The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1899-01-11
HANDLING COTTON
The Lowry Bale the Remedy Tor he Z
Loss and Damage to Which me ~
Crop 10 Now Subjected. IS IS

To the Editor Of The News and cour-s
der:-In reading the statement In your
issue OF October 81. Of Mr.. James Boyle.
United States consul at Liverpool
was struck with his real want Of infor-
nation. In the first place the seed ef;
cotton does not produce like cotton on
different soils. climates ana cultiya-4
ton To illustrate, have made q test
Of the Egyptian cotton here. and It =
q complete failure, both as to quality
and quantity. Our sea island cotton
planted In the pine barrens runs out IN !
few years and never makes ~ good
as that produced on the sea coast or
sea Islands. The English Government
can import into India tho Egyptian
seed or the American seed. and It VIII
be confronted with the Same failure %
we have had from the Egyptian SEED
here. It Is strange that men who pre-.
tend to Intelligence don't know t;iat soil
climate and location makes the quality
Of plant production, and every South
ern farmer knows that there Is 2 d1f-
ference Of cotton raised on their own
farms when there Is difference Of soil
No better illustration can be made than
the vineyards of the Rhine. for on o
single hillside three qualities Of wines
are made. Upland corn planted IN ~
river swamps becomes flint corn. and
flint corn planted on the upland be-
comes good seed. So this dAposes af
Mr.. Boyle's statements. kss>g
The country damaged cotton . Ab-
solutely without foundation, for the cot
ton that leaves the country gin houses
Is In good order until It reaches the
knife Of tho cotton buyer, merchant or
city factor; as soon as it reaches either
Of them then the slashing OF the knife
commences, and the profit Of plucking
grown until It reaches the compress.
when the rugged dressing as given to
make It look like 1t was dressed in the
rags OF pauperism.
The stevedores put on the finishing
touch, and when the bale reaches Q Eu- )
ropean port 1t looks like It., has Eone
through whirlwind Of pdllage; and the
farmer Is to be made to suffer for what
ne has not done. The cotton crop Of
New Orleans Is a proof Of the above
statement, as she makes about $1,000
bales out Of the receipts Of about Loo
600 bales.
The uniform bale Of American cotton
Of "a by "a Is not q remedy. but tt Is
the bale that the knife Of tho slashee
wants, for 1t does not abolish tho Dill.
lage. town and city crops. or the 6oc-
elgn pillage.
The remedy for all the evils complain
ed Of by the farmer or spinner 70 the.
Lowry bale, which Is packed on the
spiral system, making It easy for tho
spinner to feed to their batting ma
chimes. 1t abolishes pillage, country
damage Gas claimed) and the tars Of
thirty pounds to the bale. The actual
:are as tested by the mills here Is 3 -
pounds. Why should the farmers be
made to pay 6 3-4 pounds tare, when
there Is no such amount Of abassiny
and ties weight on the bale? It Is worse
plundering than the country damage
claimed.
l consider the Lowry bale God-Send
to the Southern planter, for II It does
no more than to awaken him to the
system OF pluckage 1t will have accom-
plished good results, but the Lowry
oaie will put American cotton into the
European market In the same condi-
tfon as tho Egyptian cotton Is received,
and wipe out tare. pluckage and ths
(claimed) country damage, and assisn
those who have been living on samples
to some other occupation. The saliva
ton OF. the cotton producer must como
from the reduction in the cost Of hardl-
ing the cotton bale. for the wages Of
labor cannot be reduced any moro
without causing great suffering.
JAMES BARRETT,
Charleston News and Courier. Nov. &