12 BULLETIN 216, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
associations and build their own storage houses. They can not 
expect others to invest thousands of dollars in storage houses that 
will lie idle for several years and make a profit for only one year. 
No business men will invest their money in such a way. Farmers 
must build their own storage houses or remain dependent upon the 
merchants and cotton factors. It would seem also that the mills - 
and trade in general should encourage the preservation of cotton by — 
storage by discriminating individually against ‘‘country damaged’’ 
cotton. This would put a premium on cotton in good condition and 
would thus tend to encourage storage. 
i 
WAREHOUSES NOT WELL DISTRIBUTED. 
It has been stated that in aggregate storage capacity present facil- 
ities are ample but the warehouses are not properly distributed. 
The investigation showed that in many places in every State, 
including those with the greatest humber of warehouses, thousands 
of bales of cotton are ‘‘stored’”’ on the streets and platforms, or left. 
about gins and farms, while all the warehouses in use are filled 
to their greatest capacity. In other sections of the same State, 
frequently in the same county, warehouses were found that are 
used very little. This indicates that very poor judgment has been 
exercised in the location of storage houses and that those who have 
cotton to be protected can not get the service which might be 
expected from the figures shown in Table VII. Doubtless many new 
warehouses should be erected in sections that are not now served. 
Many of the houses which have been improperly planned should be 
reconstructed in order to obtain better insurance rates and render 
better service. Some of the inferior houses should be destroyed or 
used for hay barns or for other purposes. Wherever possible, the 
farmer should be allowed the use of cotton mill and other private 
warehouses, and he should be encouraged in every possible way to 
store and protect his cotton. On the other hand, he should be will- 
ing to change his present practice and his ideas in regard to the 
storage business. 
STORAGE FACILITIES NOW AVAILABLE. 
GEORGIA AND NORTH CAROLINA. 
Table III (p. 18) gives the results of the survey in Georgia and 
North Carolina. It will be seen that the storage capacity of ware- 
houses is given in flat or uncompressed bales, in cotton as offered, 
and also in the compressed form. All the figures relating to the - 
storage capacity of warehouses belonging to cotton mills refer to 
uncompressed or flat cotton. In the investigation in these States 
information as to the storage capacity of all warehouses in flat bales 
ee ee en 
