Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-11-17
A GREAT SOURCE OF WEALTH.
Every Day Develops Some New Use For Cot
ton Seed,

Every Day Develops Some New Use For Cot
ton Seed.
The wonderful flood Of wealth that
has been brought to the South by the
discovery that the seed Of the cotton,
instead Of being something to be burn
ed or thrown away, was one OF the
most valuable of all agricultural prod
ucts, only serves to show how much Is
lost to the cotton states at the pres
ent time because the wealth that Is in
the seed is not taken out of 1t.
The cotton seed mills are bringing to
the South q revenue Of more than $780,
000, 900 q year, and yet the seed has new
er been treated with anything except
the most passing consideration. To ev-
cry one who has given the subject the
slightest thought, it is manifest that
while a great industry has grown up, 1t
was not even q fair Introduction to
what this business must become in g.
very few years.
One Of the best authorities upon the
1T Is estimated that $500, 10000 Of val
ues, equal to 4c. per pound Of cotton,
are lost on every crop Of cotton seed,
and that If our planters, ginners, oil
mills, cotton mills and southern people
generally would work together it might
be saved"
OF late years cotton seed has in a
measure forced itself upon public atten-
ton. Some smart business men have
recognized its great wealth-producing
properties, and many million dollars
have been invested in the business; but
no more than fair start has been
made. The United States department
Of agriculture has published instruc-
tive pamphlets about the cotton seed
and it's products; but the government
has in fact neglected it, and never CIV
en- to it the investigation and the pub
licity which has been given to compar-
atively insignificant sources Of agricul-
tural wealth.
No one knows all the sources OF
wealth there are in cotton seed. Last
week an announcement was made Of
the invention Of process of making
paper out of cotton seed hulls. Every
week some new use or process Is dis
covered.
The demands for cotton seed oil are
multiplying all the time, and the preju-
dice against the use Of this most
healthful Of vegetable oils is rapidly
disappearing. That it has not disap-
peared is largely due to the fact that
those interests antagonized by the use
Of cotton seed oil have been active in
their warfare against it, while the cot
ton seed oil interests have been timfd
and negative in it's defense.
An industry that has grown up IN
Savannah in connection with the cotton
seed oil mill is the preparation Of a
fine quality of salad oil for table use.
This oil is considered superior in every
way; but 1t Is labeled as made in Phil
adelphia, for fear that If it bore the
name Of a southern city some one
might be afraid it was in some way re-
lated to cotton seed.
Almost every one who has investiga-
ted the question Of handling the pro-
ducts of the cotton seed has had some
criticisms to make upon the way the
business has been handled. At the
meetings Of cotton seed crushers in the
south, the value Of the proper compila-
tion and presentation Of statistics has
been discussed, and yet it has usually
been discovered that there was a great
deal Of hesitancy among those most In
terested in furnishing these statistics.
There Is little excuse for any mystery
about the business, for it's possibilities
are so much greater than its present
development that there Is chance for
1t to furnish profitable investment for
many millions of dollars without any
chance of decreasing the value Of pres
ent investments by too much competi-
ton.
There are 1000 pounds Of cotton seed
produced from each bale Of cotton.
From this can be made 20, gallons OF
oil, and about 367.5 pounds Of meal. The
uses for the oil and the meal are in
creasing so rapidly that If all the cot
ton seed in the United States was sent
to mill the demand for the products
would furnish consumption for 1t all.
However, the best available statistics
show that even at the present time
more than so per cent. of the cotton
seed practically goes to waste. It Is
not actually wasted, for its fertilfzing
value is too we'll recognized for that;
but when it Is burned Aor fuel its best
value is lost because tits not put to its
proper uses.
The export demand for the products
of cotton seed Is increasing more rap
idly than the foreign demand for any
other agricultural product OF the
country. The oil is used all over Eu-
rope in place Of more expensive oils,
and there does not seem to be as much
foolish prejudice against it there as in
this country.
Ten years ago the value Of the cotton
seed oil exported amounted to a little
more than $5,0O0,00O. Last year the
value Of the oil exported was about
$12, SOC, 900. The other products OF the
seed held their places with oil. Last
year $4,000, 900 worth Of cake and meal
were exported. the figures having dou-
bled in five years.
Thirty years ago only 4 per cent. OF
the cotton seed raised in this country
was put to any commercial use. In five
years this percentage has been raised
to s, and 20 years ago per cent. was
used. Five years later 10 per cent, 10
years ago rs per cent, and now about
AZ per cent.
It will not be many years before the
seed Of the whole crop is used, and all
the possible wealth will be got out OF
it, which, according to Prof. Edwin
Lehman Johnson, is ''intrinsically more
valuable according to chemical analy-
sis as food product, pound for pound'