New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1899-09-02
THE ROUNDLAP BALE PRESS.


| BENEFITS To FARMERS AND GINNERS DE
, NoNSTRATEp IN OPERATION
? Mr.. r. W. Pratt of Huntsville. Ala. 10
, president of the West Huntsville Cotton
Mill, and operates at the Same place ono
of the largest ginning plants in the couu-
try. He has been using he roundlap bale
for two years, and expects to put up 5000
, to 1000 bales of 800 pounds each during
the coming season. Mr.. Pratt has also or
gained companies for building two very
large roundlap bale plants at Tuscaloosa
! and Dcmopolis, Ala. and estimates that
h" Will handle at these two point s this year
10000 to 40 600 bales of $50 pounds each
OF the equal of lJOOO to 20, 900 square
bales. In n letter to tho manufacturers
RcCOId, giving his experience with his
Huntsville Plant, he says:
1--WE are ginners and cotton manufac-
turers, and operate ten 70-saw gins and
four presses. For two years we have
operated roundlap bale presses Of the
American Cotton Co The first year we
handled 2,20o 500 pound bales, and tho
second year S, 100 800 pound bales This
year with good crop III this vicinity, wo
leXpcct to put up 5000 or 10000 bales
Our experience has been most satisfactory,
both from Il ginner's and manufacturer
standpoint, and the faot that we have so
largely increased our business is ample
evidence that the planters are well salts
fed. The universal opinion expressed by
all customers is that they are moro than
satisfied And why should they be other
wise We gin and compress for 81 and
pay the planters one eight cent premium
on their crop, or if we buy in the seed, rs
is now the rule here, we pay them on this
basis. and they sell their load and get
spot cash for it, thus saving much labor
formerly necessary. Under the old process
they paid - for ginning, made a trip to
the gin with their load, generally had to
| leave it and wait several days for ginning,
and then made second trip for the cotton
and seed and another trip to market. In
| the spring we furnish them seed at tho
same price wepaid when ginning was done,
and they are then sure of getting good
seed for planting, and only what they
want. Hence there is no waste. Any
planter who has dealt with mo will certify
to the fact that he can better aifordto haul
cotton twenty to thirty miles to our gins
rather than gin near home, with tho OK
travagant old fashioned method. lIo can
not only save time, but mako money by so
doing, and gets paid for all tho cotton he
brings, whether he sells ut once or holds
his crop He also appreciates the saving
In having the bale sampled once instead of
many times, and he further understands
that he gets n better grade than ho docs
on the old country gins, owing to tho
superior machinery used for cleaning, otc.
SO much for the planter
Now let us see how the ginncr stands.
First, he can gin, cover and compress 500
pounds of lint in eight minutes, using n
good outfit of five 7O.saw gins to the press;
and can do better with larger battery.
This can be done at a cost not exceeding
forty cents all told, while the old process
costs him not less than $l.26, including
baggng and ties. In case the ginner
wants to buy and sell cOttou on his own
account, most of the railroads Of the South
will allow him compress fees of eight and
one-half cents per hundre edweight, or forty
two and One-half cents per bale. II he
wants to sell his cotton to tho American
Cotton Co, it allows him premium of
g. 25 per bale over the value of the same
cotton in square bales at his locality, thus
giving him 81 25 net after paying royalty
Of twenty cents per hundred weight for
the use Of the press, maintenance of tho
same and regular inspections. The gin
plant can be run with less labor and less
cost of insurance than the old system, and
if cotton is stored, four times as much can
be placed in the same room.
There is no chance Of mixing bales or
samples, owing to the perfect system in
use, and no chance of losing cotton BY
country damage, as water will not per
meate the bale, owing to all air being ex-
cluded in baling. The street buyer sam
pler and cotton thief, owing to complete
covering, have no chance to got their
'augur in TO use n common expression,
as there is no necessity for cutting the
covering under the American Cotton Co.'S.
sampling system.
From n manufacturer standpoint, tho
advantages Of the system are too numer-
Gus to mention, but the best evidence Of
the advantages derived by the mills is that
cotton finds ready sale at good pre-
MUM over the square bale, and new mills
are now being erected which will do away
with bale breakers, opening lappers, etc.
There is no necessity for middlemen, no
the mills can buy direct from ginners or
from the American Cotton Co., and be
sure Of getting what is ordered.
The warehOuseman who has handled the
roundlap bale is loud in his praises. He
has no turtle backs to handle, no lost
ties to replace, no damaged bales to pick
and inspect, and he knows that the weight
stamped plainly on the burlap covering is
the actual weight of the bale, and will not
vary He can handle to the mills, load in
cars or on wagons with half the help for
merly required, and his warehouse is not
Uttered up with cotton and dirt, as under
the old system. The howl of the middle
men, town crop handlers, compress stock
holders and operators is but natural and
expected, as they are hurt, and badly hurt.
But who can blame them for trying to got
up combines, compress trusts, regulation
sized press boxes, laws to prevent the OPP
Grafton OF the round bale system, and for
telling all kinds Of stories about hard cores
(Which do not EXIST, etc.' II they did
not see the handwriting on the wall they
would not be so vigorous in their efforts.
But to the producers, ginners. carriers
and consumers, the only four parties who
are interested, the situation 10 entirely
different, and especially to the producer,
who by reason Of the low price of cotton,
is compelled to adopt new and cheaper
methods or give mp the fight. The new
system has come at time when the plant
ei most needed il, and those who have
taken advantage of the system are free to
state that but for this improved method
and it's economizing advantages it would
A..