The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-06-03
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TO THE SOUTH POINTED OUT BY
MIR, N. l.. WILLET.

How the Cotton Farmer is Injured
by the Cotton Crop Estimates Of
the Government.
The Agricultural Department at
Washington in sending out cotton
crop estimates, always uses the term
Cotton Bales" A foot note, how
ever, always states that certain
number of these supposed Cotton
Bales are "Linters." In letter to
the Augusta Chronicle Mr.. N. l..
Willet says:
The South has long qontended
that Linters are not cotton bales;
that the agricultural department is
violating it's own rule, under the
pure food law, in putting an untrue
label on an article; that the present
method presents figures that are fc-
titious and which give US larger
amounts of cotton bales than are
actually made; that this fact bears
the cotton market; that such over
estimation Injuries the South.
Linters at one time were much
superior to what they are now, ow-
ing to the fact that the cotton seed
oil mills did not cut the lint of SO
closely as they do at the present
time. Early in the history of de-
linting most linters showed a very
fair staple, and could be spun into
very fair grade of yarns, the price
usually ranging about 1-2 to 2-3 of
the price of New York middling this
maxim the linters' price, according
to color and length of staple, to be
from to Z IL per pound.
At the present time, however,
very few spindle linters are to be
found; the quantity indeed has be-
come so insignificant that most of
the Inter spinners have gone for
materials to other stocks, not be-
| ing able to get 4 sufficient quantity
of high grade linters. Besides this
spinning, linters have always been
used, more or less in the manufac-
ture of cotton batting, comforters,
and felts for mattresses. They would
be used more largely for this pur-
rose, if they were graded better.
The staple is now so short, however
and the color so dark, that they are
being discarded largely even for
these purposes. And where they are
used in the better grades of mat
tresses and batting, the manufactur-
ers are compelled to bleach them in
order to get the necessary color.
which process, of course, whitens
them, but has tendency to DESTROY
the elasticity, and also to weaken
the fibre.
Taking all these things into con-
sideration, and the larger amount IF
lint produced by the present pro-.
cess as compared with the processes
used few years ago, and the very
large amount of seed that is being
used by the Oil mills at the present
time, the price of linters has been
largely reduced; prices now range
from 1-2c per lb. to l-2c at the
outside. A fair average Inter suit
able for carding and feits could be
bought today freely at l 1-2c per
ID.
The present Inter machine with
a few minor changes is of the same
construction now as it was several
years ago when lint brought high
prices More lint p4r ton of seed
is now secured, because the seed to-
day are Tinted more closely. The
process is simply to keep the Inter
saws sharper, and to run the Inter
| faster. Dudd saws and slow run
ming make high grade linters. But
someone found out that by running
| the machines faster, and by keep
ing the saws sharper, they could
get so to GO lbs. of lint off every
ton of seed instead of the old time
Is to % lbs. Of lint. This new pro-
cess became generally known, and
now today, it is almost universally
practiced. The result has been that
the price of lint has gradually de-
clined, because the product is be-
coming inferior each season, and the
amount produced annually greater.
A few mills today lint seed twice
| first run produces a better staple,
the second run means anything that
the Inter pills off the seed and the
result means anywhere from l-2 to
1-2c per lb. lint.
A fair definition of a cotton bale,
might be as follows: Baled spinable
cotton lint, as cut or pulled from a
saw or roller gin, with staple three
fourths to, two inches in length, and
| fetching from to 40c lb.
1t does seem from the above that
agricultural department at Washing
otn could not justly and truthfully
label the degraded linters Of today
as being cotton bales.
We are annually making now some
100000 bales of linters. To class
this degraded and largely unusable
and valuless product or waste when
pressed as a cotton bale, is not only
|