ,aso M
fifteen pounds of lint means the loss OF Sl.5J
| to the farmer. The blindest and dullest mum
| In the world can see and count this. NOW,
on the other hand, the most orliiian.
can't disprove these facts-eXcept, as IT USED
to be said at school in such cases-the "an-
swer is Judged"
ging and ties, can tell exactly what he Is
| losing In the packing of his bale. The tare Is
six per cent-2l pounds on 400 pound bale !;
30 pounds on O 500 pound bale.
II the reader will indulge us just little, we
will talk on the proposed tare. that Is asked
| TO be allowed in Charleston, Mobile, New Or
leans, and other cotton mark cts. Let the
reader never forget that his cotton is obliged
| to submit to the Liverpool tare-S0 pounds To
| the 500 pound bale. There Is no way to get
round that. Now. If an additional tare Of Is
pounds Is allowed for cotton bagging, and "a
pounds for jute bagglng, In the cities M named,
dosnt see that If "a pounds is knocked off in
New Orleans, and then 30 pounds is knocked
Off in Liverpool, that the farmer has subject
ed his cotton TO tare of 81 pounds, instead OF
80 pounds, or As pounds instead of 80 pounds,
according to kind of bagging used?
| If the laws of the country did not forbid IT,
I does ANYBODY doubt that the cotton factors
would be perfectly willing 10 take off another
| tare on the farmers bale. Nothing but lack
| of the knowledge OF the facts, would make
| farmer consent to such wholesale loss as
| the second tare might inflict upon him.
We do not know what laws bear on the sub
| iect In other states, but the State Of South
Carolina, jealous OF the interests OF the far
mer, and determined that he should not be
cheated in any such hocus pocus why-What.
ever that means-enacted the following law
| 1.-THE custom OF making O deduction from
"the actual weight Of bales OF unmanufactur-
led cotton, as an dlloUnnce for tdre, 6reakd0e,
"or draft thereon, Is abolished; and all con.
"tracts made in relation 10 such cotton shall
"be deemed and taken as referring to the
"true and actual weight thereof ,0sthow de-
"duction for any such tare or drat."-Sec. ilgo.
While on this subject let us make another
quotation from the law, which may benefit
some body. Section ll9S OF the Revised Sta
"The Weight of bushel of cotton seed shall
"be thirty pounds, except the seed OF long sta
"ple cotton, of which the weight shall be for.
I"ty-two pounds"
| But. II liberal minded sellers choose to give
away two or three pounds OF their SEED, 1s tnere
| The packing Of bag OF cotton Is practi-
cal subject, and appeals to the practical com.
mon sense Of every man III the South, but the
kind of bagglng which we use, seems TO us to
be OF Infinitely less importance than the
amount Of tare to which the bale is subjected.
| AS matter OF fact, we do not understand
| how any one can hope to see cotton bagging
permanently take the place Of jute 'bagging.
Lint cotton is worth eight or ten cents a
pound, and jute, we are told, in its unmanu
factured State, is worth only two or three
cents pound. This difference in price, 1t
would seem to US, will forever preclude the
possibility of. permanently substituting cot
| ton for jute baggng.
But the greatest evil under which our peo-
pie suffer Is the rate of tare. The right thing