The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-11-22
THE COTTON SEED INDUSTRY.


Special Correspondence.
New Orleans, Nov. 1.--Thcre is pro-
badly no great industry III America
about which SO little IS known by the
general public as that of cotton seed
Twenty years ago cotton seed was
thrown away. Today, although The
business Is but in its infancy, there are
more than 500 mills in the South that
represent an Investment of probably
$50 200, 900, while the value OF the
products Of these mills is in excess of
$50, 900 per year.
In Oldcn times cotton planters looked
upon the surplus sce,t as one of the
burdens they couldn't escape. They
burned the stuff, used it to fill low
spots in the field, paid to have it hauled
away, and were Ylai to get rid of it.
There is tradition that the Lcgisla-
turc of Texas passed law making it
a penal olfcnse TO dump cotton seed
in streams. However that may be the
law is now dead letter, for farmers
arc not addicted to the habit these
days.
| To-day the cotton mills Of Texas are
paying from ST. to SD per ton for
cotton seed. That would mean Sc to
81 per bale OF cotton if all the seed
| were sold. 10 make one bale of 800
pounds of cotton the pickcrs gather
| 800 20 500 pounds of lint and seed ,
tie seed weighing twice rs much as
the lint, which adhcrcs to it. But the
planters do not sell all their seed. A
small portion is retained for planting,
some is kept for stock feeding, Il con-
siderable quantity is wasted The au-
thoritics say that not one half the seed
is sent to the mills to be crushed.
MILLS IN OPERATION.
a census Of the cotton oil mills of
America would probably show between
800 and 600 in operation and a large
number in course of erection. From
one Of the most complete lists obtain
able the division Of mills in operation
Is given rs follows Texas, l'O :;
Oklahoma, 7 ; Indian Territory, 9 !;
Arkansas, - Alabama, 10 Georgia,
GS; Louisiana, SO; Mississippi, G5:
North Carolina, 81; South Carolina, &C:
Tennessee, 25; Florida, ;, and Nir-
ginia, !. This makes total of :OI.
The American Cotton Oil Co. con-
trolls the largest number Of mills IN the
South. 1t operates III the separate
States under distinct names. In Texas
it is officially known as the National
Cotton Oil Co.; in Louisiana it is the
Union Oil Co.; IN Mississippi it is the
Mississippi Cotton Oil Co. in Arkansas
the Arkansas Cotton Oil Co and in
South Carolina and North Carolina it
takes the name of the State to start
its official style. In Texas the Amcri-
can Cotton Oil Co. operates six mills,
one at Houston, one at Scguin, one at
Dcnison, one at TeXarkana, one at
Waco and one at Ucarnc.
Next to the American Cotton Oil
Co. in point Of operation comes the
Southern Cotton Oil Co. The head
quarters Of this corporation is at
Philadelphia. It's system seems to be
to divide It's mills in sets of two and to
| have each set under one management.
The Houston and New Orleans mills
are under one management; so arc the
mills of Savannah and Atlanta; SO are
the mills of Little Rock and Newport =,
Ark. This company in addition to the
| plants named, owns mills at Memphis,
Montgomery and various other places
| in the cotton belt.
| EXTENT OF TIE BUSINESS.
The greatest cotton oil mill of the
world is at Sherman, Tex. 1t is the
property of the Sherman Oil and Cot
ton co. 1t is not only the largest but
the oldest, and itsproduct is the stand
ard Of excellence, the Sherman brand
commanding Il premium wherever
cotton seed products are sold. This
mill has capacity to crush $50 tons
of seed pcr day.
The ramiicatiOns of the cotton seed
business arc wondclfu AS adiuncts
to the mills of Texas there are re-
iincrios, barrel factories, soap factC rics,
dclintCrs, gins, stock pens for the feed
ing OF cattle preparatory to sending
the bCcvcs to market and q variety of
other industries.
Armour, Swift, Cudahy and all The
great packing house people are largely
interested IN cotton seed mills, and use
great quantities OF the oil in the max
ing of compound lard and the man,
substitutes for butter. Their business
in cotton seed products, however, docs
not compare with that Of England ant
Germany, which countries are tho
largest customers Of thc,mils. The ,cx
porting of cotton seed oil and cake |.
now only second in importance to cot
ton itself at most of the Southern ports
and al immense business is being dc
vclopcd. France and Italy arc pur
chascrs of cotton seed oils
TIE EXPORT DEMAND.
In former times France had quit,
an industry in making Of oils from th
crushing of tie African and East In
dian ground nut, but cotton seed oi
has supplantcd the ground nut oil an,
sh!ploads OF partially refined oils g
each season from Galveston and Nc,
Orleans to Marscillcs TO be again re
, fined and perfected by the process 8
, well known to the French manurac
turcrs. To Genoa a considcrabl
quantity Of cotton seed goes each ycal
which comes back, it is alleged, a
pure olive oil, and which is difficult {
IL In al H..