The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-01-06
pound bales net weight is found to be
Locating the Ginneries,

By two most thorough canvasses
this season S2,52S ginneries, active and
idle, have been located and reported, of
which number 30,149 have been oper-
ated for this crop. In their December
canvass the local special agents ascer-
tanned the quantity of cotton ginned
from the beginning of the season to
and including Dec. 10 and also secured
from each of the active ginners his es-
innate of the quantity of cotton to be
ginned by his establishment after Dec.
10: The estimate of the percentage of
the crop ginned is based on the esti-
mates of 626 canvassing agents, who
were INSTRUCTED to confine their esti-
mates to the territories canyassed by
them and to the knowledge gained
therefrom. One estimate therefore
serves as a check against the other.
According to the estimate of the
ginners 1912 per cent. of the crop re-
manned to be ginned after Dec. 13,
while according to the estimate of the
canvassing agents the percentage was
1913. Applying these percentages and
the general average bale weight OBJ
tanned from combining round and
square bales the crop, according to the
ginners, is 1896, 300 bales, and accord
ing to the canvassing agents 1854, 106
bales, of an average gross weight of
500 pounds. The census Office assumes
no responsibility for the accuracy of
these estimates.
This report will be followed by a
third and final report at the end of the
ginning season, about March 49, which
will distribute the crop by counties,
segregate upland and sea island cot
tons, and give weight of bales.
Merriam Discusses the Report.
In giving out the report Director
Merriam made the following state
ment:
ut seems important to again state,
in connection with these statistics of
the cotton crop of 1902, that in so far
as they relate to the bales of cotton
ginned to Dec. 10, last, they involve no
guesswork at any point no estimate
by anybody, and no uncertainty of any
kind They represent the exact num-
Der of bales of cotton that have passed
through the ginneries. All that has
been done by the Census Office is to
make and verify the additions. Any
body is at liberty to examine the whole
process adopted by the Census Office
in handling these returns. The returns
represent the ginning operations of
every ginning establishment which has
handled any portion of the growth of
1902
Inc report Is IldQG dit llltic 81
near the close of the ginning season
as to permit a very close approxima-
ton of the actual growth of the year
in 500-pound bales. 1t seems probable
that the final report, to be issued
about March 16, next, will not show a
variation of so, 900 bales from the esti-
mates of the total crop which are sub
mitted from two sources in connection
with figures of cotton ginned to Dec.
13.
Is an Innovation.
''This is the first time in the history
of the American cotton crop that def
mite and exact knowledge of the sea-
sons growth has been placed in pos
session of the public at so early a date,
or within a date five months as early.
1.-THE Census Office is already perfect
ing plans for more frequent reports in
connection with the crop of 1908. It's
first report will cover all the cotton
ginned, of the years growth, up to and
including Sept. 1. This portion of each
years crop is now assigned, in the
commercial estimates, to the produc-
ton of the previous year as the COM
mercial cotton year ends Sept. /.
1.-The second report will include all
cotton ginned up to and including Oct.
is. 1903, the date of the first report for
1902, enabling an exact comparison in
the two seasons. The third report will
cover the cotton ginned UP to and in
Guiding Nov. Is, period Of the utmost