The Wilson times. [volume] (Wilson, N.C.) 1896-19??, 1899-07-07
THE ROUND COTTON BALE.
A Mississippi Ginner Finds That the Company
Fui nlshing the nacuinery Heaps All
the Benefits
[Pocahontas, Miss, Cores Meridian
Ginner.

/
Ginner.
Your letter asking me to write you
and "tell us all you know about the
round bale, whether it be good or
bad," received. will write you what
I see from the ginnel' S standpoint, and
one who buys cotton a. many country
points.
In July last, I contracted for The
American Cotton Company's half bale
press, and began the tedious task oi
trying to run the round bale system.
| found that the cost of freight and
erection incurred by me in the contract
was areat dea' mo-, c han e~rected
or had bean estimate 20 me. ne ad-
vertisei ,laim Of he company is, that
this ttou "shall b ing 45 cents per
hundred pounds more th2p the square
bales are worth" This last part, or
two words, "arc worth" is the gate at
which all the sheep ge: out. In fixing
contracts for this cotton, The freight
on square bales to the point is con-
sidered and tie contract based on the
spot quo. .ation of the port. So when
l began to gin, i found that my aver
age price was only as points above
square bale values, and that many
times during the seq son there was no
premium.
The system of buying square cotton
on contract market, and round bable
on spot market, accounts cor this and
so often occurred that l had no pre-
MUM TO offer the farmers or to reim-
burse myself for having rented the
press. This Of course forced me to
run the gin without a profit, either in
the matter of ginning or cotton buying
as the farmers demanded the premium
IS points in lieu of the tare IN bagging
and ties, and the 20 points rental on
press took up the ginning profits. The
result can be seen. l s'nned the crop
at loss OF this seasons work, as we'll
as the fact that it cost me considerably
more to run than when using square
press. AS far as my research has ex-
tended, the claim make holds good,
and in a larger town have visited the
premium generally was 25 pounds.
The trouble with the press and ma.
ceinery thereto comes in the matter Of
having to adjust lis many parts often
and making so many little bales, all
OF which have TO be kept account Of
and settled for, sampled, weighed, etc.
But the greatest trouble comes in hand
ling the public. The public has "a
ways been hard on the ginne,, but no
ginner can conceive before hand in
what position he places himself.
Now the actual fact is. there is no
gain in the system under The contract
either to the ginner or farmer, and all
the farmers anywhere have gained has
been last to the ginner baling the cot
ton. This has been fully realized by
them and man who ran press last
season said to me few days ago that
''the community had gained what he
had lost" Thus showing had he pro-
tected himself against loss, the COM
munity would not have felta gain ). but
I found the community demanded
more than equality with square cotton.
The enormous claims of the round bale
people had the public firm in the be-
liefthat there was something in it for
them and they demanded it. ] found
that merchants and planters having
customers, would influence them 10 gin
on the round bale only when the price
named was a knock out to the other
side when the bids we're equal though
the round bale had often given him
good prices for cotton, he would gin on
the square bale. Thus tie round bale
gin has to lose money before they can
possibly satisfy the public.
The As points premium which is the
attempting thing that secures con-
tracts, therefore becomes myth and
no contracts can be secured whereby
this value can be obtained in actual
practice, yet all those making con
tracts have relied on the statements of
the agents Of the company that "your
cotton contract will be sent you fully
covering all the claims
have been in the ginning business
ever since when sat on the lever and
drove the teams around in the old
horse ginneries, and every single i'm
provement in ginning or baling or