The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-11-01
GOOD ADVICE GIVEN
FARMERS ON The
STORING COTTON
Concrete Examples Of Loose
Methods Followed by the
Southern Producers
VALUABLE STAPLE
DESERVES BETTER CARE
Poor Policy to Place Bales On
Ground and Exposed to
All Kinds Of Weather

st. Landry farmers, the past ten
or twelve months, have seen and ex-
perienced the folly and loss of cash
in the old-time and silly methods of
storing baled cotton being held by
them for better prices. 1t has been
common sight to see the farmer who
wouldn't sell at prevailing prices take
his cotton home and throw it on the
ground, in the open, exposed to rain
and the elements, and then, after
holding for months, under natures
she'd" he experiences the sad feeling
of receiving many cents ! ess
for his staple that he at first refused,
simply because his cotton was dam
aged cotton and the loss in weight and
quality has been much more than he
could actually stand-all due, of
course, to his following the policy of
throwing in the weather the crop that
he and his afamily worked hard for
ten months or more to produce and
save.
They have been warned time and
again about their foolish methods of
storing" cotton but while the advice
/ has been needed by many, there are
still many who have paid no heed
whatever to their own bitter expert
ence and the experience Of others
who paid well for their folly. Even
the actual loss of money has had lit
the effect on the hard-headed ones,
but it is hoped that after a while
they viii learn and see that their cot
ton is better stored.
/ In this connection, the United
4 States railroad administration for the
1 Southern Region, at Atlanta, Ca
over the signature Of B. L. Winchell
regional director, has sent out the
following sage and timely advice, ad-
dressed to the cotton men of the eli.
tire country:
Il Atlanta, Ca. Oct. rs, 1919.
To Cotton Growers, Dealers, Ginnerl
and Shippers and Railroad OF
ficers and Employees:
Millions of dollars are lost eVery
year through improper storage Of cot
ton. This has been known in gen
eral way for long time by every
body interested in cotton, but prob
ablv very few of us have even sus
nected what a tremendous factor
storage is in the trade, or the as
founding lot of money thrown ava!
nv the individual owner who lets
bale of cotton stay on the ground.
Some tests conducted by the Unit
ed States department Of agricultur
recently were brought to the atten
tion of the United States railroad ad
ministration, and their results wer
so startling that the administration
desires to aid in gaining for then
widest possible dissemination an
most careful consideration.
: The most striking fact disclose
was that a 492-pound bale Of cotto
stored flat on the ground for 81
months lost 2S2 pounds, leaving 26
mounds for the market, while anothe
bale stored properly in warehous
: lost only two pounds. This mean
that, if the price was thirty cents
mound. the loss on the first bale WI
Z Sse. so. The loss on the bale In Il
3 warehouse was but sixty cents.
z These tests occurred at Press N
3 n Of the st. Louis Cotton Compre'
q Company, Little Rock, Ark. SIEVE
Il hales of cotton were purchased by Il
department of agriculture and store
: under various conditions from n
: vember rs, 1918, to June 10, l9l
Z Weekly observations were conduc
Z ed and complete reports prepared u
: on the condition of the cotton throu
! out the period.
Briefly, here is what the tests d
Z closed:
! Bale No. 1, fully protected in wal
Z house. weighed AGA pounds at t
I start and had net marketable weig
I of 492 pounds when reconditioned
]. the end of the test.
Bale No. 2, exposed on dunna
: and turned after each, rain or once
week. dropped in net marketable C
: ton from 4S7 pounds to $50 pour
G seven pounds lost.