The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-12-26
FAILURE TO PROTECT
BALED COTTON LASSES
OF IMMENSE CAUSE

Little Rock, noc. 2f.--The Arkansas
Democrat says that Arkansas has suf
fered a loss conservatiyely estimated
Mt s3.375 600 this year from the de-
terioration of cotton in bales that have
been left out in the open exposed to
the elements, according TO IL. NJ. Cot
trell, agriculturist Of the Arkansas
Profitable Farming Bureau of the Lit
Tie Rock Board of Commerce
Every dollar of this loss was due to
pure shftlessuess." Mr. Cottrel says,
and ho calls attention to the fact that
this loss viii be further increased un-
less care is taken with the large guam
tty Of cotton that still remains on
hand in Arkansas.
The damage to cotton during the
last six months resulting from failure
to give the bales proper shelter is ap-
palling," says Mr.. Cottrell. No other
word will express it. Farmers and cot
ton buyers have lost millions of dollars
because they do not properly store
the bales. Every cent Of this loss was
Unnecessary.
"a man left his balcd cotton at the
gin until the last week in March. The
Gin dumped the bales off the platform
and they lay on the ground where they
fell The man found a buyer and
learned that an average Of one-fourth
Of each bale had rotted. Ills loss was
$34 a bale.
Another man had - bales, for
which he was offered 3S cents u pound.
l., l.t ,tfitbtnt
shelter and a few days ago sold it for
30 cents subject to its being recondi-
toned. The damage was so great
that the cotton brought him net Is
cents a pound, a loss of 500 a bale
from the price he was first offered.
In travelling over the state this
winter / have repeatedly seen bales
of cotton lying ON the ground in front
of an empty shed. The grower had
hauled the bales home from the gin
and dumped them in front of the shed,
intending, some time, when it was con
venient to roll them into the shelter.
All over the ton-producing section
Of the state may be seen bales lying
on the ground. They have been unshel-
tered so long that they have sunk two
or three inches into the mud.
1T was estimated that on April 10
there were in Arkansas 225,OOO to 23O,-
600 bales Of cotton on farms i'm coun-
try towns and that at least half Of that
number had been damaged. The aver
age loss on the entire quantity still
in the country probably is $l5 bale
or more.
"Why this loss? why do owners
of q piece Of property as valuable as a
bale Of cotton allow it TO be damaged?
No one can aswer, because it is incom'
prchensible that a man will allow his
property to waste away so rapidly
when he can so easily protect it and
usually at little or no expense. | have
asked many men who show good sense
in other things why they let their cot
ton rot. and not one has been able 10
give any reason. Every one hung
his head and said he did not know
what made him so shiftless.
Cotton becomes damaged quickly
when the bales are left on the ground
1t does not become damaged so soon
when the bales are stored on plat
form, but once it starts to mould on q
platform the damage increases even
more rapidly than when the bale is
ON the ground. The only way 10 keel
cotton from becoming seriously dam
aged is to store it as soon as it is baleo
in a dry place, where it will be pro
tected from moisture and storms.
1t is not too late to prevent muct
damage to the cotton still on hand