286 
COTTON 
product of this manufacture rather than primary 
objects. But so valuable have these two commod- 
ities become that their importance is now even 
greater than that of the oil itself. 
Oil as it leaves the press is known as crude oil, 
and has not a great many uses until it passes through 
the refinery for the completion of the manufac- 
turing process. While we can have a number of 
oil mills and while these may be small in size, the 
refining mill is so complicated as to be very expen- 
sive, difficult of operation, with running expenses 
further heightened because costly labor must be 
used. But we do not need so many refineries. 
The great bulk of the raw seed necessitates a large 
number of oil mills, not only because of money 
saved in freight, but because of the fact that with 
many local mills the farmers can readily dispose of 
their seed or secure meal in exchange for them. 
Oil, on the other hand, is a very concentrated 
product. From a ton of seed something like forty 
gallons of oil are obtained. It readily follows that 
the oil contained in a great number of tons of cotton 
seed can be transported in the same bulk space as is 
required for one ton of raw seed. 
So from all directions in the State crude oil may 
go to some one or more central points to be refined, 
and from these points distributed for manufacture 
into commercial products. 
In the process of getting oil in its crude form two 
products result : crude oil proper, and the settlings 
or "foots" as they are called. The first named 
product is drawn off and goes to the refining tank, 
from whence it is barreled for shipment. The 
settlings usually go back to heater tanks and are 
either pressed again or barreled and shipped as 
soap stock. 
