32 A STORY OF COTTON 



If the producer's wagon is NOT ready to receive the bale, 

 it is simply dumped ofT of the platform, on to the earth 

 ALONGSIDE of the platform of the gin, and usually allowed 

 to remain in the position, on the earth, that the bale accom- 

 modated itself to when thrown from the platform. 



If the earth is DRY, at the time of the dumping of the bale, 

 very little harm is done to the bale in this, INITIAL PER- 

 FORMANCE. 



If the earth is WET, the bale receives its FIRST CONTAMI- 

 NATION, by contact with mud and water. 



After the producer has loaded the bale of LINT COTTON 

 on his wagon, the bale then STARTS on ITS LONG and PER- 

 ILOUS journey to the consumer in America or to the spinners 

 abroad. 



A bale of dry cotton, delivered at the gin platform and rolled 

 into the producer's wagon, is, either hauled to the producer's 

 home and dumped on the ground, usually, WITHOUT PRO- 

 TECTION from the rain, or, it is hauled to a neighboring 

 village, very often IN THE RAIN, to be sold in the manner 

 previously described, or, is hauled to a warehouse or an open 

 railroad platform and there delivered for the account of the 

 producer; BUT — 



In any event, if it IS raining, this bale of cotton is absorbing 

 moisture EVERY MOMENT. 



Each moment, its liability to damage is increasing, and, after 

 the PRIMARY MANIFESTATION of damage, which usually 

 takes place and is in evidence under the bands next to each 

 end of the bale where the bagging is tucked under the band, 

 which tucking forms three layers — two of bagging, and one 

 of the band proper — and the bagging is so tightly pressed 

 against the fibre proper of the bale that the rapid evaporation 

 of moisture is prevented. 



The theory that is usually accepted, "As the wish is the 

 father of the thought," is, that, the turning, and RE-turning 

 a bale of cotton, and heading and RE-heading a bale of cotton, 

 where the rain is allowed free access to the bale, WILL PRE- 

 VENT DAMAGE by water to a bale of cotton. 



This THEORY is ABSOLUTELY ERRONEOUS and NOT 

 founded upon a FACT, which FACT is demonstrated EVERY 



