The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1899-04-11
PACKING COTTON.
The Round Bale is Coming Into Use
In the Southern States.
viii Save $2,250,000 10 Cotton Ralssy
on a Crop Of Ten Million Bales.

VII Gtup VI Itn mlIllUu pdleSs
All the signs of the times go to show
that the South is on the eve OF a revo-
luton In the methods okpreparing cot
ton for the market. The Atlanta Con-
stituton welcomes these signs, for IL
is certainly time that such a revolution
should be brought about. In the his
tory of the world there is no parallel
10 the carelessness and consequent
wastefulness with which this valuable
crop has been prepared for the market.
In the first place il has been wrapped
I'm bagging. the fiber of which is inn
ported from the other side OF the world.
This fiber being OF a coarse and inferior
quality in every way is usually in
state of decay before it is wrapped
around the bale. The result is that for
five generations-more than a hundred
years-a very large proportion Of the
cotton crop has been permitted TO go 10
waste between the farm and its final
destination
In the second place il has been gin
ned and packed without regard TO grade
or condition, so that fifty pounds of i'm
ferior staple stamps the whole bale as
inferior. We repeat that the history Of
the worlds industries will show no pa
rallel in the wanton carelessness with
which the most valuable and important
crop OF a great section has been pre-
pared For market. Millions of dollars
have been thrown to the wind.
The signs OF the revolution to which
we refer are TO De- found I'm the rapi,~
development OF the new process of bal
ing cotton. by means of which the
staple is packed in cylindrical form and
is completely encased from end TO end
in a covering OF cotton cloth OF sur
cient strength 20 prevent all waste.
This process does away with jute bag
ging and ties.
= The advantage TO the farmer of this
round bale process may be very bliiyfy
stated.
Ii does away with the expense known
as tare. which amounts To about per
cent. great many farmers (and
others, too, who should know better)
have an idea that when the producer
sells his bale of cotton he receives back
the price he has paid for bagging and
ties. In point OF fact this is very care
fully deducted by the purchaser. The
price of cotton is made in Liverpool,
and Liverpool buys nothing but the ac-
tHaieetteff- Therefore, about per
cent. Is deduCted from the weight Of
every bale. But the deduction is made
in the price paid for cotton and
amounts To from 81 to $3.50 a bale.
For instance, a large cotton buying
firm in Georgia has pledged itself to
pay ~ cents more for each 100 pounds
OF cotton packed in the round bale than
for cotton packed in the old square
bale This amounts to y2.25 on each
500 pounds, and practically represents
the tare that would otherwise be coll
lected on the weight of bagging and
ties. The amount will go into the pock
ct OF the farmer instead OF coming out
OF il. What this firm proposed 10 do
other cotton buying firms will in the
end do, so that, packed in round, COM
pact bales, the cotton crop will put in
to the pockets Of the farmer an
amount which in a 10000, bale crop
will reach $2,250,000.
Another advantage viii be the saw
ing OF the large amount OF cotton
which. under the old process. has been
annually blown TO the four winds. This
waste has been and is now enormous.
As cotton is money, especially In the
South II may almost be said that our
g. farmers have taken pains TO throw IL
away. Their carelessness I'm handling
and packing the cotton is So pronounc-
cd and noticeable that IL might almost
be said 20 be deliberately premeditated.
There Is still another advantage
which, I'm the end, may have a very inn
portant erect on the price or cotton.
The round bales are covered with cot
ton cloth. and will therefore add con-
siderably TO the consumption of the
raw material. The round bale Will in
fact. not only add to the price OF cotton
directly by doing away with the per
cent. tare eXacted at Liverpool, but
indirectly by creating new demand
for the staple to weave into coverings.
Already mills are Offering quarter of
a cent pound more for cotton pressed
I'm round bales They can afford 10 do
this because the round bales are easier
60 handle and store and the staple In
much better condition and there Is Il
considerable saving i'm freight charges.
We do.not know how Tong u Will b.
before the cotton growers generally
will adopt the new process. FOR custom
and habit are as tenacious as cookie
hurrs hut as the saving ie so great. no
very long time should be required go
dismiss forever the old square bale.
which is a. primitive and as clumsy
as the ploWs OF ancient Egypt, The
very FIRST method OF packing cotton
was by ramming into gunny bags with
some blunt ani heavy instrument.
clumsy IA that process was II was less
wasteful and therefore less costly than
than the method which followed IL and
which with few improvemg gnts has been
in vogue ever since.
The time has come for a change and
as the change described seems To be
holly an the interest OF the farmers.
they should conspire to bring "a about
AZ once. There will be no moro iute
trusts and the tarin on ties will not
trouble them.