A STORY OF COTTON 



small producer, who, after his bale of cotton has been ginned, 

 will load the wagon with the seed that has been separated 

 from the lint, and place the finished product, of the BALE of 

 "LINT COTTON" upon the loose seed, and start to a neigh- 

 boring town to sell the bale of cotton to a storekeeper, or to 

 the representative of a Cotton Buyer. 



These representatives are usually in evidence at ALL small 

 towns throughout the cotton belt as soon as the cotton season 

 opens. 



Often, if he disposes of the bale of cotton to a storekeeper, 

 he receives, in payment, a part in cash, and a part in trade, by 

 purchasing from this storekeeper the necessary food and cloth- 

 ing that the producer may require ; BUT 



It VERY OFTEN OCCURS, however, that this small pro- 

 ducer has already, been buying from a specific storekeeper 

 ON CREDIT. In other words, the storekeeper has been SUP- 

 PLYING, during the winter, this small producer, and, when 

 the bale of lint cotton is delivered to ofTset his, the purchaser's 

 bill for supplies during the winter months, there is VERY 

 LITTLE, if ANYTHING, coming to the small producer for his 

 bale of lint cotton, after he has paid his bill to the storekeeper. 



If the small producer is ABSOLUTELY INDEPENDENT, of 

 a storekeeper and owes him nothing, THE VERY FIRST 

 THING THAT THIS SMALL PRODUCER DOES, is, to take 

 out his knife and CUT A HOLE in the bagging that has JUST 

 BEEN PLACED UPON THE EDGES AND UPON THE HEAD 

 OF THE BALE OF COTTON. 



He will then pull from the bale a SAMPLE, which sample, 

 will weigh, APPROXIMATELY, six ounces, and carry this 

 sample around the village, and have ALL of the storekeepers 

 and ALL of the representatives of Cotton Buyers, bid on the 

 bale, and then sell it to the highest bidder. 



Thus, you will see, that, in THIS instance, the FIRST HOLE 

 is cut in the bagging and the FIRST MUTILATION takes 

 place, by the PRODUCER of the cotton, and, approximately 

 six ounces of the cotton is wasted. 



The bale is weighed to the purchaser less this six ounces of 

 cotton. 



