The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1908-08-26
LETTER
WRITTEN BY COL. JOHN D. FROST
OF COLUMBIA.

To the Farmers Of South Carolina-
Better Methods Of Caring for Cot
ton.
Col. John D. Frost, of Columbia,
who has handled thousands of bales
of cotton annually at Colum bia, has
written an open letter that is of ex-
ceeding interest to the cotton grow
ers of the state. The letter follows: |
Columbia, Aug. 25. 1908.
Hon. B. Harris, President. Farmers,
Educational and Cooperative
Union, Pendleton, S. c., and Hon.
E. D. Smith. President, S. c. Div
ision, Southern Cotton Associa-
| ton, Columbia, S. c.
| Gentlemen: The time for picking
cotton having arrived, has it ever
occurred to you to look into the
question of damage brought about
by lack of care for the staple from
the time it is ginned to the time Of
marketing? Having lived on a
plantation for twenty-one years, and
at present owning and operating one,
as we'll as being in the cotton busi-
ness for the past ten years, thought
possibly that my observations along
this line might tend to show the
great amount of money lost to this
cotton producing country. desire
to impress upon the farmer the
necessity Of caring for his cot
ton after laboring hard all the
year to make it. and thereby lessen
friction between producer, buyer,
and manufacturer. A large portion
of the farmers, as well as the car
riers, treat the staple as though. it
were coal, allowing it to lie on the
ground for months after ginning
|subject to climatic conditions; which
|results IN rot and country damage.
When the cotton is ready for mar
ket it is picked up and offered for
sale. the damage, as a usual thing.
being disregarded until subjected to
the buyers inspection, who, in pro-
! tecting his interests, will either
dock for the damage or have the cot
t, picked. resulting in great loss
to the farmer. Unquestionably it is
to the farmers interest to store his
cotton in a reputable warehouse
thereby protecting himself from loss
by fire as we'll as damage, and In ad-
dition he can secure warehouse re-
ceipt for same which is prime mer-
camille paper, and can be discounted
at any bank, allowing the farmer to
sell his cotton when he desires to do
50.
NY object, however, is to impress
upon the farmers to house their cot
ton as soon as it is ginned, whether
it be in a warehouse, or in their
barns, or dwelling, thereby reducing
the element of damage to minimum.
TO my mind, one of the most i'm
portant things the Farmers Union
and the Southern Cotton Association
could handle is the caring for cotton
after it is ginned, and up to the time
it is marketed. Having personally
handled, during the past ten years,
about 100000 bales of cotton of all
grades and staple, this cotton being
shipped here from Texas and Oklaho-
ma on the West, to North Carolina
on the East, I do think am In 2
very fair position to speak intelli.
gently of the item of damage. large
ly caused by carelessness.
In addition to the rotten cotton
on thousands of bales. varying from
FIVE to as much as three hundred
pounds per bale, all of which has to
be picked off before settling for and
} which is caused by allowing the cot,
ton to sit on one end or lie on one
side in the mud and rain for months
. before offered for sale; there is an
other element of damage which is
not so easily detected, but which has
for more reaching effect on the
buyer, as well as the manufacturer
!. I. refer to what is called country
damage.
When cotton is allowed to stand
in the weather after being ginned
for arr length of time, although tbs
owner may turn it about from side
> to side to keep it from rotting, the
: staple of the cotton on the outside
; Of the bale is affected just in pro
portion to the time it is allowed tt
: remain exposed to climate conditions
. To illustrate. bale cotton ginneG
). and packed December first and nal
lowed to remain in the weather unit
; the first of March, will have about
half as much country damage as the
same bale would have if it remained
, in the weathc" until May the first
, and WI t; manufacturer opens
this bale, le will find that the cotton
sticking to the bagging and extending
inward is practically without any
strength of staple. and as result all
of this affected cotton will go in
II waste, or be found in the Shaftlng
overhead Should the buyer de-
tect this country damage the farm
t er is the looser: should the buyer
not detect it. the buyer is the looser;
in any event, dissatisfaction is the
> result all of which could have been
> , avoided by housing the cotton. The
amount of country damage varies in
= proportion to the time the cotton lies
out in the weather. and will vary
from three to twenty-five pounds per
bale. I have. carefully estimated
that on every 100000 bale crop
;. produced, the producer, the carrier,
= and the compress together, allow
$50, 900 bales to be DESTROYED by rot
3 and country damage, and when you