The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-08-31
THE ROUNDLAP BALE PRESS.
Benefits to Farmers
+. and Glnners Demon
strated IN Operation.

| Mr.. L. W. Pratt, OF Huntsville, Ala.
| Is president of the West Huntsville Cot
| ton Mill, and operates at the same place
one OF the largest ginning plants in the
country. He has been using the
roundlap bale for two years, and ex.
poets to put up 5000 to 10000 bales
of 500 pounds each during the coming
season. Mr.. Pratt has also organized
companies for building two very large
roundlap bale plants at Tuscaloosa and
Demopoiis, Ala, and estimates that he
will handle at these two points this
year 10000 to 10000 bales $50 pounds
each, or the equal of $4,000 to 10000
square bales. In letter to the Man
ufacturers' Record, giving his expert
ence with his Huntsville plant, he
says:
eve are ginners and cotton manu-
facturers, and operate ten 7O-saw gins
and four presses. For two years we
have operated roundlap bale presses of
the American Cotton Co. The first
year we handled 1900 500 pound bales
and the second year 500 500 pound
bales. This year with good crop in
this vicinity, we expect to put up g.
OOO or 10000 bales. Our experience
has been mcst satisfactory, both from
a ginner's and manufacturers stand.
point, and the fact that we have so
largely increased our business is ample
evidence that the planters are we'll sat-
lsfied. The universal opinion express
ed by all customers is that they ARE
more than satisfied. And why should
they be otherwise? We gin and COM
press ror 81 and pay the planters one
eighth cent premium on their crop, or
it we buy in the seed, as is now the
rule here, we pay them on this basis,
and they sell their load and get spot
cash for it, thus saying much labor
formerly necessary. Under the old pro-
cess they paid So for ginning, made a
trip to the gin with their load, gener-
ally had to leave it and wait several
days for ginning, and they made Sec
ond trip for the cotton and seed and
another trip to market. In the spring
we furnish them seed at the same
price we paid 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 us will GER |
thy to the fact that be can better at
lord to haul cotton twenty to thirty
miles to our gins rather than gin near
home, wlththe extravagant old-fashion- |
cd method. He can not only save
lime, but make money by so doing.
and gets paid for all the cotton he
brings, Whistler he sells at once or holds
MS crop. He also appreciates the saw
ng In haying the bale sampled once
instead OF many time, and he further
Understands that he gets better grade
han he does On the old country gins,
owing to the superior machinery used
or cleaning, etc. So much for the
planter.
CHOW let us see how the gfoner
tands. First, he can gin, cover and
compress QUO pounds of lint in eight
using good outfit Of 7Osaw
,'ns to the press, and can do better
With a larger battery. This can be
lone at cost rot exceeding forty cents
IL told, while the Old process costs him
lot less than S'I.23, Including bagging
nd ties. In case the ginner wants to
'uy and sell cotton on his own account.
most OF the railroads of the South will
lloW him compress fees of eight and
ne-half cents per hundredweight, or
orty-two and one-half cents per bale
he wants to sell his cotton to the
american Cotton Co., it allows him a
'femlum OF 80 % per bale over the
alue ofthe same cotton in SQUARE
ales at his locality, thus giving him
l.2o net after paying royalty of twenty
ents per hundred weight for the use
the press, maintenance OF the same +,
nd regular inspections. The Gin
liant can be run with less labor and ,
'ss cost OF insurance than the old sys-
I'm, and if cotton is stored, four times
much can be placed in the same
pom.
There is no chance of mixing bales :
samples, owing to the perfect sys- S
IN In use, and no chance of losing :
'tton by country damage, as water will
ot permeate the bale, owing to all air +
elng excluded in baling. The street q
nyer, sampler and cotton thief, owing I
the complete covering, have no
lance to get their 'auger in,' to use
'mmon expression, as there is no nee
sity for cutting the covering under
e American Cotton Co.'S sampling 8.
stem. =
IS F.