The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-11-13
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 1889.
Cotton Shipments From Abbcviile.

Total receipts. .............'"'.of'i na'eS'
The markets are we'll supplied with coNoh
seed. but owing to the low price OF oil. the
price of seed has been reduced to lSla cents
per bushel.
Cotton held up we'll all last week, and
reached as high as ~ cents, but yesterday
there was q depression. The highest price
paid yesterday was 95-S, with downward
tendency from even these figures
The merchants have had better trade this
Fall than they have had ut this season for
many years.
Last Saturday especially, was busy day
In the stores The remark was made that the
trade was better than it was ever known to
be on u circus day.
The average sales in October. we believe,
are about fifty per cent greater than during
the corresponding month of last year. Up
to this time in November the trade has been
phenomenally good.
The collections were never better. 1t seems
that everybody will ''pay out" and that
scores OF people will pay debts Of long stand
ing.
Already debtors are relieving their farms
OF mortgages, and the supply Of money wait.
ing Investment or for loan was never greater.
AS a result, the price of farming lands has
gone up, and will 60 higher, while interest
will likely be lower in some instances.
The per cent Of cotton sold in this market
last week, which was packed in light bagsing,
was larger than for any similar period since
the opening Of the Fall trade.
The sales, last week OF bales In jute,
would not average more than from sixty TO
eighty In the one hundred-the balance being
in the light bagging. Heretofore the sales In
light bagging would average r"ihaps from
five to ten in the one hundred bales.
The increase of per cent during the last
week over former receipts in cotton bagging
may not be attributable to any renewed zeal
on the part Of planters in the use OF light
bagging, but the In crease Is due, we believe
mainly on account OF the action OF the Long
Cane sub-Alliance. They being a well-to-do
and thrifty people were enabled to act in
perfect accord with the instructions of the
Alliance, and kept their cotton until the
light bagging could be had, while the breth-
rem in other localities in some instances
from their financial circumstances-were
forced to sell earlier so that they might SET
tie their pressing debts AS a rule the mer-
chants and others urged debtors TO sell while
tue price was high, and when the light bag
ging could not be had.
The enforced action OF debtors generally
around the village, which compelled them to
use the heavy bagging and to sell early in the
season when the price was highest, furnishes
one more strong argument against the whole
credit system.
In the first place, the planter was urged to
sell when he did not wish to do so, and was
thuscompelled to use jute bagglng.
In the next place, the ability of the thrifty
Long Cane farmers, enabled them to hold on
10 their cotton until such times as the ALI
ance thought best for them TO sell.
The better price which the debtor breth-
rem received, and their inability to use the
cotton bagging-which the Long Cane farmer
was bound to use-we presume. has done
much 10 create dissatisfaction even among
the ranks of the best and truest members OF
the Alliance. If all go into Il combination
to use light bagging, and only small num-
ber are able to carry out the agreement, the
arrangement throws heavy burden on those
who are able-but none the less willing-to
submit TO the loss In the use OF light bagging.
For this reason, we urged some time ago
the Justice OF those who sold early, contrib
uLing something In money 10 make up the
losses which the other brethren sustained by
sticking to the rules of the order. Long
Cane members obeyed the Instructions OF
the Alliance. as to the sale of cotton aud the
use of light baggng. In this particular they
seem to be an exception to the rule.
Without knowing the exact amount of cot
ton which has been packed in light bagging-l
we would suppose that Long Cane has used
q very large per cent of all the light basging
that has been sold In this market.
Willie light bagging has been distributed
from Abbeville to the four quarters, yet We
believe 1t Is a fact, that some men-realiZlng
that In the use of cotton bagging on five
hundred pound bale, at least sixteen pounds
OF lint would be lost-have counted the cost,
thrown their white bagglng away, and bought
jute, for the simple reason that they felt un-
able to throw away one dollar and fifty cents
on every bale SO packed.
Whenever 1t Is ascertained how the farmer
is to get back any money which he loses in
packing this years crop, we have no doubt
that The demand for light bagging will be
greater, even than 1t Is now.
We see by our exchanges, that in some
sections, the planters are seeking to make
up the loss In the use of light bagging, by
putting on IN extra number Of iron ties.
This seems to meet with dsfavor by the mill
men, who have no use for the old iron tics-ifl
the Augusta Chronicle Is correctly informed.
Our people have not yet, as far as we know,
tried the plan Of putting on extra i-ou ties,
but 1t seems that another, and less eXpen-
sive method has been adopted, in one in
stance. at least-namely, that Of putting in
the end of a bale two extra bricks.
AS cotton covered bale con tains some ten
or fifteen pounds of extra lint and asa brick
weighs only five pounds, SO two bricks would
weigh only ten pounds-or enough to bring
the cotton bagging up to the regular standard
tare.
bricks in q bale accomplishes the same pur-
pose as an extra iron tire or two, but what
ever favor the iron tire plan may meet, we
presume the brick plan of getting even will
certainly meet with no favor anywhere.
But, seriously, If q man may be allowed to
put on an extra iron tie and may increase
the jute for no other known reason than to
increase the weight why should Il man not
he allowed to tie on one or two extra bricks
to each bale. The iron tie and the extra juto,
are put on openly. and If the brick IS not
concealed we do not see any more reason to
object TO one plan than to the other.
The cotton buyers would no doubt MAKE Il
fuss II the iron tie was packed inside, and