Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-09-23
AS TO COTTON SEED PRICES.
They Stand at Four-Year Average.
Remedy in Farmers Hands.

Editor Keowee Courier: have
seen some articles on the prices of
cotton seed which make me think
that some few remarks from an oil
mill man may be interesting just at
this time. l will say in the outset
that 1T is generally known, among
those who are in position to know,
that oil mills are not money-making
machines but in most cases are los
ing machines.
The reason seed opens every season
lower than they otherwise would be
is because the moisture runs very
high in the first seed--so high, often
times that they cannot be stirred in
the cookers without sticking togeth-
er, and often will not go through the
machinery. In the cooking process
the water evaporates, but in most
cases it goes on to the hydraulic
press green and the oil is lost.
The Westminster Oil and Fertilizer
Company's opening for the past four
seasons is as follows, which is about
as other mills" 1911, Soc per hun
dred; 1912, Soc. per hundred; 1913,
S per hundred; 1914, soc. per hun
dred. You will notice that this sea-
sons opening is very little below the
u,
meal, hulls and linters are cheaper
than for years, we are swapping bet
ter than three pounds of hulls for
one pound Of seed and one pound of
meal for one pound Of seed, and lint
ers are cheaper than for years. Cot
ton seed oil is now selling for 35c.
per gallon-12c. less than this time
last season, or SIS per ton off on seed,
not to say anything about the meal,
hulls and linters. Eighty cents per
hundred is big price for seed under
present conditions. Linters are now
almost worthless product to the
oil mill. The mills would be glad to
see a movement started to buy a bale
or some Of it's meal and hulls.
We might as we'll face the situa-
tion as 1t is and go to work to re-
lieve the conditions and everybody
adjust themselves accordingly. At
the present price of meal and hulls |
fail to see why the farmer could not
make money exchanging Tor,
same. The answer comes, havBnt
the cattle. Well, who is to blame?
I'll tell you: Do not plant everything
in cotton in other words, do not be
a one-crop farmer. Where are the
cattle? Most Of them are in the
grain country, where cotton seed
meal and hulls are not known, and
where they are afraid to feed cotton
seed hulls, for they have been told
it will kill. 1t is true that some meal
is fed in the Northwestern States, but
very little, and in many cases stock
raisers have never seen sack of cot
ton seed meal. l was on mans
farm in Illinois that had about 200
head Of cattle, and he was feeding
linseed meal. He told me that he
was afraid Of cotton seed meal; that
friend Of his out West had several
hundred killed feeding cracked cot
ton seed meal cake on the ground. |
persuaded him to let me ship him a
sack free.
Texas raises about one-third Of the
cotton produced in the United States
and its meal has been going to Euro
pean countries. Because of the war
it must now be taken care of at
home, and they are coming into this
country through Memphis agents and
others to find market. Last year
Texas meal sold on an average of
about $28.50 per ton f. o. b. mill,
and now they are asking SIS and
$40 per ton. The Interstate Crush
ers' Association has had representa-
tives to call on the department at
Washington to help relieve the situa-
ton, but nothing could be done.
The situation is just this: The
farmers here haven't the cattle to
feed, neither have they the money to
buy, and if they had money to buy,
the right kind Of cattle to fatten can
not be had in this State. Money can
be made by feeding our native cattle
at the present prices Of meal and
hulls, but much more could be made
if we had the right type. Our ad-
vice would be that every farmer feed
cattle who can.
If Oconee county was stocked with
cattle we would be independent, and
the only way is to gradually grow
into the business. | saw this spring,
at one of the agricultural colleges in
Indiana, an experiment feed test that
was being made on several pens of
steers, and they found that a cotton
seed meal ration was the cheapest
and more profitable for stall feeding.
then visited Chicago stock yards a
few days later and found that these
steers sold for $9.45 per hundred on
that market. We can do the same
thing here, and much cheaper, when
we are prepared for it,
South Carolina Is said to have
some Of the finest oil mills in the
country, and the State holds the
highest record paid for cotton seed of
any other cotton State, and you can
rest assured that higher prices for
seed would be paid If the mill men
could sell their products for fair