The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-12-16
Is Probably Largest Amount Ever Seen in One Pile
 in Alabama
VALUE REPRESENTED IN
 YARD IS OVER S1,OOO,OOO
The Decaturs This Year Will Probably Handle 100000 Bales of Cotton. Busy Scenes at Wharves
 and at the Compress.
BY WILL w. NELSON.

BY WILL w. NELSON.
 New Decatur, December 15.-(Special)- The Decaturs have justly won the name of being one of the greatest cotton cen ters in Alabama. Situated as they are on the mighty Tennessee river and al the junction of the Louisville and Nash vile and Southern railroads they are the natural cotton eenters for the valley oi the Tennessee.
 Until recent years but little cotton wa: handled in the Deeaturs, but during the past few years d number of the largest cotton firms in the country have located here and now the Gulf Compress compa. ny have located in New Decatur one oi the largest congresses in the country These cotton firms and the Gulf Com press company have done much for the Deeaturs in recent years-indeed they have made this one of the greatest cot ton centers in this section of the south.
 10000 Bales in One Pile.
 At the present time there is more cot ton in the Decaturs than was ever seen here at one time. The Gulf Compress alone has in it's warerooms and on the yards here over 20000 bales, valued at over $,000,000. The cotton in their yards covers over five acres of ground and is one of the grandest sights of the kind ever seen in this portion of the south. old cotton men say that they have never before seen so much cotton in one place, even in Memphis or New Orleans. The Compress company too, is receiving cotton every day. All of this cotton comes from the Tennessee valley and is shipped in here by both rail and river For the past week the Tennessee river wharf at the foot of Bank street, Decatur, has presented one of the bus fest scenes that has ever been witnessed there on account of the immense amount of cotton that is being brought here by steamers from points up and down the river.
 Will Handle 100000.
 "Upto the present time" said l. F.. Dailey, manager of the Gulf Compress to your Decatur representative, i've have compressed 40O0O bales of cot ton and will handle over 100000 bales
 
 said that the average number of bales handled by this compress during the sea son was about S0,O00 In saying that they would handle over 100000 bales this sea son he explained that the crop this year was much shorter than the crops of former years and that by taking the short crop into consideration it would be readily seen that the compress here would do a larger business this season n la. s1 I..-. ever done before and that the Decaturs as. d consequence have gained the dis tinction of being the greatest cotton cen ter in north Alabama
 When your representative visited the compress today q small army of men was at work unloading cotton from flat cars and box cars. several train loads were just arriving and a long string of freight wagons was engaged in hauling bales of cotton from the river wharf to the compress. It all presented a scene of industry such as has never been be- held in the Decaturs before. Cotton is arriving faster than it can be compressed and shipped away from the plant Man ager l. E. Daley explained that he was unable to get cars enough to move the cotton away from the compress as fast as he desired to have it moved. The Compress company has several thousand square feet of cotton warerooms. All of these immense warerooms are crowded with cotton as are also the platforms of the compress building, and besides there are five acres of cotton in the yards Several train loads were standing near the compress which were being unloaded as fast as could be and still cotton was arriving on other trains and on wagons It was cotton everywhere one looked.
 Comes From Tennessee Valley.
 Manager Daley explained that nearly all of this cotton came from the Tennes- see valley and it was therefore what might be termed nome grown cotton Some of this cotton" said Manager Daley, lis shipped to the cotton mills of the United States, but the most Of II Is exported to England and other for egn countries"
 The Tennessee valley of north Alabama is one of the finest sections of the south for the production of cotton. The land here is rich, with a red clay sub-soil which is said to be the strongest land in the world There are other sections of the south perhaps, which may produce more cotton to the acre than is produced here in the Tennessee valley but taking it year. for year there is no section of the cotton belt of the United States which IS so certain of crop as the Tennessee val lev. This valley is situated between the
  been visited by extreme climatic condi- tions. such as severe drouths, excessive rains and heavy wind storms to inJure the crop Neither has the crop here ever been injured by insects, such as lice and the dreaded boil weavel, which have been such a curse to other sections of the cot ton belt During the past few years the cotton lands of the Tennessee valley have become more productive than ever before This is due to two reasons the farmers generally are taking better care of theil lands and are improving it, and second the farmers are using better and more modern machinery in the cultivation oi their lands than ever before. Such z thing as total failure of the cotton croI in the Tennessee valley is somethlns that is unknown. though of course, there are years when the crop is lighter thar the crop of other years.
 The Tennessee valley, with the nm movement of her farm lands and the us' of more modern farm machinery, is las ebcoming one of the greatest sections O the southern cotton belt. And alon. with the improvement of the cotton pro duction the Decaturs have sraudally ana uuietlv grown to be the greatest cottoi center in the entire Tennessee valley ol account of their geographical situation lving as they do in the very center of tn valley at the junction of two great rail roads and on the banks of one of tn souths mightiest rivers.
 
 Mlsjudeed.
 U,n,,, t,a (NhiCag go Tribune