The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-11-05
SEPARATING SEED FROM COTTON.
Cotton Seed Cake and its Value The Lint
., Hulis, Soap Stock and Glycerine.
From the Tradesman.

Cotton Seed Cake and It's halue Il no Liht'
p, Hulis, Soap Stock and Glycerine.
From the Tradesman.
Previous to 1855, cotton seed had no
commercial value whatever. Its oleagl-
nous character had been recognized
and schemes suggested by which the
oil could be removed from the seed; but
all these proved wild chimerical pro-
jects, resulting in disaster and loss.
The first practical attempt at extract
ing the oil from the cotton seed was
made at Natchez in 1884. The gentle
men who were in the enterprise were
Cooper and Plummer of Georgia, Fallet
Of Virginia, and Miller of Kentucky.
The machinery of this mill was of the
rudest kind, the pressure necessary to
extract the oil from the seed being OBJ
tanned by means of wedges. The re-
suit was disastrous failure, all those
engaged in the enterprise being ruined
by it.
In 1852 the matter was taken up in
sSaX Orleans, Messrs. William Wilbur
and Frederick Goode LbeenS~Ssnus,p - pto
neers in the new movement. IGesE
mill was decided improvement on the
Natchez one and succeeded in turning
out good character of crude oil which
was afterwards clarified and refined.
The New Orleans mill also turned out
oil cake for the first time and converted
the refuse into soap. This enterprise,
although apparently we'll managed,
was also unsuccessful financially and
those engaged in it lost heavily. How
ever, the experiment demonstrated
very clearly that a good quality of oil
could be extracted from the cotton seed,
and the industry was cultivated and
encouraged from that time. In 1855,
the manufacture of cotton seed oil was
taken in hand bye. w. Bradbury, and
despite many disadvantages, including
the lack of capital, was carried by him
to financial success. Messrs. Pauline
Martin, F. w. Fisk, Paul Aldige and
A. A. Maginnis should also be men
toned as among the fathers of the cot
ton seed oil industry of the South,
having all operated, and successfully
too, in the manufacture of cotton seed
oil before the war. That gigantic
struggle closed the New Orleans mills
for the very sufficient reason that there
was no seed to crush; but with peace
they opened again.
INCREASE OF MILLS.
Since then, the industry has pro-
gressed rapidly, as follows:
1866, mills in the country, 8 ofthem
in New Orleans.
1870, 26 mills, in New Orleans.
1880, IS mills, in New Orleans.
In 1860, Louisiana turned out $780,
900 of products, New York S76,50O,
Rhode Island $4,000 and Tennessee
100000.
In 1870, New Orleans stood third in
the list, Providence, Rhode Island,
yielding $5OO,O00 Of cotton seed oil pro-
ducts, Memphis S36O,oOO and New Or
leans 1882, 500. The total number of
establishments then in existence in this
country was 2s, employing 66a hands,
paying out $292,032 in wages, using
81, 1856, ,63l of materials and producing
S2,205, ,Ol0 of oil cake, etc.
In 1880 the number of mills and their
products had increased to As, with
capital of So, ,S62, 800, 3,319 hands, $780,
1856 paid in wages, s., 5,091, ,25l of material
used and production of$7, $50, 92l. The
cotton seed oil industry had more than
trebled in ten years.
BY this time, 1880, the industry was
on sure and profitable basis; indeed,
it has never been quite as profitable
since. The business was not overdone
then. There were not too many mills
and consequent contest over seed.
The mills divided the South e1nita-
bly, among themselves and got all the
seed they wanted at fair prices. They
had no difficulty in disposing of their
product which was rapidly coming
into favor as an adulterant for olive oil
and millions of gallons of it were ship
ped to France and Italy to be rechris-
tened, and come back here as olive oil,
worth twice the price it left our shores.
During these earlier days the oil mills
coined money, and dividends Of 25 and
40 per cent. were not uncommon. The
ssssssSssstry was largely concentrated at
inddspoints, New Orleans, ,;Memphis,
certain Tneinnati, Providence and
st. Louis, will be. noted that
New York. the Southern cotton
large percentage ind manuf.c-
seed crop was crushS the North.
tured into Oil cake, etc., 6ay, the
From 1880 to the preseTscitin
industry has been in a very eSSaa
condition, with frequent changes Sk
fluctuations although always advancing
and improving. The mills contlnueu
to multiply until they became 'oo
numerous. Seed war followed anu 90
bigh as sl9a a ton was paid for seeo' ~
price at which there was no possloili.! W
profit, as it made the cost OF con'el'.ns -.
the seed into oil s25 more than all the
,nroducts would sell for.
THE COTTON SEED OIL TRUST.
The American Cotton Seed Oil Trust
onneared in the field and i: looked at
first as though that great corporation
would swallow the industry just as the
Standard Oil Trust began buying mills
right and left, paying for them in its
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