PACKING AND MAEKETING OF COTTON. 15 



and make deductions for it, the farmer is liable to sustain loss rather 

 than secure profit from the deliberate exposure of his cotton; More- 

 over, it frequently happens that lon^ exposure results in such serious 

 damage as materially to reduce the intrinsic value of the cotton. 



The loosely packed gin-box bale, whose density is 10 to 12 pounds 

 to the cubic foot, will absorb a greater amount of moisture than the 

 more densely packed recompressed bale, and by reason of less 

 density moisture will evaporate more quickly in the case of the 

 former. 



Many examples might be given of damaging effects of exposure. 

 One such example is furnished by the State of Georgia. Last year 

 that State grew a considerable quantity of cotton on its farm, which 

 is operated by convicts. The cotton after having been ginned and 

 baled was allowed to remain" on the farm without protection against 

 the weather. In April last proposals were invited for the purchase 

 of the State cotton, in response to which a number of merchants 

 visited the farm for the purpose of making an inspection prelimi- 

 nary to offers to purchase. Inspection disclosed that the cotton was 

 damaged to an extent that made it necessary to unpack and spread 

 it out that the visible damage might be removed by picking and 

 that the remainder might be resuscitated by exposure to the sun 

 and wind. Not a single bid was made for the cotton by those who 

 were invited to purchase. 



CAUSE AND EXTENT OF COTTNTRT DAMAGE. 



Country damage prevails to such an extent that it has become the 

 custom to consider reclamation on that account, and in purchasing 

 from the farmer the merchant usually deducts some points to cover 

 that contingency. One estimate places the loss to the farmer on 

 account of country damage at $2 per bale. This form of damage is 

 inseparable from carelessness in handling after the cotton is ginned. 

 The farmer usually retains possession of the cotton after ginning 

 for a period of one to six months, during which time it is exposed 

 to the weather and is moved about over platforms, dragged over 

 fields and roads, at the convenience or to meet the necessities of 

 the owner. The bale being loosely pressed and only partially cov- 

 ered, readily absorbs moisture and the lint, which is exposed by lack 

 of covering and obtrudes from sample holes, becomes discolored, 

 stained, impregnated with dust, and suffers other damage that affects 

 the commercial value of the bale. Much of the country damage is 

 claimed to be sustained while the cotton remains in possession of the 

 farmer or the merchant, and before it undergoes recompression. The 

 damaged lint is picked from the bale and is so much loss to the 

 owner. It sometimes happens that the country damage is so great 

 that the covering and ties are removed, the entire bale overhauled, 

 and the cotton repacked. Compression at the ginnery and covering 

 the bale completely with good ]ut6 or burlap would very largely re- 

 duce, perhaps entirely remove, liability to country damage. Figure 

 4 represents cotton removed from warehouse at Augusta, Ga., in con- 

 sequence of floods in April and May, 1912, and exposed for resuscita- 

 tion. This cotton had to be rebaled. 



