The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-11-01
VALUE OF COTTON GRADER.
Farmers Of Sumter County Should
Not Neglect the Opportunity Now
Within Reach.

DoAy 4CAAhit lliC, do a COl-
ton producer, to use the columns of
your e%nterprising paper, If you please,
to urge the cotton sellers of Sumter,
Lee and Clarendon counties to utilize
n United States government cotton
grader now located in Sumter at
Chamber Of Commerce rooms.
personally I intend to have Mr.. c.
f.. k~illingsworth, the government
grader stationed here, grade every
bale OF my cotton. not only the cot
ton l have in the warehouses. but ev.
cry bale of this years crop before i
place 1t in storage.
The farmers should be informed of
the fact that it is wise to have this
expert and entirely disinterested
grader to grade their cotton even
enough the cotton is to be stored for
future sale. 1t is not incumbent up
on any one to sell his cotton immedi-
ately after 1t has been graded. This
government grader will grade every
sample Of cotton brought to him,
whether for present or future sale,
or whether the cotton was stored or
is to be stored.
The Sumter Chamber of Commerce,
through its managing secretary, and
through the influence mainly, of
course Of our popular and enterprising
congressman, A. F. Lever, has had
q hard time securing this govern
ment grader that we have been cry.
ing for these many years.
But Mr.. K~ilingsworxh himself in
forms me that the length of his stay
on this market will depend largely,
he thinks. On the number Of bales OF
cotton he is requested to grade dur
ing the next two weeks. In other
words, to be plain, unless the cotton
sellers keep him busy grading their
cotton he will be sent to some other
cotton market where the cotton SELL
ers are sufficiently interested to show
appreciation of a government cotton
grader. Suppose we get busy trying
to interest the cotton sellers in using
this government grader.
The Hon. A. F. Lever. chairman of
the comittee on Agriculture of the
national House of Representatives,
the Department Of Agriculture. the
sumter Chamber of Commerce, its
hustling secretary, and other govern
ment and organization officials, may
do their best for cotton producers in
many ways. nevertheless their ef-
forts will prove to have been in vain
unless " e4-theL cotton producers are
going to cooperate with the forces
working In our behalf.
If we keep this cotton grader busy
for the rest Of this. season. and we
car keep him busy grading all Of our
unsold cotton that Is stored, as we'll as
the rest of the 1916 cotton crop being
marketed, why / understand there is
q likelihood of the Chamber of Com
merce being able to keep this grader
here permanently. Only by persist
ent urging and many letters has the
Chamber of Commerce secured this
important government cotton grader
for the farmers or Sumter, Lee and
Clarendon counties.
We should organize a cotton SELL
ing association and employ a regular
selling agent, and we should get busy
trying to organize cotton producers
OF Sumter, Lee and Clarendon coun-
ties without unnecessary delay. /
speak from personal experience when
l say that by using government stand
ard grading samples l have already
saved many dollars. and / am salts
fed that Mr.. Killingsworth will save
me much more money by i%ntelligently
informing me as to the right grades
of my unsold cotton. and he can save
many thousands of dollars for cotton
producers II they will only use him.
All bales should be cut and SAM
pied from both sides Of the bales, and
at least six ounce samples carried to
the grader. He furnishes every cot
ton seller with cards showing the
grades, length of staple, and you a
use these official records with your
graded samples to advantage when
you do sell your cotton. At least,
that Is my experience, and the expe-
rience Of other cotton sellers.
Yours truly,
Frank X Holman M n