24 
BULLETIN 1445, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
policy on the cotton may be carried either by the warehouseman or 
the owner, but when a loan is desired the banker's conditions must 
be met. In the small country warehouse it is frequently carried 
by the warehouseman and paid for as a part of the warehouse charge. 
The cotton merchants and the large cooperatives carry their own 
insurance on their cotton, because they can obtain better rates and a. 
policy broader in scope. 
"Warehouses play an important part in the moA^ement of cotton. The 
large warehouses serve as a kind of sorting place for the " hog-round " 
or " lot-through " cotton bought by the merchant. This sorting at 
concentration points is accomplished without increasing the freight 
costs, since cotton is shipped to such points with reshipment privi- 
leges. This permits the cotton to be transported to destination at a 
through rate from point of origin. 
In markets where cotton is tendered for delivery against future 
contracts, a proper system of warehouse supervision and inspection 
adds greatly to the value of the contract and facilitates a freer move- 
ment. The improved system of warehousing, coupled with a better 
cotton classing service and means of identification of bales, is doing 
much to eliminate waste and shorten the marketing route. 
NUMBER AND SPACE 
Figures as to the number and capacity of cotton warehouses in 
the South are not available. Published estimates in 1914 (Table 4) 
indicated that there is ample warehouse space but that much is 
poorly located. In normal times warehouse space in the South 
equal to one-third the crop is ample. The warehouse space de- 
manded in the different months of the year for the storage of 
cotton is indicated by Table 5, and by Figure 7, which shows the 
relation of warehouse space used in Arkansas to total warehouse 
space available. 
Table 4. — Comparison between estimated storage capacity of all warehouses in 
the Cotton Belt for season beginning August, 1914, and cotton production, 
1913 1 
Ware- 
houses 
Storage capacity 
Produc- 
State 
Flat 
As offered 
Com- 
pressed 
tion, 
1913 2 
Alabama. . „ 
Number 
581 
233 
51 
1,089 
200 
187 
149 
120 
337 
31 
497 
30 
Bales 
1, 628, 935 
714, 780 
225, 060 
1, 354, 810 
809, 600 
892, 540 
210, 216 
540, 600 
1, 156, 760 
582, 285 
1, 946, 494 
219, 890 
Bales ■ 
1, 884, 355 
965, 800 
357, 830 
1, 693, 280 
1, 095, 930 
1, 525, 810 
264, 446 
842, 330 
1, 363, 560 
919, 435 
2, 513, 324 
316, 580 
Bales 
2, 741, 530 
1, 017, 500 
380, 270 
2, 274, 866 
1. 260, 490 
1, 665, 840 
366, 141 
927, 845 
1,887,380 
935,011 
3, 531, 770 
329, 065 
Running 
bales 
1, 483, 669 
1, 038, 293 
Florida- _ - - 
66, 700 
2, 346, 237 
436, 865 
1, 251, 841 
North Carolina 
837, 995 
Oklahoma.- . __ 
842, 499 
South Carolina- 
1, 418, 704 
Tennessee --. -. 
366, 786 
Texas. '.. 
3, 773, 024 
24, 569 
All others. _ _.. -_. 
95, 629 
Total 
3,485 
10, 281, 970 
13, 742, 680 
17, 317, 708 
13,982,811 
Figures quoted from U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. No. 216, Cotton Warehouses, 1915, p. 16. 
1 Estimates for 1914 were computed on the basis of a 10 per cent increase in the number of warehouses 
and total storage capacity over the estimates for the season 1913. 
2 Compiled from reports of the Bureau of the Census. 
