The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-09-05
OF ALE
An Interesting Letter that Was Ad,
dressed 20 the Cotton Ginners OF

An Interesting Letter that Was ADJ
dressed 60 the Cotton Ginper, Of
Texas
The recent letter addressed to the
cotton growers Of Texas by President
Hunter. of the State Ginners' Associa-
ton, has been carefully considered by
many Of the ginners in North AID
South Carolina who arr enieayorfng
TO get out a standard bale. The advice
and suggestions T timely. COPIES OF
the letter have been distributed. the
full text of which is as follows:
Il have watched with great interest
the movement for the introduction of
the standard bale. There seems 10 be
a good deal Of opposition to il, but it
looks TO me as if it comes from people
who don't want US TO make any o
ment unless We do it by buying their
inventions. The objections l hear
seem to me trivial and far-fetched. but
they are SO p~ersistently urged that 1
think some practical man ought to an
swer them.
"It is said that the presses are not
strong enough to make a bale in a
smaller box. A large number have
been made in different places in Texas
and Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia, Ala
hanna and Mississippi and not one Of
the presses was injured. The 24x54
inch box has been in use in Alabama
for years and has always given salts
faction. Many of US make 700 to 500
pound bales in 23x58 boxes. Why
can't we make 500-pound ones, or even
larger, in 24x54 ones? 1t is not neces-
sary or a good thing to make such
large bales. They are bad to handle
and easily damaged. Some a the
congresses want US to do their work
for them. The little dab of pressure
we put on a bale would O be a flea
bite to a compress, if they could get
the benefit of it, but they can't; they
cut the bands off before they press it
and it swells up again. The only thing
WE can do to help the compress is to
make the bale a good side; they can't
change the shape; We have to do that;
all they can do is to reduce the thick
ness, and they can't do that properly
unless we give them the right size bale.
There is no need to come up so far
with the follow-block. If you are in
III IcdoI dlldlU yOu losO hOI plcSoulO
enough, or your press is not strong
enough, come UP only far enough to
tie out; the compress will do the rest.
Many farmers want a large bale.
They think the buyers pay more for it.
This is not true. On the contrary,
they will pay more for 24X54 bales than
for any other. They must overlook
the fact that the more bales they make
the more bagging and ties they will
sell at the price of cotton. 1t would be
better all around If they would only
bring 1000 pounds of seed cotton to
the gin. We are all changing our boxes
around here, and we are going to put
only 1,650 pounds of seed cotton to a
bale. If the farmers bring more at
first we will buy the excess of them un-
til We get Them to bring the right
amount.
cit is set up that this change is urged
by buyers, cOmpressOrs, steamship peO-
pie, insurance men and %spinners, be
cause it will help their business. Sup
pose it does. 1t costs us practically
nothing and will certainly help the
farmer very much, and if he makes
money he will have more to spend, and
he always spends it near home. 1t
cost me about 81 to change my box.
1 didn't change it to please b com
presses or anybody else. I did it be-
cause I thought it good business.
81 thought a good deal of this mat
ter and read a lot about it in the papers
and I think it a good thing, and [ adj
wise all my fellow ginners to adopt 1T
and change their boxes to the 24x54
inch standard size before the season
opens. I think we shall all have to do
it anyhow, whether We want to or not,
because the buyers will undoubtedly
pay more for the 24x54 inch bale, and l
believe i'm doing THE right thing before
it is forced upon us.
81 have had assurances from some
of the best cotton buyers that they in
tend to pay more for the standard
bales. If any of you who have made
the change think the farmers are not
getting any benefit from it, write to
and I think I can refer your letters
to people who will see that they do"