The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1913-12-10
RELATIVE VALUE or
!: COTTON BY GRADES

ing Fibre. Ms,
Washington, Dec. Ex-senator r.. d.
Smith to-day gave out the following
statement:
AT the last session of Congress |
introduced an amendment to the agrG,
cultural appropriation bill, carrying an
appropriation of $4,000, for determin-
Ing the relative value Of the different
grades of cotton; that is what each
grade Is worth as compared with ey-
cry other grade
ihe present method of determin-
ing the price of the different grades
IS to compare each OF them with the
middling grade. If middling, say, is
IL cents, strict low mddling is 50 ma
ny points, or so much less in price,
than middling Low middling Is still
lower, strict good ordinary still low
er, and good ordinary, of course, still
lower Above middling, strict mid
ding Is so many points higher, good
middling, strict middling, and mid
ding fair each one higher as the grade
Is better
knowledge Was Lacking.
There was no definite knowledge
as to the real difference In the actual
value Of these different grades. Some
times good ordinary would be as much
as fifteen or twenty dollars less per
bale than middling. The farmers are
entitled to know just what is the real
difference in the actual worth of these
grades. If good ordinary would make
as good yarn and bleach as we'll as
middling, and hence make as good
cloth as middling, there is no reason
why good ordinary should not bring
as much as middling; and If the yarn
and cloth made from middling were
as good as those made from middling
fair, there Is no reason why middling
should not bring as good price as mid
ding fair.
Now the only elements by which
the grades have been determined were
color and trash, or what we call for
eign matter" that is, other things
such as trash and leaf in the cotton.
The claim has been made that the
ffbre itself Of the lower grades when
cleaned of this foreign matter was
not as valuable as that of the higher
grades. This element, that is the
strength of the fibre, is now being
tested. When completed shall have
something to say in reference to that.
Loss Carefully Computed.
up to the present the amount of
loss in the different grades, by taking
out trash, and the consequent loss
III weight of the different grades, has
been completed. The department has
had careful test madc to see how
much loss there Is in cleaning a bale
OF each grade-that is, a bale each
OF middling fair, good middling, mid
ding, low middling, good ordinary.
The amount OF loss in middling fair
was 800 per cent, good middling 334
per cent, middling SOP per cent, low
middling 6.69 per cent, and good ordi-
nary 1904 per cent. Middling is the
basis OF comparison. The price paid
on our platforms is based on midding.
Therefore. If the waste from the diff
ferent grades was all that determined
the value of che different grades, good
ordinary would be worth as much less
as the amount of loss was greater
than middling. Now the difference
between the loss Is good ordinary and
In middling Is the difference between
500 per cent and 1904 percent: there
fore, the difference would be 702 per
cent. That Is, there Is 702 pounds
more per hundred lost by virtue OF
trash and waste out Of bale of good
ordinary than there Is out OF bale
OF middling. Expressed in pounds
there would be thirty-five pounds
more loht out OF bale of good ordi.
more lost out Of bale OF good ordi-
OF middling. Therefore, the value OF
that bale Of good ordinary would be
worth the value Of the bale of mid
ding less thirty-fivc pounds. If mid
ding Is worth 13 cents, good ordinary
should he worth 13 cents, less thirty
five pounds, or about $3.50 per bale
less.
The Actual Loss Only.
Nov, I'm place Of there being an
arbitrary reduction on the part of the
trade Of from l-2 cents to cents