The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-11-22
The Big Cotton Bale.

It would seem that the cotton bale
has finally reached it's maximum size,
and that it is likely, if anything, to
grow smaller. The average weight of
the bales received this year is mate
rally less than those of the previous
one.
The September bales in 1892, for
instance, weighed 523.l pounds, but
this September they weighed only
516.63, decrease of SAT pounds:
For the two months Of September and
October the average was 503.08, as
against 5l0.38, or 7.3 pounds less. 1t
will be seen that the bale continues to
grow smaller as the season progresses,
the indications being that for the
whole year it will fall below 500
pounds. The decrease is marked
everywhere in the South. In Texas,
famous for it's big bales, their average
weight has fallen off 1914 pounds; in
Louisiana 40. The decrease is less
marked on the Atlantic coast, but
even there the disposition is shown to
put fewer pounds Of cotton into bale
than formerly.
This tendency is all the more mark
ed because hitherto the disposition
was quite the other way-to increase
the size of the bale until it threatened
to reach $50 pounds, or even more.
Starting at about 420 pounds, it had
steadily increased until monster bales
were frequently met with of 300 to
900, and in some few cases Of 1,l00.
The example is simple. It costs to
move and handle cotton in many por-
tions Of the South and especially along
the Mississippi, so much per bale,
whether the bale weighs 300 or 1000
pounds. There was the same charge
for transportation by boat, and for
hauling and storage. in the press.
When the Mississippi levee districts
were organized and began raising
money for levee building by means Of
tax on cotton, it was placed at 80
much per bale, and it sometimes ran
very high-s2 to $3.50 per bale. The
planter, therefore, who put up his cot
ton in bales Of 1000 pounds or more
saved just half his tax. Altogether it
was possible to save 81 or So bale by
adopting the heavy standard, and that
was no small item in large crop.
This little trick, however, was soon
understood, and those who lost by it
took steps TO protect themselves. The
railroad freight charge was by the
pound, so that there was no profit In
putting up big bales that had to be
transported by rail. The levee dis
tricts levied their produce tax on cot
ton by the pound instead of the bale
as formerly, and the laborers in the
presses began demanding extra rates
for handling the heavier packages.
This cut out all the profit on the big
bales, and the planters, finding that
they secured little if any benefit from
them, have ceased trying to put too
many pounds in bale. The result is
shown in the decreased weight this
year.
The change is matter for congrat-
ulation. The big bale was nuisance,
hated and detested by all. It was
clumsy and required more labor to
handle. The spinner also complained
that the cotton thus packed reached
him in a more or less Objectionable
and uncovered condition. Complaints
have poured in from England of the
manner in which cotton was packed
and baled in this country, and sug-
costing that we adopt the methods in
vogue in Egypt or India, the cotton
from which countries reached Europe
| in better condition than ours. The
suggestion that we adopt standard
bale used in other countries of 300 or
$50 pounds is not likely to be adopted
here, however, because most of our
presses and machinery are not adapted
to packing cotton as compactly as is
necessary in these small packages ;
but the returns of the cotton exchange
would indicate that the big bale is
equally Objectionable, and that the
South had about concluded that the
weight best adapted to this country,
most easily and cheaply handled, is
about 500 pounds.-Neao Orleans
| Times Democrat.