Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1914-10-28
WAEHAIJA, s. c.:
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER %, 1914
PROTECT YOUR COTTON.

The Courier realizes fully the fact
that often farmers hOOt at any advice
cmanating from a printing Office as
TO methods Of growing or caring for
crops. Yet there are, we think,
things pertaining 60 farming that at
times are not only deserving Of COM
mcnt by the newspapers, but also de-
serving OF serious consideration by
the farmers.
For instance: Recently we have
noted numbers OF bales Of cotton
standing around the farm houses un-
protected from the weather, exposed
TO the sun and rain, the staple dctC-
riOrating day by day. why will this
expensive practice continue? Is it
too extensive to protect your COttOn2
Why not, when your grain is thrCshCd
each year. sack it up and pile the
sacks, unprotected, out in the yard2
TRUE, the deterioration in this case
would amount to total loss, but the
principle is the same. II cotton is
worth @rowinG it is also worth pro-
tcctinG after It has been grown.
picked, ginncd and baled. But the
farmer does not always see, and
doubtless never rralizcs. the "ulti-
mate results" Of the folly Of dumping
We commend the following com
plant" as worthy OF careful reading
and considerations. 1t is the COM
plaint Of a Manufacturer to his
"buyer,' and appeared in the Char
lesion News and Courier Of Saturday:
1--WE are just in receipt OF the first
% bales Of cotton, and find it is in q
very bad condition. 1t seems it has
been LEFT out in the rain standing on
one end, and the end ON which it
stood is nearly rotten. Also the top
end. When we went to the car it
looked like a field Of new cotton, as
the seed had sprouted, and was grow
ing luXurtantly all over the top of
the bales. We enclose you few
sprouts showing you the condition of
the cotton. Any man who would
treat cotton in this way does not de-
serve the name Of farmer, or plant
rr, and does not deserve any returns
whatever for his labor. We believe
some Of the bales have from % to 75
pounds Of water in them. Such as
this is 4 shame. We are sending you
by parcel post some OF the cotton
taken OFF Of the ends. The staple
seems to he all right, and we feel
that it would be satisfactory if ii was
NOT rotten, we VIII NOT use IL, Dllt
put it in our warehouse to dry out.
We believe a large portion Of it will
rot before il does dry. Lots OF it
is already rotten, as YOU will see
from the samples, and We cannot use
il i'm this condition. We have not
seen cotton shipped in such cOndi-
tion before. Let us hear from YOU in
regard 10 this"
Or course, all this is absolutely
none Of our business. We neither
grow cotton nor manufacture il after
II is grown Bat it does seem that
tn" South'S CHIEF product should be
given better care after it is grown
TOO expensive To shelter it? The
truth OF the matter is that its neglect
Is one Of the great drains ON the
south $ resources. Cotton is nrElcct-
ed by 20 per cent Of the growers even
before the seed is put into the
ground. The neglect begins with the
preparation OF the soil, and it ends
when the finished bales are DUMPED
ont into the yards, unprotected. and
forced 10 take whatsoever the plc-
mcntS have in StOr" for them.
ShCItCr your cotton.