The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-08-20

been stored for six or eight months,
have been found to be in good
shape, the fibre has not deteriorat-
ed, but has rather improved, and it
can, from there. be taken to the
mills for manufacturing, or to the
centralizing points for compressing
and be there prepared for exporting
to foreign countries. The farm or
community warehouse, gentlemen,
Is to my mind, the solution of the
problem OF country damage. Let's
Quit talking so much about large.
we'll equipped, sprinklered, storage
houses for cotton. Those who deal
in cotton, after it leaves the farm
er's control, will look after that:
but rather. to my mind, is the prob
lem of caring for the cop before
| it goes on the market. The perfec-
ton Of the warehouse receipt. for
cotton stored in the name Of the
producer, by systems of checking
grading, proper authority In issuing,
80 that the grower can realize on
the cotton to some extent, for his
needs upon the crop he has produc-
ed. This will be an incentive to him
to care for the products and pre-
serve it from the fearful toll he Is
now paying by reason Of the cotton
not being stored on the farm or in
the community in which we never
can expect to be stored If we de-
peEd upon the grower taking 1t
great distances away from his
farm, losing the identity of his pro
duct and all the control and say
SO in its care. The spot dealer can
and does make arrangements to
care for the cotton he purchases.
The cotton mill people very prop
erly provides for the care of their
stock of raw cotton, The export
ers and compress people as a gen.
eral proposition have plenty OF
warehouse space, but the farmer
and grower Of cotton, situated as
he is, and must of necessity be.
away from large reserve supplies Of
water. and not fitted with
elaborate fire apparatus at his place
Of business, must depend upon TAX
ing care Of his products which is
gathered, if gathered In time to
save loss or damage in the fields,
and in space Of six or eight
weeks, on the farm on which it was
grown or in its immediate COM
munity. Otherwise loss from
country damage will be the in
evitable result, because it is a phys
sical impossibility to get enough of
it sold or otherwise collected togeth
er to prevent great percentage Of
it from damaging in hands Of the
grower, within the time it will take
the market to absorb it and the
consumers of the world to use it.
We have, therefore, figured in our
minds, when speaking or thinking
Of cotton, and the loss resulting to
it from country damage, as If It
were an all the year crop, when the
facts are, that cotton is harvested,
If taken at it's best, in a very short
space Of time, and is then either
sold within the time by the produc-
er, thus overloadiag the market
with excessive offerings and with
debated values, or else must be
shipped away from the community
to be thrown into the melting pot
of large storage, systems r. andi'in
most cases the identity of the Iactua
a, bales are tlest+costing freight,
:1rayage and storage: charges, which
:in most, cases, thes grower can not
understand, ;, These are the acutal
facts as applied to. the condition OF
cotton growers. These are the
reasons tyky.a penalty is;p}accd on
this great commodity for waste and
country damage and until HWe'5Go
out :r,nane the gfowers basas, ;sbew
them and help them tosstore and
care for their crops on their cSwn'
farm, or IN their own community,
help them 10 get their crop lii such
shape that the receipt therefor will
SO current in the money markets Us
good collateral throw around them
the safeguards of the law, and good
business principles, we may expecI
to find the same loss from country
damage as now prevails. For say
to you. that they Will not part with
the physical control Of their sweat
and toll into strange hands ard
suspicious environments for stor.
age, preferring rather the loss it
sustains under his own wine and
Fig Tree" or selling and taking the