The Brookhaven leader., 1891-11-19
Coming Change i'll Cotton Pack.

ing.
The following extract from an edi-
torial in the Atlanta Constitution is
timely, and, as that paper suggests,
merits ut least immediate attention
and investigation by those planters
who desire to diminish the number of
middle men, who stand between them
selves and the maximum of profits
possible to themselves:
"Planters declare that there is no
money in cotton at the prices which
/ have prevailed i'll recent years. AS
the worlds crop is annually greater
! than the worlds absolute need, there
! is no reason to expect that the range
in prices will go higher i'll the future
than i'll the past.
Manual labor will not get any
cheaper for the tendency there is ever
toward an increase. Labor-s saving
machinery may be introduced, how
ever, and by reducing the cost of pro-
duction and preparation for market
enable the planter to net more for his
crop.
zone middle man, the factor, is
gradually disappearing from the cot
ton trade. Exporters and domestic
spinnerS send their agents into the
country and buy direct from the coun-
try merchant, whereas their universal
practice in the past WAS to buy from
the city merchant or seaport factor.
! The factors admit that their Occupa-
ton is going, \ few here and there
enjoy special arrangements with the
railroads which give them an advan-
tagc over the exporters, or ut least
put them on an equal footing with
him. But the middle man known is
the factor is disappearing.
"Now there is another middleman
who will eventually disappear, and
he is the hydraulic compress owner.
Cotton is packed twice now. 1t is
first made into the cumbersome planta-
ton bale and that goes to the powes-
full compress and is reduced oue-half
in bulk. Many active brains and
skillful hands have endeavored to
save this extra handling of the bale
and make the first COMPRISING reduce
it to the smaller size. The difficulty
has been that not enough power could
be obtained at the country gin to COM
! press 500 pounds of cotton into bale
of less that fifty cubic feet, while the
railroads and ships demand Il 800
pound bale Of twenty-five cubic feet
or less.
ga year or two ago a Texas grocer
of inventive mind hit upon Il princi-
pie which solves the problem and en-
ables the ginner to make a bale as
small as the bale turned out by the
powerful congresses, and of greater
density and at less expense than the
plantation bale is made. This does
away with the big congresses at one
stroke. 1t is estimated that the in
vention will save directly to the
planter from ST to $3.50 per bale, and
to the South from 100000 to
$20, 10000 a year, or to Georgia plant
ers from 81 100000 to $500, 900 an
nually. The process which is simple
in principle. congresses the cotton as
it is 9inned by passing it between
rollers and making it iltO a web
which is laid layer. upon layer in the
bale. The air and elasticity are thus
eliminated in large part before the
/ 10 CACItCtt vi inc DuIh. AS
described more fully in another col
umn, the process makes bale of uni
form size and of density of twenty
five pounds to the cubic foot. This
process requires no more power than
is used in making the plantation bale,
/ hence the cost is no greater, and as
a matter of fact is less.
"When bale is turned out by this
process it is ready to be loaded on a
car and carried through to Manches-
ter. The plantation bale has to be
carried to a distant compress. unload
ed, pressed into smaller bulk, reload
ed and hauled on to the port or do
nestle mill.
Successful COMPRISING at the
country gin will be boon to the rail
roads. With the same rolling stock
they can carry twice the amount of
cotton, they will get just as much for
hauling asmall bale as large one,
and will save the dead weight of ex-
ira cars, besides having them for other
traffic.
GAS the roller process is being sue
cessfully operated in Texas and at the |
Piedmont Exposition, and as it prom
ises to save SO much to the planters,
it fully merits the closest investigation
and study by Georgia's cotton men," |