New Iberia enterprise. (New Iberia, La.) 1885-1902, 1900-08-18

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heavy chilled rolls for the purpose
Of crushing the oil cells, and then
the mass is placed in the heaters,
where it is stirred and cooked by
steam. The cooked material is then
formed into cakes, and the oil is
forced from them in powerful hy-
draulic presses.
The cake that is left after the eX-
traction of the oil is then ground,
becoming an article of commerce
known as cottonseed meal. This
meal is excellent food for cattle !;
but the Edgefeld plant, in follow
ing out it's general design of con-
verting all products into their ulti-
mate form of usefulness, prefers
either to mix the meal with the
hulls, thus forming animal food Of
high value, or else to carry the
meal to the fertilizer mill, where
it is manipulated into brands Of
fertilizers suited to various soils
and crops.
Having followed the seed to its
ultimate forms the lint next needs
attention. In the Edgeheld plant
all the processes between ginning
and spinning are eliminated, the
loose lint being in condition to
be carried automatically to the
lappers in the cotton mill. This
cotton mill contains 5000 spindles
and $50 looms, with room for twice
these numbers. 1t aims to make
goods that can be marketed in or
near Edgefeld. 1t is not seeking
trade in China. It's hulls and mea!
it's fertilizers and its sheetings
stamped with the figure of the tree
that is an emblem of the state, are
each and all sold at home. If its oil
were turned into refined lard or
oleomargarine or olive oil on the
spot, every product of the seed cot
ton wonld be marked and consumed
at home. This is not, however, an
essential feature of the plan.
Let US see now how the account
of bale weighing 500 pounds
stands at Edgefeld. AT s cents it
would bring $40, to which should
be added about SO on account of the
seed, making a total Of $4S, a sum
by the way nearly double the amount
that could have been gained from
sale of an equal amount of raw
material one year before; But in
TIE EdgslfeId' factory r,500 pounds
Of seed cotton become:
8, 200 yards of sheeting at 2a1 cents. $ $500
20 gallons of crude oil at 80 cents. 600
500 pounds of feed or fertilizer ..... 76O
Total. -. ........ 49,. $1O1 90
The result is equivalent to 2O-cent
cotton, and all the gain is saved to
Edgefeld people, or very nearly all
of it. The Edgefeld plant is in
successful operation. It is not a
mere theory of a dreamer, but it
shows daily what can be done in
any town in the cotton belt by carry
ing cotton to or towards ultimate
products. It is a brave example
on correct lines. 1t points the way.
It is an approach to that complete
evolution when q single southern
mill will turn cloth into clothing,
seed into food for mankind or cattle
the soil, and the balance of the plant
or into paper. Edge6eld is but a
half house after all, but it is on
the road to the terminal.
This paper would be incomplete
if it did not mention still another
South Carolina venture. The Vesta
Cotton Mill in Charleston employs
425 negro operatives. The super
intendent and foremen are white
men, but there are no white opera
tives in the mill. "This mill, "
says a recent correspondent of the
Hourton (Tex. Post, "has demon
strated that negroes can master cot
ton mill work. They have no diff
Guilty in operating the machines,
and many soon make skilled effec-
tive workers. The body of the
operatives are women and children.
They readily learn to operate the
machines, and they make good
hands"
The Vesta mill has been operated
on the basis of negro labor three
years; and If it can handle to ad-
vantage negro labor other mills can
do likewise, and in that way the
surplus negro population Of the
south can be employed, and an
ample supply of labor can always
be secured even if every large
plantation Of the future has its own
cotton mill; and until the cotton
grower does carry on the spot the
product of the soil to ultimate forms,
he will not reap the profit that is
legitimately his own, and that is
within his grasp, as Mr.. Blalock in
Laurens county, s. c., will soon
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