The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-17
RAISE PER CENT Of
AMMONIA IN MEAL.
Cotton Seed Oil and Meal
Mill Men Heard.
NO ACTION TAKEN
Bill to Increase Ammonia Per Cent in
Cotton Seed Meal From 7 IL to
8 Per Cent. Joint Committee
On Agriculture to Decide
Question Next Monday.

Question Next Monday.
The joint legislative committee on
agriculture held an important meeting
in the Agricultural Building yesterday
afternoon to consider the bill which
if passed, would increase the percent
age of ammonia i'm cotton seed meal
one-half per cent. the per cent. now
being Z l2 and the bill making a
guarantee Of s a law. y large number
of interested mill men were present
and briefly discussed their sides of the
measure, and requesting continuance
of the hearing until next Monday,
which was granted. They said that
numerous others interested desired to
be present, but the latenesS and the
suddenneSs of the notices they had
received had made it impossible for
them to be there Yesterday.
kilograms were received from sew
eral mill men requesting that there
be no change in the existing law, and
that the committee postpone the final
consideration of the bill until more
representative mill men should be able
to be present to present their side of
the case.
Among those present were; Mr.. f.
B. Borden, Jr., Gosdsboro, represetins
Goldsboro, Selma. Wilson, Fayetteville.
Rocky Mount. Tarboro and Coneto;
a. c. Phelps, representing Charlotte,
Gastonia Monroe. Shelby. Davidson,
Concord Gibson; Mr.. Fl. e. Wells, rep
resenting North Carolina Cotton OH
Company, of Raleigh, Wilmington,
Henderson and Charlotte; Mr.. c. l..
Ives, New Bern; Mr. j. b. Stewart.
Scotland Neck; MIR. r. A. Wall, Clay
ton; Mr.. Willis Gregory. Hartford;
Mr.. Med. Holiday, Dunn; Mr.. j. E.
Wearn, Charlotte; Mr., Garland Jones.
Raleigh; Mr.. j. A. Jenkins, Shelby.
Mr.. M. l.. Buchanan. Concord; Mr.. t.
G.. Lee, Monroe, Mr.. Jno. ID. Dawes.
Elm City; Mr.. NJ. c. Brasweli Battle
boro, Mr.. f. L. Daughtridge, ROCK
Mount.
Major Graham of Lincoln, chair
man of the House Committee. pre-
sided over the meeting, and stated its
purpose.
Mr. Wells first spoke. He pre-
luded his remarks by saying that all
the cotton seed oil mill men in North
Carolina are absolutely honest, ana
that ninety eight per cent. would, II
given time, appear before the commit
tee and request it not to insist upon
the guarantee of eight per cent. am
monia in cotton seel meal,
Previous to two years ago, the laws
pertaining to cotton seed meal guar
anteeS were not satisfactory to either
producer or seller. Representatives of
the cotton oil interests met with a
legislative committee during February
1908. and a bill was framed which
was considered fair to both the con-
sumner and manufacturer of cotton
seed meal 1t was then admitted that
IT was possible to produce meal con-
tanning per cent. of ammonia, but
not at all mills in the State. Those
mills located in sections where the
oeterkin variety of seed were raised
finding it we'll night impossible to pro
duce a meal showing in excess of 7.5O
10 100 ammonia. 1t was then brought
out that around $50 per cent. of the
oil mills in North Carolina worked
more or less of the peterkin seed. AT
that time in South Carolina pure pc
.erkin seed predominated, Z per cent
was the ammonia per cent. required
And such is now the law in South
Carolina.
Nearly all of the mills produce
much higher grade of meal than is re-
uuired by law, giving the farmer the
excess value without extra charge 10
him.
There are now times when mill
in North Carolina can produce an
per cent. meal but where daily or
frequent analysis is made of the mills
production, it has in the majority OF
cases been found that this quality OF
meal cannot be maintained, the aver
age l am informed, being nearer
"a per cent, and in justice to the cot
ton oil interests in this State, guar
antee in excess of Z IL per cent.
should not be required, the disposition
of practically all the mills being to
furnish this guarantee, and give the
farmer and buyer any excess which
may exist.
There are forty odd cotton seed oil
meal mills in North Carolina repre-
senting about three millions of dollars,
and since only a few of the repre-
sentatives of this large interest were
able to reach Raleigh in time today
to appear before this committee. we
ask that the committee, in a spirit
of fairness and to get all light possible
bearing upon the subject, give us a
hearing a later date, a which time
believe sufficient data can be put
before you to satisfy you that great
injustice would be done to the agri-
culturist as we'll as to the oil mill in
terests should a law be enacted de-
manding an eight per cent. ammonia
guarantee for the meal,
Should this law be enact
GU we WOULD De compelled 10
reduce the price of cotton seed" MI.
Wells explained that either an ex
tremely dry or wet season the
ammonia, and that where in some
analyses eight per cent or more is
obtained, yet this may not be aver
aged constantly. He explained the
scientific process which the cotton
seed undergoes in making meal, and
folcetully and clearly stated the OBJ
u - los.
from making eight per cent meal.
Mr. Phelps followed Mr.. Wells. and
said in part:
If we We're forced by legislation
To brand our meal with the immense
guarantee of eight per cent, the value
OF cotton seed per ton would be low
cred from one to two dollars in value,
based on the relation of oil at vlri-
Gus tunes, for the reason that it
III no II h~n u