The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1919-11-12
MONEY THROWN AWAY BY
STORING COTTON
ON THE GROUND

ana Shippers ana railroad OfhcerS
and Employees: y
Millions of dollars are lost every
year through improper st orage of
cotton. This has been known in
general way for long time by every
body interested in cotton, hut prob
ably very few Of us have even sus-
pected what tremendous factor
storage is in the trade, or the as
founding lot of money thrown away
by the individual owner who lets a
bale of cotton stay on the ground.
Some tests conducted by the United
States Department of Agriculture
recently were brought to the atten-
tion of the United States Railroad
Administration, and their results |
were SO tartling that the Admins
tration desires to aid in gaining for
them widest possible dissemination
and most careful consideration.
The most striking fact disclosed
was that 492 pound bale OF cotton
stored fiat on the ground for six
months lost 232 pounds, leaving 260
pounds for the m arket, w, hile an
other bale tored properly in a ware
house lost only two pounds. This
means that, if the price was thirty
cents a pound, the loss on the first
bale was S696O. The loss on lie
bale in the warehouse was but sixty
cents.
These test occurred as Press No. 1
of the St. Louis Cotton Compress
Company, Little Rock, Ark. Seven
bales of cotton were purchased by the
Department of Agriculture and stor-
ed under various conditions from
November 25, 1918, to June 13, 1919.
Weekly observations were conducted
and complete reportsf prepared upon
the condition Of the cotton throughout
the period.
Briefly, here is what the test dis
closed:
Bale No. 1, fully protected in ware
house, weighed 494 pounds at the
start and had net marketable weight
of 492 pounds wher reconditioned at
the end Of the test.
Bale No. 2, exposed on dunnage and
turned after each ran or once week
dropped in net marketable cotton from
487 pounds to 4S0 pounds (Seven
pounds lost.)
Bale No. 3, on dunnage on edge,
covered with tarpaulin and left with
out further attention during test,
dropped from 80 to 4S5. (Four lbs.
lost)
Bale No. 4, fiat on ground during
entire test, same surface down at all l.
times, dropped from 492 to 260 pounds
(232 pounds lost.) During the test
this bale absorbed moisture until it
weighed 912 pounds on June z. In
recondtioning 420 pounds of mois-
ture went out and 232 pounds of
moulded and ruined lotion were
thrown away.
Bale No. 5, on end on ground dur
ing the entire test, with same sur
face down at all times, dropped from
sos pounds to 1856 pounds. Loss 120
pounds.)
Bale No. 6, on edge during entire
test, same surface down at all times
dropped from 503 to 43S pounds. Gloss
65 pounds.))
Bale No. 7, on edge on ground,
turned from time to time, at least
once week, dropped from 495 to
473 pounds. Uoss % pounds.)
Inquiries by the Agricultural Sec
ton of the Railroad Administration
have developed that the tests actually
demonstrate what will happen to aver
age bales of cotton handled in the
same fashion, and do not represent
exceptional cases. Many practical
illustrations could be cited to support
the result of each test.
While the grower and handler
of cotton are most vitality interested
and will benefit chiefly by needing
the warning give by these facts, the
railroads also are direct
ly. because of the liability of laims
arising from demaged cotton, and
indirectly because the interests of
great class of producers and ship
pers and the interests of the rail