Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1921-12-14

he value Of their cotton. Inc grad
ng or CHASING is done by the. buyar,
While the seller has nothing to do
With the fixing of the grade or price.
Could anything be more absurd? The
producer offering his product, for sale
without any knowledge of its grade
and then allowing the buyer to de-
termine or set the grade and the
price! Since the grading Of cotton is
difficult matter requiring much
practice and considerable skill only
the very largest producers can afford
to employ disinterested classer. The
small producer has no way at pres
ent of putting himself on an equal
footing with the buy
Official, disinterested classers
should determine the grade and class
of all cotton offered for sale, which
grading should stand and the buyer
be forced to accept it; but since that
is not now practicable the next best
thing is for farmers to pool their cot
ton, hire competent man to grade
it, and then they can offer it for sale
with a knowledge which will protect
them from unfair or inefficient grad
ing. At present, country buyers are
cften also unable to class the cotton
they buy and must buy at a price low
enough to make themselves safe;
while there are numerous instances
in which the producer has been rob-
bed of S, 10, and Is cents pound by
deliberate fraud in. grading and
stapling.
If pooling cotton and grading it
accurately before offering it for sale
were the only results of cooperative
marketing, these alone would more
than justify the change.
Adequate Warehousing Made
foSslbie.
The cooperative marketing of cot
ton. also means proper warehousing
and this again would alone justify the
change from present methods. Prop
er warehousing will result from CO.
operative marketing because the mar
keting association will require that
the small producer deliver hit cotton
promptly so that it. may be protected
from country damage, so that money
may be borrowed or advanced on it
and that it may be insured against
loss by fire, etc.
Proper warehousing, which has
never yet been obtained by the old
methods of marketing, will be forced
by cooperative marketing, and since-
this means adequate financing and
protection from country damage,
these alone are sufficient to justify
all the effort necessary to market
comparatively. Lack of space forbids
even naming all the benefits; but
briefly some of the others are more
regular and gradual marketing of the
crop, encouraging the production of
more uniform type and better quail
ity. of cotton, a reduction in the cost
of marketing and a better price.
Many seem to think that the chief
benefit from cooperative marketing
is better price, but as matter of
fact the better price will come
through accurate grading, better fl
nancing, proper warehousing, pro-
lection from country damage, and
more economical marketing. The in
dividual farmers products are not
sufficient in quantity to enable him
to employ the best marketing ability
in selling them; but, when he joins
with hundred, a thousand, or hum
dred thousand other small farmers
the quantity justifies the, employment
of the highest marketing ability
possible. le.-Progressive Farmer.
Many Offices of State Filled by