The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-03-27
Finer Cotton.


Der of the Southern and Western Tex
tile Excelsior, published at Charlotte,
is so closely in the line of what we
said yesterday on the subject of the
Importance Of Southern farmers grow
ing finer cotton to supply the wants
of their small town mills and enable
those mills to compete successfully
with their larger and distant rivals for
the manufacture of fine cotton goods
that we quote literally from its state
ments.
GAS our mills grow in number and
make advances in producing finer
counts of yarn and weaving finer
cloths" says our contemporary-whose
name, We may remark, is rather long
for repeated reference-"it is time for
the Dixie farmer to get out Of the rut
he has been following for years and
grow a longer staple of fibre. :" The
farmers say thay "cannot raise cotton
at cents without loss;" they are re
minded pertinently that they are un-
der no necessity to raise 5-cent cotton,
and that "the Sea Island cotton has
held its own in value, 25 and 30 cents
per pound being a minimum price.
The Textile Excelsior is "not san
guine," of course, about the prospect
of raising upland cotton that will COM
pare with the Sea Island, but every
step in that direction is in the right
direction, and will be made to the ad-
vantage of the farmers as we'll as the
mill. A fibre of intermediate fneness,
between that of the short staple 5-cent
cotton, which is the rule, and the Sea
Island cotton, which is the exception,
can be grown, because it has been
grown and is grown on large scale
already to the great profit Of the grow
ers. Our contemporary adds:
Gone of the difficulties of raising
staple between 'uplands' and Sea Is
land comes in the ginning. The use
of the modern steam gin is impracti-
cable, for it would injure the lint, so
that it would not sell for more than
ordinary uplands. The saw gin, which
Egyptian cotton growers use, must be
resorted to. The operation is slow
and sorely taxes the patience of the
Southern cotton raiser, who has been
accustomed to the quick process of
the steam gin.
"The best known upland long staple
variety is known as the Allen, and
the seed can easily be procured. The
seed is rather larger, we understand,
than the upland, and the net weight
of the crop is somewhat affected, but
look at the difference in price. One
South Carolina farmer grew this cot.
ton in the season of 1893, and used
the saw gin. When uplands were
bringing S cents at the highest he sold
his entire crop at an average Of 16
cents, getting 18 cents for the best,
and he stated to the writer that it paid
him we'll. There was some delay in
finding market for it, but by grow
ing ityear after year the sale of itwould
be much easier matter each time.
This farmer will grow it again this
year.
The difference in price, ought to
be argument and inducement enough
to satisfy any farmer who is not in
position or is not inclined to grow cot
ton for fun. Smaller crops and better
prices are both conceded to be desira
BILE, and the finer cotton gives both
results. Certainly, and independents
ly Of general and cooperative schemes
for improving existing conditions, any
farmer would prefer to raise five bales
of 16-cent cotton rather than 10 bales
or Is bales of 5-cent cotton. There is
both less labor and more satisfaction
in the smaller and finer crop. The
plan paid cone South Carolina far,
mer," and "paid him well. 1t will
pay others just as well.
What is said by the Textile Excel
sior about ginning is also pertinent
and Of lasting interest. A gin or a
mode of ginning which cuts the fibre
of the cotton cuts the selling price at
the same time in equal measure.
Haste in the process of ginning itself
"makes waste" and always at the
farmers expense. He gets paid ac-
cording to the "waste" he makes. A
steam gin can be run at rate of speed
that will chop or saw the cotton fibre
into bits and render it well-nigh worth
less. It is well to keep as far from
that rate as is practicable. There is
no economy in Saving time at the
gin that must be paid for many times
over by the loss in value of the cotton
ginned. It means many dollars in the
pocket of any farmer to be able to hold
his cotton and gin it at his leisure at
home, SO as to gin it in the best form;
and one great advantage of the inde-
pendent, no-advances farmer is that
he is in that position instead of hav-
ing to hurry his crop to the gin and
through the gin and to market to meet
maturing obligations.
The question of substituting the
Egyptian gin, or any other, for the
kind in general use in the South is
too large for discussion here. 1t is
enough, perhaps, to say that the kind
of gin, and the mode of ginning, that
are proved to injure the fibre of the
cotton least and insure the best price
for it will be adopted by all intelligent
farmers without urging from any quar-
ter. The present question is simply
whether finer cotton, carefully ginned,
will "pay" better than common cotton
ginned in the machine and by the
methods now commonly employed and
sold at current and recent prices, and
that is practical question to be set
tied by experiment. Gone South
Carolina farmer has settled it to his
own satisfaction, as narrated. Others
may profit by his example and expert
ence.-Ne,cS and Courier.
- There is more solid comfort in
smile than in whole gross Of frowns.
1t is good economy to smile.
"Perhaps YOU would not think