Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-08
Farmers Of South Now Wasting
Between $25,OOO,OOO and
$70,OO0,00O Annually.
STORAGE is RECOMMENDED
General Warehouse System,
Gradual Marketing Of Crop and
Official Grading Necessary.
BY HUGH S. MILLER.

ny FIO1ft D. Whit M
WASHINGTON, June These
are some Of the reforms which the
cotton growers of Georgia. the sec
ond largest producing state, and of
the other cotton growing sections of
the South. must adopt If they hope
to check the annual loss of $4,000, 900
to $7O,OO0,GOO which they now suffer,
according to Charles ]. Brand, Of the
Bureau of Plant Industry, in charge
Of Farmers Cooperative Cotton
Handling and Marketing:
Farm storage of seed cotton for
two to five weeks,
Proper shelter for all bales re-
tanned on the farm.
Drying cotton before delivery
for ginning.
Better cleaning Of cotton.
Use Of modern equipment.
Establishment Of general ware
house system.
Gradual marketing of crop.
Adoption of official grades.
Better COMPRISING, and use of
gin compress.
Complete new system Of assess
ing tare and making tare ealou-
lations.
Enactment and enforcement of
uniform laws covering weights
and measures.
Lint Improved by Storage.
The luster and strength of the lint
Is greatly improved by farm storage,
according TO Mr.. Brand. In some ex-
perlments conducted by the office of
Cotton Standardization, an increase
Of several per cent in strength was
noted in the case of cotton stored in
the barns compared with the same
growth Of cotton ginned Immediately.
That the luster of the fiber is i'm
proved by a sweating out process is
not surprising, and # is possible that
both of these beneficial results may
be due to the slight diffusion Of the
soil in the seed through the mass Of
the cotton"
other benefits to be obtained are
a reduction in the time wasted by
men and teams in hauling the seed
cotton to the ginnery and standing in
line awaiting their turn. and in the
maintenance of uniformity Of the in
dividual farmers cotton, As gin
ming is done at present, a farmer
with a good grade Of cotton who
follows a farmer with a poor grade
may get plate Of the poorer cotton.
varying from a few to 20 pounds IN
weight on his good bale. As a re-
suit Of this careless method, the buy
er, sampling both sides Of the bale,
calls it a mixed" bale and refuses
to pay what It is really worth.
Seed Kept Pure.
Furthermore. farm storage enables
the farmer TO keep his seed pure, and
It insures a more even distribution Of
moisture through the mass Of seed
cotton.
While many bad practices At the
gin can be blamed on the ginner, there
are some for which he is not response
bic. and which must be brought home
TO the farmer. The worst Of these is
the delivery OF cotton for ginning
which is too damp to gin properly.
Another is an excess of dirt in the
cotton. Mr.. Brand says it is regret
able that a great deal Of sand and
earth is considered perfectly legiti-
mate. as the grade of the cotton and
hence the price given for it depend to
some extent on the presence Of this
waste.
The most important step TO be
taken in the direction Of permanent
Improvement in cotton marketing
conditions is the establishment OF a
general warehouse system, and grad
ual marketing Of the crop" says Mr..
Brand.
Banks Must Support Growers.
Growers must have the interest
and support OF their local banks in "a
FAR greater measure than is now the
case Negotiable warehouse receipts,
covering adequately insured cotton
that has been graded. stapled and
properly certified. should command
their confidence and furnish a tangi-
BILE opportunity for cooperation be-
tween the producer and the banker.
The latter Graves active accounts
the frequent turning over Of money.
collections. exchange and other reve-
nue. producing forms Of banking ac-
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