4 BULLETIN 948, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
present conditions such a course would not be practical, but analy- 
ses of carloads of uniform lots of seed would be of material assistance. 
FOREIGN MATTER. 
Large quantities of useless foreign matter which cost many thou- 
sands of dollars and require the use of many freight cars are sold and 
transported with cotton seed annually. A high content of foreign 
matter generally causes damage to seed, resulting in a poorer quality 
and smaller quantity of products. Oil-mill men claim that if the cost 
for the purchase, handling, and transportation of foreign matter were 
eliminated money thus saved would go to the producers, as the oil 
mills could pay higher prices for clean seed without increasing the 
prices of the manufactured products. 
In Plate I is shown a pile of foreign matter removed from one car- 
load of unusually dirty seed. The figures regarding this car of seed 
were as follows : 
Weight of seed and foreign matter pounds . . 31, 200 
Weight of foreign matter do 3, 500 
Net weight of seed do 27, 700 
Value net weight of seed at $55 per ton $761. 75 
Foreign matter at $55 per ton " 96. 25 
Freight on shipment at $1.50 per ton 23. 40 
Freight paid on foreign matter 2. 62 
The oil mill that bought this car of seed cleaned out the foreign 
matter and paid the shipper only for the net weight of the clean seed. 
The freight on the trash, however, as well as the expense and trouble 
of cleaning the seed, was incurred by the mill. A large portion of 
foreign matter could be eliminated easily if all gins were properly 
equipped and operated and if cotton seed were sold with reference to 
cleanness in such a way that clean seed would bring proportionately 
more than dirty seed. 
IMPORTANCE OF ANALYZING COTTON SEED. 
A careful study of the figures here presented, together with a study 
of present-day conditions, will show that if the composition of com- 
mercial lots of cotton seed as shown by analyses were known to a 
greater extent, it would be better for both buyer and seller, and 
probably the quality of seed would improve greatly. During the 
five years covered by these records approximately 60,000 analyses 
were made to determine the quality of seed for purchase or to deter- 
mine the quality of seed in a particular section or community. In 
addition to analyses for these purposes, many analyses were made to 
check the yields at the oil mills. It doubtless will be a distinct for- 
ward step when all mills have their seed analyzed and keep close 
watch of actual yields so that any mechanical or other defect that 
