The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-03-21
CENSUS OF COTTON GINNING.
Plan to Get at the Actual Amount of
of Production rlore Accurately Than
f1eretofore-Import of dinners
Cooperating With tine Census Office
to This End.

various Efforts have been made TO
perfect agencies for securing early
and trustworthy information as to the
quantity Of cotton annually grown in
the United States, with a view to re-
ducing to a minimum the fluctuations
incident to an industry SO greatly
dependent upon supply and demand.
Statistics OF this crop used in COM
mercial centers have to do with the
cotton as marketed during each year
ending August 81, and are gathered
very largely through reports OF trans
portation lines touching the cotton
fields. SO long as it was safe TO as
sumo that practically the whole Of
the cotton crop reached its market
through these common carriers. their
reports constituted fairly trust
worthy basis for estimates Of the COM
mercial crop, but, as much cotton
now goes directly from the fields to
the mills without passing through the
hands Of transportation companies,
this means of gathering cotton statis-
tics is annually becoming more and
more unsatisfactory. All returns are
an unsatisfactory unit of measure.
During the past century the average
weight Of the commercial bale more
than doubled. In some sections the
cotton bale now means the square
package averaging in weight 1913
pounds. In other regions it means a
bale of 400 pounds, while in still other
localities is found the round bale
averaging 259 pounds. None of the
means hitherto employed has report
ed the number and weight of these
divers kinds of commercial bales.
The relative number Of square and
round bales is changing and with this
the average weight of the ordinary
unit, the commercial bale, is being
modified. Hence the Importance Of
substituting fixed unit like a pound
for variable unit of measure like a
bale, thus enabling the country to
know the actual quantity of cotton
I produced.
Believing that the reports of cotton
ginners, showing the number and
average weight of bales passing
through their hands during a given
year, would afford Trustworthy statis-
tics. the United States Census Office
has by correspondence and through
the enumerators obtained from each
ginning establishment Of the country
report OF the quantity of cotton
handled of the crop of 1899
The attempt to obtain the statistics
of the cotton crop through the agency
has been so successful, and the
method promises to develop statistics
so much more complete and satisfac-
tory than those heretofore adopted
that the Director Of the Census has
decided to undertake an annual cen.
sus of the cotton crop through the
direct cooperation of the ginners.
The success of this annual cottor
crop report must depend altogether
upon the promptness and accuracy
with which reports are received A.
the information solicited is yer,
largely for the benefit of the cottor
ginners and cotton growers, it is be
lieved that the ginners will cordial,
respond to the efforts of the Census
Office to render this service to tn,
South and to all those interested in
its great staple.
The Census Office is now undertak
ing to obtain the facts regarding tn,
cotton crop of 1900, through blank.
mailed to the cotton ginners. Thes,
inquiries should be promptly and &C
curately answered and returned a
once in the franked envelop. which
requires no postage. Ginners will
net fail to see that the success of thi,
enquiry will rebound greatly to thei1
benefit, and they should be prompt t.
report to the Bureau the name. anc
addresses Of new ginning establish
ments. as we'll as any changes in th'
management of old ones.