The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1898-06-11
Fight for Seli.preseryation at the
Expense d. Growers.

Expense Of c0ttOnsGrOwers
While the o ation in favor OF
reform in cote. Ealing was going
on it was the du.5 Of all who had
at heart the welfare of the South
ern farmer to ioiu in urging the
necessity for that reform. But to-
day lit is only question Of the
choice Of means to attain a miyer-
sally desired end. For after less
agitation than was ever effective in
awakening an agricultural people
to the need Of a radical change in
a prevailing method, the progress
i've cotton-growers Of the South
are thoroughly aroused to the fact
that the old-time cotton bale
must go.
And so we have d condition
which goes to show the existence
of II business spirit among a class
generally regarded as unenterprls-
ing and "set in their ways
The cotton planter in this mat
ter Of changing antiquated baIing
machinery must at least exercise
the same prudence, forethought
and sagacious looking-ahead chat
the manufacturer and merchant
would exercise in his business.
Any mistake in changing the
mechanism of 50 stopendious an
industry would be a national
calamity In deciding upon the
kind Of change to make in baiing
cotton, the grower must adopt the
system that has come to stay, and
must hearken to the testimony Of
those whose familiarity with cot
ton facts, the world over. enables
them to foresee the requirements
of consumers. III-considered ac-
ton simply means wasting money
on what in the nature of things
will prove u mere makeshift.
A number of conventions have
recently met to discuss this very
question. Some of these have
promptly decided upon the system
which the preponderance Of expert
tes imouy has declared in favor of,
and that is the cylindrical. 1t is
likely that eIl the meeting held
during the Iastafew months woutl
have pursued the same course had
not the cry of a trust ormonop-
oily been raised by interested men
against those who are Introducing
the new bale, for the purpose of
preiudicing the farmer against this
system. And it seems that fc1
the time being a great deal of
misoonception has 5een created, but
this misconcephon will be ulti-
mately removed by a knowledge
of the truth.
Other meetings have decided on
smaller square bale, the uniform
gin-box" system. This is being
urged by the compress interests,
so that they may continue1o levy
toll on the cotton crop IN transit
from the farm to factory. This IS
entirely natural and in accordance
with the first law of nature-self-
preservation-but at the same time
it is making mere ''cat s-paWs
out of the growers OF cotton. This
smaller bale might he step in the
right direction if it did not re-
quire subsequent compression.
Therefore, at best, it means only
trouble and expense without real
progress. 1t is an improvement,
as is everything that causes cotton
to be better handled and covered,
but it does not meet the demand
of the times for a system that
shall do away with the rebandlln2
and the subsequent compression,
and do all of this at the gin itself
1t is simply a change to be follow
ed by other changes, and viii
leave cotton baling still tar be
hind the times. In the end, al
who are now temporizing WILL dls
cover that money and time, to say
nothing of veXation of spirit
would have been savcdby adopting
the best system at the start; for i
has never been found worth whii'
Ito make three bites at a cherry,
7. p G.
in Manufacturers Record.
"A Hot Time in the Old Town
bids fair to become a national all