The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1914-08-07
TOOK GUARDS PISTOL STANDARDIZNG COTTON
GOVERNMENT AIDS MOVEMENT
TO SECURE UNIFORMITY.
Agricultural Department Issues But
Ietin to Growers Calling Atten-
ton to Different Grades.


WASHINGTON.-In a bulletin
from the United States department of
agriculture the attention of cotton
growers, merchants and spinners is
called to the Importance of the uni
form standard for grading cotton,
and also to the fact that although
the same grade names are used in
nearly all markets they do not al
ways have the same meaning. This
inevitably results in confusion, which
it is hoped will be done away with
before long. An important step in
this direction is the preservation by
the department of agriculture of so
sets of oficial samples of each grade
in large vacuum tubes. In these
tubes there is no light to bleach, no
air to oxidize, and no moisture to
permit mildew. The samples, there
fore remain permanently unchanged
and provide an authoritative stand
ard from which other standards may
be prepared and issued by the de-
partment for use in grading CONNER
cia1 lots.
Nine Official Grades.
This standard is the outcome of
an act passed by the sixtieth congress
authorizing the establishment of nine
official grades to be named as fol-
lows: Middling fair, strict good
middling, good middling, strict mid
ding, middling, strict low middling,
low middling, strict good ordinary
and good ordinary. In this system
of grading middling is taken as ba-
sis. The grade names containing
the word strict" are konwn in the
trade as half grades the others as
full grades.
The grade of cotton is dependent
upon the amount of foreign matter
tor impurities, such as leaf, dirt and
sand, which it contains and also the
quantity of strings, notes, neps, gin
'cut fiber, cut seed and unripe fiber,
and also to certain extent color.
In determining the amount of for
'eign matter in the cotton the weather
lis a very important factor, either
wind or rain being often responsible
for an unusually large quantity of
dirt or sand. Much of this foreign
matter can be taken out by the use
of cleaning attachments at the gin
and if the cotton is sold strictly by
grade, therefore, the cost of this pro-
cess (due to loss in weight can be
recovered in the markets. The yari-
GUS impurities and kinds of defects
already mentioned cause waste in
manufacture, and for this reason the
fewer of them the cotton contain the
higher price it should bring.
Cotton Also Chased BY lit.
In addition to the grade cotton is
also classed by it's color. The most
desired is a bright cream. This, how
ever, is lost if the cotton is left in the
field too long or it may be altered by
sheavy falls of rain. The soil also has
distinct effect upon the color of
cotton. The United States official
standard requires that all cotton
grading strict good midd1fng or bet
ter should be of a bright cream or
white color and free from diseolora-
ton. In the lower grades a fixed col
or as not so much insisted npon- The
variations in color, however, have
given rise to several trade names
which it would be well for all per-
SONS interested in cotton to familiar
ize themselves with. There are stand
ard aT white; "off color,'' fair COLI
or" spotted 'tinged' and stain
ed" BY adding these to the grade
names different classes of the same
grade are formed.
In considering prices of cotton it
should be remembered that the vari-
Gus grades do not indicate in any way
the length 1f, the staple. 1t is usual
to call cotton that averages IL
inches or more in length staple cot
ton and that less than 1 Is inches
short staple cotton. Length-types are
being issued by the department of ag-
riculture in cooperation with the
census bureau. little difference is
made in the price for the various
lengths of short staple cotton, but
there is a tendency at present to
make closer distinction in this re-
spect. Hitherto it has been found
almost impossible to measure the
staple exactly. 1t may be stated,
however, that the addition of lis of
an inch in the length of the staple
adds approximately as much to the
value of the cotton as a full grade
does.
Just what this amounts to varies