The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-09-16
TARE ON COTTON.
Some Things the Farmer Ought 10
Know,

huO".
Tare on cotton is an important item for
consideration by producers. IL presents q
distinc item OF charge on every oale OF COT
ton which Is prepared for market: ana ID
order that we may fully understand JUST Wnal
this tsre Is, and how TO reduce its cost 10 the
minimum OF expense, IL is well at tnls Time
tn 90 into the details Of the subject some
what. On all products that have 10 De paleo,
boxed or barreled for market there are tnree
items which have TO be considered oy tne
buyer In pricing such articles, and tnoee are
the gross weight Including the covering, the
tare which ia the weight Of the covering ana
the net weight. less the covering.
In all products except COTTON tnese tnFee
Items figure in the account sales rendered
but with cotton the price made TO the pro
ducer Is apparently based on the gross Welgnt
of the bale no matter whether the c9Verios is
% pounds on one bale and 80 pounds ON tne
other The tare Ia nothing more nor less
than the difference between the gross ano
net weight of an article, hence the oagg!hg
and ties on q bale Of cotton represents the
tare, and its weight must be deducted from
the gross eight of The bale In order to deter
mine and arrive at the net weight OF the
lint The same Is true OF WaSo"ioaI S1s, Se,6 6i
ed and then weighed again after oelng un.
loaded, the difference giving the net Welghl
Of tr, seed, and the weight ec OF the wagon g q
bei,l the tare, The tare or covering or an
article is always furnished free by the sellef
and is never paid for by the buyer. ~ If
we'll tha. every farmer should fully under'
gtaQQ LllR. Liz COltOu ouSCi Va oPiAaS 49,
not paw for single ounce Of the bagging and
ties that cover our cotton any more tnan
merchant would pay for the ioox tnat eess
are shipped TO him In, or the crate tnaI con
tains chickens, pigs or anything else II we
ship merchant crate OF chickens and sell
them at 10 cents per pound, the merchant
would deduct the weight OF the crate 10
settlement and pay only for the net Welghl
of the chickens. On the other hand, the
railroad would charge freight on the gross
weight OF the crate and chickens com
bined.
As to Cotton.
The method OF handling our cotton Is differ.
ent from the rule applied TO all other products
on this ubject and while 1t ls done on tpe
basis Of uniform weight, and that weight If
figured of in the price, making the deduction
Of tare on cotton operate indirectly ana moi
openly as in the case OF other artlcies.
Now the amount OF tare Whicn mas alWays
been allowed by spinners, or the amount In
weight for bagging and ties which mas oeen
uniformly deducted by them from the gross
weight OF the bale has been per cent. Inlt
is usually equivalent TO yards OF two pound
baggiug and six bands Weighing two pounds
each. In other words, when pale OF cotlon
reaches the spinner weighing gross ooo
pounds, the spinner knocks on So ponnus I0l
covering and pays the exporter for 47O pounds
OF lint.
spinners by our exporters the tare OF so
pounds to each bale IL deducted and pay MEM
fs received for the<tference.
Ifan exporter ships $4,000 pounds Of cotton
that is, 100 bales each weighing 500 pounds, TO
q manufacturer his account will read as
follows:
"Too 100 bales middling cotton.
Oo"
Less tare, per cent
leaving net lint. ..................47,O ,OJO
And the spinner pays only for the net lint
of ~, 900 pounds, throwing the covering aside
"a useless and OF no value for spinning pur.
poses, Now the buyer knowing that he will
get nothing for the covering as q matter OF
course so arrapges his prices as to make the
loss fall upon the farmer who has TO bear the
Aburden OF putting the products into market
able condition. -.
SuSWhie the buyers apparently pay for the
and tires, as matter OF TACT, the
prfSa is 80 arranged as to cover only the mel
valdez Of the lint, and esch farmer VINO puts
so pounds OF bagging and ties on his cotton
. looses the cost OF the bsgglng and ties. Those
who put on only six yards OF bagglng and
six ties reducing the weight to ~ pounds,
lose not only what they paid for the covering,
but they give away ten pounds OF lint ID
each bale SO covered The deduction foI
tare is 80 pound to each 500 pound bale, or g.
per cent OF any weight bale, that Is. on a
bale weighing $50 pounds the deduction for
fare would be q pounds, and on q GOO pound
bale. SO pounds. Farmers should therefore
pack their cotton into bales weighing 500
pounds gross as near as possible, and put on
80 pounds Of baggipg and ties.