Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1912-09-03

ally obChSy W SohuuCt ooSh
a series of Investigations. The ma
tional government is the agency best
qualified and equipped for such inves-
legations. It's interests are the inter-
ests Of the whole country-not any
one section Of 1t; and the result Of
such Investigations must be of general
benefit to all branches Of the cotton
industry.
Some mill managers have a fair
idea of how much waste there should
be, but no one has ever yet seriously
tried to learn the average waste
through a series Of years for each
grade Of cotton. That Is exactly what
we propose to do. To introduce stand
ard spinning machinery to produce
standard grades of yarn from different
official grades Of cotton through q Sc
ries Of years, with the object of show
ing what percentage Of good, spinna-
BILE cotton should normally exist in
each Of these grades. When these
facts are obtained they will be Of great
value to all branches of the industry
and will finally result in fixing the
different grades Of cotton.
| "All of our work up to the present
has been done In cooperation with
] factories and textile schools. We in
| tend to continue this cooperation, as
1t is recognized these agencies are the
best that can be employed. While the
factories are the only possible source
of certain classes of information, they
are not so satisfactory for other kinds.
The view Of cotton that prevails in the
factory is entirely different from that
which prevails in the trade or on the
plantation, and 1t frequently happens
that from the owner and superinten-
| dent down there Is scarcely a person In
a factory who has ever seen cotton
growing, or who has an idea of plan
tation problems
Tho Province Of Textile Schools.
1.-THE textile schools present another
kind of difficulty. They are support
ed by the manufacturer, and the point
Of the view is that Of the manufactu-
rers. One of the principal objects Of
the textile school Is to turn out en-
ployes Of high class. Our schools OF
this class are among the best in the
world, but it can hardly be expected
that there Is much more appreciation
of problems Of production than In an
ordinary mill. Add to this that the
experiments have to be carried out
largely with the aid Of student labor
and we have a set Of conditions that
leaves room for improvement. The
principals and professors in the tex
tile schools all frankly admit that con-
ditions are not ideal for investigation
work.
1--WE expect to handle other prob
lens with the aid of the spinning
machinery. There has been little ef-
fort made in most parts Of the cotton
belt to separate good cotton from poor
cotton. This can be done just as well
with cotton as with fruit or any other
product. The producer will suffer just
as much in the price he gets by putting
poor cotton in with good cotton as the
fruit grower will lose by marketing
poor fruit mixed with good fruit. The
question Is a broad one, and 1t Is i'm
possible to say just how much advan-
tage there will be in the more skillful
handling of cotton from the time it Is
ripe to the time it is baled. But there
Is no doubt that 1t will be more than
enough to repay all the cost. What
is most needed is to get at the details
by means of carefully conducted ex-
periments.
Problem of Storing Seed.
ITO illustrate what I mean. Every
year there are thousands of acres of
cotton in Texas which suffer what is |
called root-rot-a serious disease Of
the cotton plant. This root-rot cotton
occurs in patches Of few square feet
up to several acres. AS the cotton Is
at present handled, this root-rot cot
ton is picked and put in with that of
the rest Of the field. This cotton Is |
really inferior-much more 80 than
Tie COllOI 6IO"clS luCihSCiNCo dPPCoh
to think. 1t has been found by our ex-
perts that the root-rot cotton grades
lower, has more waste, and produces
weaker and inferior yarn, and all
these differences are sufficiently great
to justify an attempt to handle and
market such cotton separately and not
run it in with cotton that Is superior
and 80 reduce the grade Of the whole.
Another line Of experiments that
has led to many interesting results and
which must be carried through to the
spinning stage have been made in gin |
ming cotton. For years 1t has been
said that If seed cotton is stored for a
certain length of time, and thus
cured the lint secured by this pro-
cess of ginning Is superior. There has
never been any serious reason to doubt
this, and yet the practice Of storing
seed cotton has never come into vogue.
1t is difficult to say why not, II the
storage Of the seed cotton would not
cost more than the additional value Of
the lint obtained by means Of storage.
1t would seem that the practice has
shown that lint secured in this way Is
not sufficiently superior to justify the
expense of storage. Nevertheless care
full inquiry did not show that any one
has ever demonstrated this by actual
experiment.
1T is proposed during the coming
season to continue these experiments
and to extend them so as to take in
greater variety Of conditions. The
cotton will not only be ginned. but will
also be spun. as 1t is difficult and often
impossible to give final judgment OF
cotton until it has been converted into
yarn"
Another new plan of the govern
ment industry Is to find better way to
handle and market cotton. With this
object in view a number Of experts
were appointed, with Charles ]. Brand
in charge.
"One of the most important phases