The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-05-26
OUTLOOK NOT ENCOURAGING
Cotton Seed Oil Industry Re-
ceives a Set Back.
The Business in Dire Extremity this
Correspondent Thinks-Situation
that Calls for Serious Thought OH
the Part of Those Engaged in 1t.


Correspondent Thinks-Situation
that Calls for Serious Thought OF
the Part of Those Engaged in 1t.
Correspondence Columbia Is. c. State.
The present unsatisfactory cOndi-
! tiOn of the cotton seed oil business
calls for some very serious thought
on the part of those now engaged in
the business and also deserves the
close scrutiny OF those about to en-
bark in the business. The growth
of this industry has indeed been most
remarkable and up until the present
time there has been unusually, with
well conducted and well located mills,
splendid returns from the same.
Because of the superiority OF the
cotton seed oil over most other fats,
and in spite of Il great deal OF pref
udice against it's use, its high intrln-
sic value has forced it prominently
upon the markets OF the world. Hun
dreds OF thousands OF pounds OF this
oil are now used i'll the manrfacture
of eleomargerine, butter, compound
lards, etc, while millions Of pounds
of oil have been shipped annually
from the United States to foreign
countries, and used there principally
as an edible oil. Only Il year or two
ago there was shipped alone from
America to MarseiIes, France, oil
worth to the American manufacture
ers about $4,OOO,OOO; SO you can
realize something of the enormous
export from this country to this one
port. Francois the home OF the olive,
consequently it was there that the
olive oil industry fourished more
than in any other country. Because
OF the superiority and cheapness OF
the American cotton seed oil the olive
orchards OF southern Europe have
almost been annihilated. This of
course brought great hardship to
this particular industry, especially i'll
France. The French government,
realizing this fact, felt that some
thing must be done to save the i'll
dustry and has lately imposed an
import tax of something like lOcents
a gallon upon American cotton oil
products, so that today the French
market is almost entirely closed to
the cotton seed oil business. Other
foreign countries are doing the same,
so that today ourexports in the cot
ton seed Oil business are almost nil.
As an incident to the falling Off Of
our foreign trade in oil | will quote
some figures. In 1901 Italy took
something over 5000, 900 gallons of
oil; now she takes l. 100000 or less.
Austria at the same time took about
100000 gallons of oil; now she
takes less than 100000. France
took at the same time about 20, ,OOO,-
> 600 gallons OF oil; now about S,OOO,-
1000. This leaves tremendous
amount to be absorbed by the United
States, as with other countries there
is like falling off also. Thus it can
easily be seen why it is the cotton
seed oil is now selling so far below its
usual selling price.
While this is a great blow at the
cotton seed oil business, our cOun
try has given the industry it's great.
est blow. There has been enacted
lately by the United States Congress
a law taxing cotton seed oil to the
amount of 10 cents per pound for al
oil used in the manufacture OF but
. ter. This law was enacted at the Ill
, sti~ation of those in this country
who were in the dairy business. We
= have no fight to make with the but
ter makers, but would simply say
that it is hard for one to realize why
this prejudice against butter made
partly or entirely OF cotton seed oil
Especially is this true when the de
partment of agriculture and chemis
. try has repeatedly stated that fo
, purity and healthfulness there il
/; nothing to be compared with cottol
seed oil. This taxing of Oil that il
used in butter has struck anothe
| great blow at the industry.
The third great demand for the OF
is for the manufacture OF compOunt
lard. Tremendous quantities OF thi
= oil are used in the manufacture @
lard, and even this demand for OF
has slackened Off very largely.
would respectfully submit the fact t.
the consumers of all pure food pre-
duets of this country. that for health
fulness and purity, the butter mad
b from the average dairy herd OF COWS
many OF which may be, and ofte
are. afflicted with tuberculosis, ca
i'm no way compare with butter mad
from the pure vegetable oil. Cotto
seed is never attacked by disease
which cattle are often heir to. Wha
| have said of the butter bushes
p can be emphasized many times owe
r with regard to the lard business
|. There can be no ot}eubt but when tt
average farmer feeding hogs for ma
ket detects cholera among his hog
that they are rushed off to slaugl
tering pens and slaughtered, an
placed upon the markets, and fro
hogs, many times diseased, come
. our average meat and so-called pu
II lard. | would repeat what | sd
above. the pure vegetable oil mac
from cotton seed is never athlete
with cholera or any disease TO whi'
the average hog is subject. There a
. many other uses but | willforhear
w discuss them in this article.
or As long as the foreign government
IN continue to tax cotton seed oil al
en- so long as our government contlnu
its unjust course towards the
on business, then just as long Will t
B. cotton seed oil business in our cou
r. trv be on the decline. 1t is only wit
in the last few months that these e.
barcoes have been laid upon the