The Savannah morning news., 1903-12-23
DIFFER WITH SULLY
COTTON SEED MILL MEN SHOW
WHY HE is MISTAKEN.
NO SELECTION OF SEED
is MADE BY PLANTERS FOR SALE
TO COTTON SEED MILLS.

Mills Don't Demand 1t and as N Rule
Fay About the Same for All Kinds
Not Excepting Those FrOstbitten.
Farmer Needs But About 3 Per
Cent of His Seed to Plant Next
Years Crop and This Amount
Even II Selected from Seed Sold
Mills Could Have Little Effect on
the Lot as a WhOle-WouId BE n
Good Thing to Select Seed But
Farmers Won't Take the Trouble.
The views of Daniel J. Sully, who
in recent article expressed the opin-
! ion that the curtailment of the cotton
| crop is due to the natural growth of
the cotton seed industry are at decided
variance with the opinions Of local men
| connected with the cotton seed BUSH
ness, even through Mr.. Sully gives fig
ures to prove his contentious.
Briefly, as was shown in yesterdays
| Morning News, Mr.. Sully contends that
with the development of the cotton
seed industry the mills have been de-
handing the best of seed and paying
for it price that induces the farmer
to sell them the best of his stock with
| the result that the poorer quality is
planted and thus produces a poorer
quality and smaller quantity of fibre.
Speaking of this matter yesterday
Mr.. George f. Tennille, district man.
| ager of the Southern Cotton Oil Com
pany, said that his company has
fotIrd No IN bn sod
| furnished from season to season; no
effort is made to get any particular
quality Of seed. and even If this were
so it would have little or no effect on
the kind that the farmer would plant,
for, as a matter of fact, he needs but
about per cent. of his crop for plant
ing purposes, quantity so small that
it would not affect the grade of the
seed sold the mills even if he were to
select his best seed for planting.
Conditions Same Everywhere.
These conditions are not peculiar
merely to this territory, Mr.. Tennille
said, but exist all over the cotton
producing territory for the head labora-
tory of the Southern Cotton Oil Conn
pany is located at Savannah and sam
pies of seed and the products from all
over the country are received and
analysed here. Aside from all these
considerations, Mr.. Tennille says, it is
absurd to think that the average
farmer would dispose of his best seed,
provided the seed were graded, when
he knows that the success of his next
crop would depend on the kind of seed
sown.
The present price of seed is to be
attributed, Mr.. Tennille thinks, to the
fact that the farmers are holding it.
believing that because of the recent
rise in cotton, seed will go up also,
and therefore bring in a larger reve-
nue. than it would if sold now. AS a
matter of fact, the prices now being
paid by the mills. are about the same
as those paid last~season, and they are
unable to give more because of the
low price that the manufactured prod
ucts are now bringing.
Ignorance of Planter.
Mr.. e. w. Thompson, formerly of Lee
county but now a resident of New
York. a man who has had a wide ex-
perience both as a planter and a cotton
seed mill man. also disagrees with the
views of Mr.. Sully. Mr.. Thompson
says:
Mr.. Sully contends that the cotton
crop is being seriously affected because
the planters are selecting their best
seed to ship to oil mills instead of for
planting. Mr.. Sully is high authority
on all cotton subjects, but this theory
will not be seriously considered by peo-
pie who are familiar with the habits
of cotton planters. These people all
know that the average cotton planter
pays practically no attention to the
quality of his cotton seed, either for
planting or for selling. This is not to
say that it would not be a good thing
to make this selection for both pur-
poses, but it is a recital of actual facts
as they exist in the cotton planting re-
gion.
There is no question. but that the
careful selection of any kind of seed for
planting will show good results on the
| succeeding generation of plants. Seed
may be selected for the special purpose
of increasing the yields or to make
finer quality of product, or for pro-
ducing any other desired results; but
there are several reasons why the aver
age cotton planter does not go deeply
| into this subject from scientific stand
| point. 1t is not a question of sentiment
or of science with him, but it is strict
| ly a commercial considera ton. The
arguments may be briefly summarized
as follows:
why 1t Is Not True.
First. He does not know much
about the scientific effects of selection
| of seed.
Second. He will not take the trou-
BILE to select cotton seed to sell to
the oil mills, for the very good rea-
son that the mills will not pay him
any more for the best selected seed
than for the average run of his crop.
This is even true in the case of seed
which have been somewhat damaged
by frost. AS a rule the oil mill will
pay the planter about the same price
for one kind of seed as for another.
Third. The question of increased
yield of cotton per acre on account
of seed selection being practically I'M
known to him, the only remaining
consideration is in increasing the
character or quality of the staple. He
is not encouraged to do this. because
as a rule cotton mills will pay just as
much for good middling cotton
whether the breaking strength and
character of the fibre is good or bad.
This of course, should not be the case,
because the cotton mill by making
careful selection of it's staple could
produce finer goods, in the same way
that an oil mill, by the careful selec-
ton of seed could produce finer oil.
Facts of the Case.
But the present argument has to
I 4 4 -.