The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-05-17
The Cotton Seed-0 In
dustry. By Alvin F'ne''dse-

To the Editor: The present unsatis-
factory condition of the cotton seed
oil business calls for some very serious
thought on the part of those now en-
gagged in the business and also deserves
the close scrutiny of those about to
embark 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 a great deal of preiu-
d1ce against its use, its high intrinsic
value has forced it prominently uoon
lne markets OF the world. Hundreds
of thousands of pounds of this oil are
now USED in the manufacture of oleo-
ilargerlne, butter, compound lards,
etc, While millions of bounds of oil
nave been shipped annually from the
Ohlted States to foreign countries. and
USED there principally as an edible
OH. only year or two ago there was
shipped alone from America to Mar
sellles. France, oil worth to the Ameri-
can manufacturers about S4,000.000:
SO you can realize something of the
enormous export from this country to
TINS one port. France is the home of
the olive, consequently it was there
that the olive oil industry hourished
more than in any other country. Be-
cause of the superiority and cheapnesS
OF the American cotton seed OF! the
olive orchards of southern Europe
have almost been annihilated. This
Of course brought great hardships to
this particular industry, especially in
France. The French government
realized this fact, felt that something
| must be done to save the industry and
has lately imposed an import tax OF
something like 10 cents 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
doing the same. so that today our
exports in the cotton. seed oil business
I 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 100000 gallons OF
oil; now she takes 100000 or less.
Austria at the same time took about
| 4,200, 600 gallons of OIL now she takes
| less than 100000. France took at
the same time about 10000, 900, gal
! Ions of oil; now about s 5000, 900. This
| leaves a tremendous amount to be alb
sorbed by the United States, as with
other countries there is a like falling
| off also. Thus it can easily be seen
| why it is the cotton seed oil is now
| selling SO far below it's usual selling
price.
| While this a great blow at the cot
| ton seed oil business, our own coun-
| try has given the industry it's greatest
| 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 all oil used
| in the manufacture of butter. This
| law was enacted at the instigation OF
| those in this country who were in the
| dairy business. We have no fight to
| make with the butter 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 department of agricul-
| ture and chemistry has repeatedly
stated that for purity and healthful-
ness there is nothing to be compared
with cotton seed oil. This taxing of
oil that is used in butter has struck
another great blow at the industry.
The third great demand for the oil
is for the manufacture Of compound
lard. Tremendous quantities of this
oil are used in the manufacture OF
lard, and even this demand for oil has
slackened off very largely. l would
respectfully submit the fact to the con-
sumers of all pure food products of
this country. that for healthfulness
and purity, the butter made from the
average dairy herd of cows, many of
which may be, and often are, afflicted
with tuberculosis. can in no way COM
pare with butter made from the pure
vegetable oil. Cotton seed is never
attacked by disease, which cattle are
often heir to. What l have said of
the butter business can be emphasized