The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-07-10
FARMER AND PLANTER.
TIE SMALL BALE.
A South CaroIinian Pays His Respects to
the Texas "Gin Man.


A Texas "Gin Man, in your columns,
thinks that somebody has an axe to
grind" Possibly he is mistaken, both
as to grinding the axe and somebody's"
knowledge of what he is writing about.
rs the sequel to the small-bale contro-
versy will in few years show. When
the small bale becomes an established
fact the ''one-horse" ginner and mi
gratory Cheap John can, if they take
pleasure in such pastime, compete
more vigorously with the ''Gin Man."
who is able to pay five hundred dollars
for cotton press, and, with the use of
that complicated machine, pay in adj
dition thirty-fve cents per bale for
packing. According to what is implied
in his letter he thinks he is ginning
cheap, and is on the Cheap John"
order; but might he not be mistaken
in that as we'll as he was
about that axe-grinding bust
ness? In certain county of certain
State, across the ''Sav-va-ny," the farm
ers got their cotton ginned and packed
for eight cents per hundred forty cents
per bale) Therefore, when the GIN
ner's compensation reaches that figure
it is pretty certain that it has struck
bottom.
My friend, the "Gin Man." thinks
that if the small bale is adopted his
$500 press will be useless-but were he
the mechanic that he should be in order
to control such business as his-he
4ho ho1 OF
penter, with very little cost, alter his
cotton-box so as to make small bales,
and if he plans correctly and does the
work properly, instead of paying thirty
five cents for packing the time-honored
five-hundred FOUNDER, it should cost
him less than fifteen cents for the neat,
small bale. Now, don't understand
by the above that every "Gin Man"
can make the change without in-
creasing cost of packing, but what is
meant is emphaticaIy this that
the man who can not make the change
without increasing cost of packing lis
not fit for Gin Man" though he has
been at the business forty years. The
very best thing for him to do after the
small bale is adopted is to belt his ma
chinery to one-horse country store or
undertake the practice of medicine.
Well, now, the small bale would not
be tumbled in the mud as much as the
huge five hundred FOUNDER. There are
yet, even in ''our degenerate day, !"
thank God, men who try to live honest
and believe firmly that whatsoever a
man soweth that shall he also reap, y
and if their cotton was put up in shape
that they could handle it, rather than
throw it in the mud and leave it exposed
to the rain, sun and COWS, they would
put it in their bedroom for want of bet
ter place. AS to the cost of handling.
any simpleton knows that it would take
less labor to handle 100 bales
weighing $50 pounds, than so
bales weighing 500 pounds AS farm
ers are to sit in Judgment in
this controversy, an illustration that
every one will understand is admissible.
A farmer cleared an acre of woodland,
and when the chopping was all done the
large logs and poles lay in profusion
over the land, a couple of hands could
have piled them, had they all been
poles, at small cost, but on account Of
the large logs, a dozen or more were
necessary, and for the very reason that
the logs were large and heavy A log
rolling is the very costilest work on
the farm; with equal force will the
same rule apply to cotton bales.
My friend, the Gin Man." also as
serts that it would never do to have
''gin men" sample, grade, weigh, and
label cotton bales, himself included.
That sounds very strange coming, as it
does, from ''gin man." Who in this
wide world is in q position to be better
qualified 60 do the grading? The ''Gin
Man" knows, or ought to know, what is
in the very center of ever bale he
packs; he knows exactly what is
the grade of every basketful that
is poured in his gin hopper,
whereas the cotton merchant does not
know any thing about what is in the
middle of bale unless he ''boxes' it.
A few figures will, perhaps, throw a
slight weight in the business on the
side of ''gin men, grading and weigh
ing cotton. In the days when there
was no Farmers Alliance, farmers paid
twenty cents bale for weighing, two
pounds per bale breakage, and one
pound was wasted sampling.
Basing calculation on the above for
total crop, we have the following:
Seven million bales of cotton, al
twenty cents per bale for weighing,
81, 400 OO0
Seven million bales of cotton, two
pounds per bale breakage, ten cents ger
pound, 81, 400, 900.
Seven million bales of cotton, one
pound per bale sampling, ten cents pei
pound, $780, 600.
Total, SO, 500, 600.
Every farmer who has sold cotton in
the past knows, or should know, what
the above figures mean. BY making
the ''gin men" grade, weigh and labe,
the cotton every cent of that SO, 500, OOt
annually would jingle in the pockets O
those who sweat for it. Cheap Joh1
''gin men" would be willing to weigh
grade and label the crop for smaller
sum than that. Would it not be
houauza If tho oiopnr Gould c.oA - II 4: