The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-02-05
Suaersou gnteIttgeusee.
A BALE OF UNIFORM SIZE.
A Matter Of Present Moment to Every
Farmer.

A paper vas prepared by Mr.. Rich.
ard Lord, Texas representative of the
large cotton exporting firm of G. H.
McFadden & Co., Of Philadelphia, and
submitted to the American Cotton
Growers Protective Association at
its Memphis meeting on the 21st inst,
and in it Mr.. Lord in a most i%ntelli-
gent and concise way has probably
set forth more clearly than has ever
been done before the great advantages
and gain the farmers would enjoy by
adopting a bale of cotton Of uniform
size. He gives figures to show what
the saving would be by increasing the
density of the bale. His exposition
Of the subject is very plain and lucid,
and can be understood by all.
The question Of adopting standard
cotton Gale is one that should engage
the earnest attention Of the farmers of
this State. They, and they alone, are
to profit by any saving that is made.
AS cotton is being grown and mar
keted each year at a smaller margin of
profit, it certainly behooves the grow
ers to seek in every possible way to
minimize the cost Of its production
and marketing.
If the leaders Of the Farmers Ali
ance, Of this State, would devote more
Of their time to studying the vast
range Of important subjects affecting
the direct and actual good Of the far
mers, such a subject, for instance, as
that set forth in Mr.. Lord paper,
they might serve their constituency to
great and good end.
The paper Of MI. Lord Is Of such
interest that it is reproduced in full.
The heading is "Reasous why we
should Have a Standard Cotton Bale
and it is dated from Waco. Texas.
The text is as follows:
WACO, Texas, Jan. Is, 1896.
To the American Cotton Growers
Protective Association, Memphis,
Tenn-Gentlemen Having been in
.vited by your president to present a
paper to your Association on the SUBJ
ject of a uniform system of baling
cotton I take pleasure in submitting
to you the following brief statement,
in the hope that your Association may
devise some means to bring about a
reform which will result in a saving
in the cost Of transportation and also
put our American cottons on a better
footing in the markets Of the world.
The American bale compares very
unfavorably in appearance and in pro-
lection to the cotton that comes from
any other country. Nearly all bales Of
East Indian cotton, for example, when
they arrive in Europe are as neat as a
bale Of dry goods, while very many
American bales look as if they had
been in a cyclone. This is chiefly be-
cause the Indian bale, being smaller
and of uniform size, viz, 10 by 4S
inches, is better packed, and when
compressed contains from 45 to s.
pounds Of cotton to the cubic foot;
the American bale averages about 223
pounds to the foot, and varies in size
from % by 81 inches to 40 by 20
inches. Naturally this does not i'm
prove the price Of American cotton.
No compress could be built which
would reduce these irregular and un-
calmly bales to the same density as
Indian cotton in fact, if the bale be
over % by 5 inches no compress can
press it to 223 pounds TO the foot and
hold it there but if our bales were
uniform in size, say % by So inches,
there are many congresses in the
South that can press them to 30 pounds
to the cubic foot, and thus ave the
American cotton growers in round
figures fifty cents per bale in freight
alone; this comes to four million dol
lars per year, to say nothing of the
saving in insurance, loss in weight,
dirt, etc.
We are accustomed to figuring
rates for land carriage at SO much per
bale or per 100 pounds, and itdoes not
at first strike us that a slight increase
in the size Of the bale makes any diff
ference, but once. you begin to figure
with an ocean carrier you find that
space is everything.
More than half the American crop
is exported to foreign countries in
steam vessels, and in most cases the
charter rates on the ships are figured
according to their cubical capacity ;
helce it follows the more cotton can
be loaded into o cubic foot Of space
the cheaper the ship can carry it per
pound. For this reason the bales are
compressed, and to secure better re-
suits vast sums have been spent in the
improvement of the congresses until
they have been brought up to their
present high state Of perfection, but
we do not get the benefit We should
from their work because they are ham,
pered by the condition in which the
cotton comes to them.
Because Of this the East Indian
planter gets his cotton carried half
around the world for about what the
/ American pays for one-third of the
distance.
The standard of density for cotton
going on shjpboard at Southern ports
is 223 pounds per cubic foot. If this
coul1 be brought up to rs to 80 pounds
there would be an immediate cheaper
ing of freight rates, which would 70
directly into the price paid to the pro-
Queer, since the dealers selling price
is fixed by trade conditions, and he
deducts all expenses from it to get his
buying price.
If cotton compressed to. 224 pounds
to the cubic foot can be carried for 80
cents per 100 pounds from Galveston
or New Orleans to a European port,
which, on an average Texas bale Of
525 pounds, amounts to 1852, the
ship could carry cotton Of greater den
sity at the following rates:
224 pounds. ...............S2 81
"a pounds. 2 48
Is pounds. 39
26 pounds. 49,. $500. 2 20
81 pounds. 2 20
% pounds. 49,. ........ 2 II
29 pounds 2 %
30 pounds. $1,000. l 80