The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-08-14
THE COTTON SEED PROBLEM
Farmers Advised to D.mand a Fair
Exchange for Them.

Farmers Advised to D:mand a Fair
Bxchsngs for Them.
TO the Editor of The News and Cou-
riel: The farmers Of this State are
more interested in the cotton sesd q1es
tion that they are il the rillman and
McLaurin Wrangle as to the purity Of
their Danocrasy and the oegeneracy
Of their manhood. These two men,
i'm mportant as they seem to be, will soon
pass and be forgotten but cotton seed
is here to stay and play an important
part in the business problems Of the
farmers.
The purchase Of N ost Of the large oil
mills in this and adjoining States by
the Virginia Carolina Chemical Com
paay may not tend to monopoly of the
business, bus it has sort Of leaning in
that direction. Even before this cor
porstion came into existencs there were
certain combinations amongst mill men
that endeavorad to fix the price Of seed.
1t stands to reason that the Virginia
Carolina Chemical Company will keep
up the same plan. That leaves the far
mer in the condition that he has to sell
at the fixed price or hold his seed
Seed is worth as much for manure
when not crushed as Wnen crushed. At
the Mississippi experiment station
actually experiene and chemical analysis
demonstrate that the raw seed fed pro-
perly is worth equally as much as the
mesl and hulls. The farmers by keep
ing and properly using their seed get
full value.
Mills generally charge toll for grind
ing products of the farm. They charge
one. tenth OF one Twelfth for grinding
wheat and oorn. Evan the roller four
mills, that exchange -four and bran for
wheat, place the exchange on the. basis
ofone-tenth for toll. In grinding sor-
ghum and making syrup the toll is one
fourth or perhaps one.third in some
| cases.
How is it with crushing cotton seed ?
Let US take recsnt quotations Of the
products: A ton Of sound cotton seed
will make about $50 pounds Of meal,
$50 pounds Of hulls, rs pounds OF dirl
and linter5, and 275 p,uads Of oil. At
present prices the product Of one ton Of
seed will be as follows:
$50 pounds of meal. SO 81
$50 pounds of hulls ..... - 80
rs pounds Of linters ........ 25
2752ouDds Of oil 81 gallors). -. IA 81
lotSl- l-.......... ......... 'PAo oV
Nov, one third Of that amount, or
$8 SO, wou.d be large compensation
for the oil mill, which would leave
sl7 81 for the farmers ton OF eeed.
That Is equal to about 81 cents a
bushel.
The mill men will say that is too
much to pay for seed. But consider
how ii works: When the farmers bu s
in the shape Of fertilizers he will psy
the manufacture sis SO for the ammo
MIA in one ton Of seed. Besides this
he will pay ABOUT 81 to $6 for the pot
asa and phosphoric acid in a ton.
When the farmer sells his seed to the
mill at $40 to $l4 ton End bugs from
the fertilizer manufacturer the plant
food in a ton Le will pay at least $40
for it. No farmer can afford to trade
that way.
What csu he d. abcus ii2 In the
first place, he is MOI Obliged TO sell his
seed. The oil in it does not iDjure it
as fertilizer or feed. Properly snd
carefully applied, nine bushels Of seed
is worth more to the farmer than 100
pounds Of meal. l. requires that
amount to make 100 pouods Of meal.
The remedy is 20 demsnd fair ex-
change in huils and meal. Let the
mill men understand at once that they
are to receive full value fc1 their seed
or they will not sell. At the present
prices Of ammonia, potash and phcs-
phoric scid 9 Io:ed at Clemson College,
one ton Of seed is worth all so as a
fertilizer. That is, the farmer will
have to pay that much for the same
plant.food in any fertlz;r he may pur
chase, no odds what is the source Of
these elements.
Let the farmers Of the State consider
this question from a rational stand
point. Let them DIM md full value
for their seed or keep than at home.
The only loss will be iu the oil, but the
faEm,r will not saffer in that respect,
for he gets no benefit from the oil.
The figures given above are only ap
proxinately corect, but they are near
enough to ezactness to form basis fer
figuring a little on the problem. Lead
ing farmers could even call meeting
and ask representative mill men to be
present and in business way talk the
problem over. It would Do no harm.
The mill men have their meetings and
aever invite farmers to attend and dis
cuss the price Of seed. G. P.
So,rt, , h,-. T,,l-, 90