COTTON CULTURE 51 



in the field for a fuller opening than an average of two 

 hundred pounds per acre is liable to serious damage, and, 

 in case of storms, to almost total loss. 



Ginning. The removal of the seed from the lint, gin- 

 ning, is now generally done by public steam gins. The 

 charge is very low, and it is cheaper than home-ginning. 

 Some of the large plantations have their own gins. Pack- 

 ing or baling follows the ginning, and the modern cylin- 

 drical bale closed in cotton duck, sewed instead of iron-tied, 

 is an improvement on the old style badly-made burlap 

 bale. In the matter of ginning and baling, the planter 

 is generally at the mercy of his local steam gin. If it is 

 a modern plant, he is very fortunate; if not, the only 

 remedy is to endeavor to have a modern plant established. 



Marketing. The cotton crop is seldom marketed by 

 the planter direct. The custom is to haul it to the nearest 

 market town, where the bales are consigned to a factor, 

 or commission man, who furnishes storage and insurance, 

 samples each bale and sells its contents, making a fixed 

 charge for his services. By this system, the cotton passes 

 through several hands, each of which makes a handsome 

 profit. It is wrong in principle, and the remedy lies in 

 a thorough organization of planters. Under present con- 

 ditions, it is generally more profitable to sell direct from 

 the gin, and save cost of storage, insurance, and loss from 

 shrinkage. 



