The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-09-17
ABOUT PACKING COTTON.
Of Course the Cotton Dealer wants
Heavy Bales...The Farmers Inter-
est Being the Opposite, Should
Have Light Bales.
Columbia Re1iSfPr.

COthnOtu ffeglSteT.
The Abbeviue Medium calls our attention to
the following communication from Baltl-
more. The Register printed the article criti.
cised upon the authority Of the Press and
Banner and called attention to 1t as some
thing worth looking into.
For the same reason we give the Mediums
Baltimore correspondent editorial space.
This is too important matter to be overlook
ed or misapprehended.
Here Is the view the Baltimore correspon.
dent takes OF the matter:
Mr.; Editor: | notice In your Issue Of Az.
the Farmers to consider" This article seems
to have originated with the A66eville Press
and Banner and was reprinted by the Col,tn,.
oa Register before appearing IN yGb1r valuable
ted, and 1t Is matter OF so much Importance
to the farmer, take the liberty Of offering
a correction TO what consider false state
the writer attempts to point out to the farmer
where he meets with great loss by packing
his cotton In heavy bales. He states that six
RnoeSed sr ae off for I the ss baggng and tes-6e also
shows that when bale weighs GOO pounds 86
pounds is deducted, and II 1t weighs 400
pounds only 24 pounds Is taken of, when In
reality 1t requires same number4of pounds OF
bagging and ties to cover the heavy bale as 1t
does the light Now, every one in the cotton
business knows that nothing, absolutely
nothing, is deducted for tare on cotton In the
off. but 1t is the exporter who loses 1t and not
the farmer:
I don't suppose there is one farmer in the
South who exports his cotton. The covering
on cotton is q profit to the farmer and not
loss. According to the Ab6euilLe Press and
Banner farmer can cover MS coiton al
cost Of 81, 30 per bale Now, II he sells at iOc.
and ties he gets a return Of S240 for the neces.
sary expenditure Of sl30, showing net profit
OF Sl.l0. In conclusion, would say that II
| 4k,a forr to nly hi
heavy bales, for the simple reason that near.
ly all charges are made per bale. River
freight ls so much per bale. Some commits
sion merchants are now charging by the bale !;
are charged by the bale. If farmer who
raises 0bales Of 400 pounds each Will PACK
his crop into GO bales Of 600 pounds each he
will save the expense Of handing "a naies OF
cotton. Y. u. T.
To which the Register replies. as follows:
With the greatest respect far the Balti more
writer we think his view OF the matter is en-.
tirely fallacious and shortsighted when ne
claims that the tare taken off In Europe has
nothing to do vii the price the farmer gets
on this side OF the water.
price across the water, as everybody knows.
When c. l.. p. tells us that the exporter bears
the loss OF tare, don't he see that the buyer
of 500 pound bale OF cotton knows he Will
have So struck Off the price OF the bale across
the water, whilst for the "a pounds OF bagging
and ties, at 10 cents pound, he gets but $40?
This shows him as plain as can be that he
must lose this 20 cents to the bale unless he
takes II Off the price he pays the farmer. We
are now sending abroad some five million
bales. Can any reasonable person suppose
that the exporter can afford to max the plan
ter q present of three million dollars q year?
Not q bit OF It. The exporter takes off this So
and then pays the farmer for his bale, hoops,
ties and all, as so much cotton. AS to freight
charges being made per bale. we have to pay
SO much hundred. and If we are not groosly
In error the same thing transplres In ship
ping North or across the water.
Now let us see il we can figure out the dif
ference to the farmer In packing his cotton In
600 pound and in $50 pound bales. When he
sells q six hundred pound bale, the buyer
for foreign or 3ome consumption. The far,
mer then gets for his "a pounds OF ties and
bagging S2.40. He is out OF pocket then $l.2O,
besides the cost OF hoops and ties, which IS
81 80, according to the Press and Bunner. The
farmer then, after all said and done, has
pSrted With PONDS Of clean so5on on bis
If on the other hand he sold the same cot
ton in $50 pound bales, he would have deduct:
ed against him S2.70 for tare, and he would
get 81 40 for his hoops and ties, which would
leave him but 80 cents Of the tare he must
lose, which, added to the cost Of hoops and
ties, would show 81. to the 450 pound bale:
hold the same cotton as 100 bales weighing
$50 pounds. Andif this statement we make
be correct, the planter would lose $3.50 on
each OF the ninety bales, which would be
s225; whilst he would sink only Sl.G0 on the
bale Of the hundred bale lot. or slg0.
In putting the same cotton in 90 Instead Of 100
bales.
Respectfully referred back to the AbGepille
Medium and Uncle Robert.