The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-08-02
THE ROUND BALE CRAZE,
A Mississippi Ginner Makes Convinc.
ing Statements Which Should be
Regarded-NO Good TO Any body.

correspondent Of the Meridian, Missls
sippi Ginper says:
"tell US all you know about the round bale
whether IL be good or bad received. l Will
write you what see from the ginner's stand
point. and one who buys cotton at country
points.
In July last, contracted for The American
Cotton Compapy's half bale press and began
the tedious task OF trying to run the ronno
bale system. 1 found that the cost OF frelgh
and erection incurred by me In the contracl
was great deal more than / expected or nae
been estimated to me. The advertised clalM
OF the company Is, that this cotton n-e spsI sbsn
the square bales are WORTH This last part
or two words, "are WORTH" is the gate al
which all the sheep get out. IN nxlng con
tracts for this cotton, the freight on square
bales to the point Is considered ana the con
tract based on the spot quotation OF tne port
SO when began TO gin, found tnat my aver
age price was only q points above SQUARE
season there was no premium.
The system Of buying square cotton on COZ
tract market and round bale on Spots maskei Le
accounts for this, and so often occurred that
had no premium TO offer the farmers or 10 re-
imburse myself for having rented tne press
This OF course forced me TO run the gin WIN
ont a profit, either in the matter OF ginning
or cotton buying, as the farmers demanded
the premium, 25 points in lieu of the tare In
bagging and ties, and the 70 points rental on
press took up the ginning profits. The result
this seasons work, as we'll as the fact that II
cost me considerably moreito run than Wnen
using square press. AS far as my research
has extended, that claim make holds good
and In a larger town ! have visited tpe pre-
MUM generally was 25 points.
The trouble with the press and machinery
thereto comes in the matter OF having 10
adjust its many parts often and making SO
many little bales, of all which have to be Kept
account OF and settled for, sampled. weighed
etc. But the greatest trouble comes IN hano'
ling the public. The public has always been
hard on the ginner, but no ginner can con
ceive before hand In what position ne places
himself. l.,
ginner or farmer, and all the farmers any.
where have gained has been lost to the ginner
baling the cotton. This has been fully reallz-
season said to me few days ago that "the
community had gained what he had sost.
Thus showing had he protected himself
against loss, the community would not nave
felt a gain but found the community de-
manded more than equality with square cot
ton. The enormous claims OF the round pale
people had the public firm In the belief that
there was something in II for them and they
demanded 1t. found that merchants and
planters having customers. wou ID lnnuence
them to gin on the round bale only When tne
price named was knock out TO the other
side; when the bids were equal, though the
round bale had often given him good prices
for cotton, he would gin on the square bale.
Thus the round bale gin has to lose money De-
fore they can possibly SATISFY & ths pnoiiSS iSe all
tempting thing that secures contracts, there.
fore becomes myth and no contracts can be
secured whereby this value can he obtained
in actual practice, yet all those maElpg con.
tracts have relied on the statements Of the
agents Of the company that "your cotton con-
tract will be sent you fully covering all tne
claims"
since when sat on the lever and drove the
teams around In the old horse ginneries,o ana
every single Improvement In ginning or pal.
ing or the methods OF hauling cotton mas
brought increased value to the cotton ano ao-
ditional profit TO the ginner at lower take
out than was common, but here comes the
round bale press and does none OF these
things but makes an % aetqai ,h o ioes f6at On t1e
poses to advance the take out from the GUS
tomary charges and yet the claims for IL are
larger than all the claims combined ever
made for q single Improvement. My e1per-
ience would say that It all appears to me lot
Of talk, fostered and pushed by those inter-
ested in the new venture.
The President OF the American Cotton Com.
pany, after visiting the South in the Interest
Of the round bale, gave an interview In Baltl.
more In which he went right on talking ana
elaborated on the advantages Of the method
freights, storage, etc, but he did not show his
lessees while South how they were going TO
get their money back. or show any new peo.
pie how they were going 10 MAKE money out
out OF the contract offered.
also notice in "Cotton Facts, that Mr.. ID.
G. Call has quite q lot 10 say concerning the
uniform bale adopted by the square bale peo-
pie last season, and says that the interior folks
are now beginning TO receive returns from
this bale and that the little SO cents expected
on this cotton has not materialized. 1t Is
bad thing for him to telk about those re-
turns" for his people have at last received
some returns and all the claims Of the round
bale goes into the air.
II all my mistakes aud losses Of life time
thus far were added together, they were not
equal to the harrasstng experience have had
with the round bale.
Yours truly,
Pocahontas, Miss. E. 4. Middleton.