/ 7 
 
 C^G 
 
 UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
 
 Bureau of Agricultural Economics 
 
 Division of Cotton Marketing 
 
 SAMPLING AMERICAN COTTON 
 
 Prevailing Practices and Some Factors Affecting 
 
 Representativeness of Samples 
 
 By Sam W. Martin, Associate Agricultural Economist 
 and Florena Cleaves, Junior Marketing Specialist 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 August 1936 
 
SAMPLING AMERICAN COTTON 
 Prevailing Practices and Some Factors Affecting Representativeness of Samples 
 
 By Sam W. Martin, Associate Agricultural Economist, and 
 Florena Cleaves, Junior Marketing Specialist, 
 Division of Cotton Marketing 1/ 
 
 Contents 
 
 Page Page 
 Introduction 1 Factors affecting representative- 
 Procedure in gathering data 2 ness of sample (continued): 
 
 Types of cotton samples 3 Patching 27 
 
 Plugged sample 3 Trimming the sample 27 
 
 Sample cut on one edge only 15 Rolling the sample 27 
 
 Sample pulled from the bale Handling, packing, and care 
 
 with a cotton hook 15 of samples 30 
 
 Sample pulled from the bale Summary and conclusions 32 
 
 by hand 16 Extracts from State laws relat- 
 
 Factors affecting representa- ing to false packing of 
 
 tiveness of sample 16 cotton 36 
 
 Ginning and baling 17 
 
 Drawing the sample 23 
 
 I ntro d uctio n 
 
 Reliable classification of cotton requires that samples be adequately 
 representative of the bales from which they are drawn. The manner of drawing 
 the sample and other factors affecting its representativeness deserve more 
 consideration than they have received. The importance of a properly drawn 
 sample is too little recognized either by the one who draws the sample or by 
 those who handle it before it is used as the basis of classification. This 
 report presents information assembled through a recent study of various meth- 
 ods of sampling cotton in the United States and of closely related practices 
 insofar as they are associated with representativeness of the samples drawn. 
 
 It is known that disparities can and do occur in the classification 
 of samples from the same bales of cotton by different classers. As presum- 
 ably such disparities may be due in part to differences in samples, this 
 study was made by the Bureau of Agricultural Economics to obtain information 
 
 1/ This study was made under the direct supervision of W. B. Lanham, leader 
 of the Grade and Staple Statistics Section of the Division of Cotton Market- 
 ing. Special credit is due to Arthur W. Palmer, formerly in charge of the 
 Division of Cotton Marketing, who, in addition to general supervision, con- 
 tributed helpful suggestions. 
 
- 2 - 
 
 concerning the influence of different methods of sampling cotton and of close- 
 ly associated practices on the representativeness of samples drawn. The study 
 has furnished information also for use in making effective the provisions of 
 Public Resolution 73, 72nd Congress, approved March 4, 1933, enacted "to au- 
 thorize and direct the Secretary of Agriculture to provide additional facilities 
 for the classification of cotton under the United States Cotton Futures Act." 
 
 The study was based on a survey of sampling methods employed in all of 
 the cotton-producing States except Arizona, California, Florida, Kentucky, New 
 Mexico, and Oklahoma. With the time and funds available, it was not possible 
 to include these States in the survey, but there is no reason to suppose that 
 sampling practices prevailing in these States differ sufficiently from those 
 employed in other cotton-growing States to affect materially the usefulness of 
 the information obtained. 
 
 Consideration was given not only to the different methods of drawing 
 samples from cotton bales and the distinguishing characteristics of the dif- 
 ferent types of samples, but also to (a) ginning and baling practices that 
 affect representativeness cf samples, such as plating of bales at the gin, 
 and (b) handling of samples after they are drawn, such as trimming, rolling, 
 and packing. These factors have an important bearing upon the proper class- 
 ification of cotton bales. It is possible that comparison of the different 
 methods of sampling employed in the different parts of the country, and cf 
 handling and caring for them after they have been drawn, might lead to bet- 
 ter and more uniform practices. 
 
 Procedure in Gathering Data 
 
 For the purpose of obtaining data regarding methods of sampling and re- 
 lated practices, 148 compresses and warehouses, 161 cotton buyers, and a large 
 number of ginners were visited in various parts of the Cotton Belt. To obtain 
 information on ginning practices affecting representativeness of samples, a 
 number of gin-manufacturing companies, ginners, and the experimental cotton 
 ginning laboratory of the United States Department of Agriculture at Stone- 
 ville, Miss., were also visited. The compresses and other establishments vis- 
 ited and the ginners and buyers interviewed were designated by officials in 
 charge of the several field offices of the Grade and Staple Statistics Section 
 of the Bureau as most likely to furnish a representative body of data. No at- 
 tempt was made to provide for weighting the data obtained on the basis of cot- 
 ton handled by the compressmen, warehousemen, buyers, and ginners interviewed 
 as compared with total cotton compressed, stored, sold, or ginned in the var- 
 ious States. Care was taken, however, to include in the survey all types and 
 sizes of agencies performing the services indicated. Inasmuch as a large part 
 of the cotton handled in each State is represented by the agencies from whom 
 information was obtained and in view of the comparatively narrow range in sam- 
 pling practices within individual States, it seems unlikely that the results 
 of the inquiry would have been materially different if a more comprehensive 
 survey had been made. 
 
- 3 - 
 
 Types of Cotton Samples 
 
 Different methods of drawing samples are employed in different parts 
 of the Cotton Belt. Four more or less distinct sampling practices are here 
 discussed, and the outstanding characteristics of the four resulting types 
 of samples are set forth (figs. 1 to 8), namely, (1) the "plugged" sample, 
 (2) the sample that is cut on one edge only, (3) the sample that is pulled 
 from the bale with a cotton hook, and (4) the sample that is pulled from the 
 bale by hand. 2/ As hereafter explained, in drawing samples numbered (1) and 
 (2), the sampler cuts into the bale itself, whereas in drawing samples num- 
 bered (3) and (4), the bagging only is cut preparatory to drawing the sample. 
 (Samples used as a basis of reports issued by the United States Department of 
 Agriculture on grade and staple length of cotton ginned, are press-box samples 
 taken from about the center of the bale before it is wrapped and tied. This 
 study was limited to the four types of samples at present employed in the usu- 
 al marketing practice.) 
 
 Plugged Sample . - When a flat, or uncompressed, bale of cotton is pre- 
 sented to the sampler for drawing a "plugged", or blocked, sample, he makes 
 two smooth, straight cuts into the bale — about 16 inches long, 6 inches apart, 
 and 2 inches deep (fig. 9). For making these cuts the sampler uses a very 
 sharp knife, about 10 inches long, the curved cutting edge of which he keeps 
 sharp by the frequent use of a carborundum rock or other substance suitable 
 for whetting (fig. 10). An experienced sampler will make each cut at a single 
 stroke, the two requiring about 6 seconds. Another stroke severs the bagging 
 at one end, and the sample is then grasped firmly, usually in both hands, and 
 pulled from the bale, care being taken to disturb the edges and the layers of 
 fiber as little as possible. This sample is usually laid on the bale with the 
 outside surface clown, and another sample is similarly drawn from the other 
 side of the bale. The same procedure is followed in drawing a plugged sample 
 from a high-density or a standard-density bale except that the two smooth cuts 
 are usually made from 3/4 inch to 1 inch deep and parallel to and very close 
 to the inside edges of two adjacent bands. A sample drawn in this way is neat 
 in appearance and very compact (figs. 1 and 2). 
 
 After the two portions of the sample have been drawn, it is customary 
 to place an identifying coupon between them, and they are then rolled together 
 and either wrapped in paper or placed in a basket, a box, or a sack. 
 
 Table 1 shows that the practice of sampling bales of cotton by plugging 
 is employed in the States of Texas, Alabama, and Louisiana. At only 4.3 per- 
 cent of the compresses and warehouses visited in Texas was this method of 
 drawing samples employed exclusively, but it was employed to some extent at 
 almost one-third of them and at more than one-tenth of the 148 compresses and 
 warehouses visited in the United States. Although no means of weighting these 
 data on the basis of volume of bales sampled is available, it was observed 
 during the survey that plugging is the most popular method of sampling at sev- 
 eral of the large cotton warehouses and compresses in Texas, and that the use 
 of this method of sampling is increasing. It seems probable that considerably 
 more than one-third of the Texas crop is so sampled. 
 
 2/ Samples from flat and compressed bales only. Samples are usually drawn 
 from round bales with an augur. 
 
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FIGURE 9,- CUTTING A PLUGGED COTTON SAMPLE FROM A HIGH- 
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 WHILE CUTTING THE EDGES* A NEAT SAMPLE OF GOOD WIDTH AND 
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 THIS WAY, 
 
13 
 
 FIGURE 10.- KNIFE USED IN SAMPLING COTTON, CARBORUNDUM 
 ROCK USED FOR SHARPENING KNIFE, AND COTTON HOOK. 
 

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- 15 - 
 
 Sample Cut on One Edge Only.- When a sample is drawn after cutting one 
 edge with a knife, the procedure is as follows. With the same kind of knife 
 as that used when plugging samples, a cut 12 to 16 inches long, usually de- 
 scribing a crescent, is made in the bale, the horns of the crescent pointing 
 toward either the top or the bottom end of the bale. The depth of the cut, 
 which should be made at one stroke of the knife, is usually about 1-1/2 inches 
 on flat bales and 3/4 inch to 1-1/2 inches on standard-density and high-density 
 bales. The cut edge is then grasped firmly, and the sample is pulled from the 
 bale. The cut edge remains comparatively undisturbed and smooth, but the edge 
 pulled loose from the bale is rough and somewhat irregular (figs. 3 and 4). A 
 similar sample is drawn from the other side of the bale, and both samples are 
 trimmed. One of the identifying coupons is then removed from the tag on the 
 bale and placed between the two samples, after which they are rolled or wrapped 
 and disposed of in the same way as described for plugged samples. 
 
 No loss in weight due to loss of bagging occurs when this method of sam- 
 pling is employed. As a sample cannot be pulled so close to the bands as it 
 can be cut, this type of sample is not so wide as the plugged sample. One 
 point in favor of so cutting the sample that the horns of the crescent point 
 toward the top end of the bale is that, so long as the bale remains in that 
 position, the portion of the bagging so cut will naturally fall down over the 
 sample hole and cover the opening; whereas, if the horns of the crescent point 
 toward the bottom end of the bale, the bagging that covered the sample will 
 fall down and leave the sample hole open and, in addition, will be in the way 
 if a sample from between the next two bands below the sample hole is desired. 
 
 The use of the knife on only one edge of the sample is the predominant 
 method of sampling at the compresses visited in Texas. Other States in which 
 this method is used are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Tennessee. 
 It is the method employed exclusively at 22 percent of all the compresses and 
 warehouses visited in the United States (table 1). 
 
 Sample P ulle d from the Bale with a Cotton Hoo k.- The cotton hook used 
 in obtaining a sample from a bale consists of a cylindrical handle about 6 
 inches long, usually made of wood, and a steel rod that passes perpendicularly 
 through the handle at the center and extends about 6 to 8 inches, the pointed 
 end curving into a half circle (fig. 10). In drawing this type of sample, the 
 sampler first uses the knife, making a cut from 12 to 16 inches long, often 
 through the bagging only. The hook is then used to dig into the bale and pull 
 the fibers loose. In doing this, the hook is placed parallel to a band and as 
 near as possible to it. This action may be repeated for pulling the other 
 edge of the sample loose from the bale, or the hook may be discarded after the 
 first edge is loosened and the hands used instead to pull the sample from the 
 bale. The operation of drawing a sample with the hook requires practically 
 the same time as is required by other methods. 
 
 A sample that has been pulled with the aid of a hook has rough, irreg- 
 ular edges that show comparatively little trash (figs. 5 and 6). The layers 
 of cotton are not so compact as are the layers in the plugged sample, for 
 they have been ruffled up by the hook, and this sample cannot be so wide as 
 the sample that is plugged. 
 
- 16 - 
 
 Of the 148 compresses and warehouses visited in the Cotton Belt, 24 
 percent reported the use of a hook to draw their samples, and this method 
 9 used to some extent in all States except North Carolina and Virginia 
 (table 1) . 
 
 Sample Pulled from the Bale by Hand . - Much cotton is sampled by pull- 
 ing the sample from the bale by hand. A knife is first used to cut the bag- 
 ging, the cut being made in the shape of a crescent or a rectangle or in 
 a straight line. No effort is made to cut into the fibers of the bale, the 
 fingers being used to grapple and pull the layers of cotton loose along one 
 edge of the sample, after which it is grasped, with the hands parallel to 
 the bands, and pulled from the bale. Each grapple ruffles up the cotton 
 on the edge of the sample, disturbing and possibly dislodging and losing 
 some of the trash. 
 
 The edges of the hand-drawn sample look rough, and the sample is not 
 so smooth as are the plugged samples (compare figs. 7 and 8 with figs. 1 and 
 2) . The hand-pulled sample is more likely to have a waddy appearance, and 
 the chance of breaking the sample in two across the layers is greater with 
 this method than with any other. On the average, the hand-pulled sample 
 is the smallest and thinnest of the four types. 
 
 The ports visited where samples were taken by hand are Norfolk, Va., 
 Mobile, Ala., and Savannah, Ga. In Mobile, however, hand-drawn samples are 
 an exception rather than the rule. At one compress in Mobile, hand-drawn 
 samples were taken from flat bales only occasionally, the hook being used 
 on compressed bales. Samples were drawn by hand exclusively at establish- 
 ments visited in the States of North Carolina and Virginia (table 1); and 
 this was the method used at more than 90 percent of the establishments vis- 
 ited in South Carolina. Only at the port of Charleston was any other method 
 employed. No compresses or warehouses using the hand method of drawing sam- 
 ples were found in the States of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, or Missouri; 
 but this method is used exclusively at 31 percent of the compresses and ware- 
 houses visited in the United States. 
 
 It is possible that at some time in the future a satisfactory motor- 
 driven sample cutter may be perfected, in which case the practice of draw- 
 ing plugged samples might be considerably increased. 
 
 F actors Affecting Representativeness of Sample 
 
 The consideration of first importance in sampling cotton is that the 
 sample be adequately representative of the bale. A good sample will enable 
 the classer to determine the quality of the major portion of the lint making 
 up the bale and to determine also whether the bale is plated or two-sided. 
 Inasmuch as there is some confusion of the terms plated, false-packed, mixed- 
 packed, and two-sided as applied to bales of cotton, a brief explanation 
 of each of these terms, as used throughout this discussion, seems advisable. 
 
 A plated bale is one having a thin layer of lint on the top and/or 
 bottom surface. This layer may be (1) of different quality or (2) of dif- 
 ferent origin, whether or not it differs in quality. The term "plated" is 
 
- 17 - 
 
 usually applied when this surface layer is not too thick to be penetrated 
 in taking the sample. A false-packed bale is one (1) containing substances 
 entirely foreign to cotton; (2) containing damaged cotton in the interior 
 with or without any indication of such damage upon the exterior; (3) com- 
 posed of good cotton upon the exterior and decidedly inferior cotton in the 
 interior, in such manner as not to be detected by customary examination; 
 or (4) containing pickings or linters worked into the bale. An augur is 
 sometimes used for boring into the end of a bale that is suspected of being 
 false-packed. According to the present regulations under the U. S. Cotton 
 Futures Act (May 1936) , a mixed-packed bale is one which in the samples drawn 
 therefrom (1) shows a difference of two grades or more, if of the same color; 
 or (2), if of the same grade but of different colors, is Blue Stained and 
 either White, Spotted, Yellow Tinged, Light Stained, or Yellow Stained, or 
 which, if none is Blue Stained, shows a difference of two or more color grad- 
 ations; or (3) if the samples are of different grade and different color 
 and show a variation in quality exceeding that between one grade in one color 
 and the next higher or lower grade in the next higher or lower color; or (4) 
 shows a difference in length of staple exceeding 1/16 of an inch. 3/ A two- 
 s ided bale is one having on its top and/or bottom surface lint that differs 
 in quality in any noticeable quantity. Certain two-sided bales may be plated 
 and others may be mixed-packed within the above definitions. Still other 
 two-sided bales may not come within the definition for either plated or mixed- 
 packed bales. 
 
 Ginning and Baling .- The degree to which the sample represents the 
 bale depends, first, on the uniformity in quality of seed cotton brought 
 to the gin by the grower, and, second, on the thoroughness with which the 
 cotton is mixed while it is being unloaded and carried through the cleaning 
 and ginning equipment. At some gins an employee handles the suction pipe 
 and unloads the seed cotton in such a way as to get a good mixture. At other 
 gins the person handling the suction pipe may not be so experienced, in which 
 case a good mixture may not be obtained. 
 
 Lack of uniformity in seed cotton when presented for ginning may re- 
 sult from one or more of a number of causes, among which may be mentioned 
 the following. (1) Rain may have come while the cotton making up the bale 
 was being picked, that picked after the rain producing lint of lower grade 
 than that picked before the rain. (2) The farmer may have been growing two 
 varieties of cotton on his farm, and, not having a sufficient quantity of 
 the pickings of one variety to make a bale, may have included enough of the 
 other variety to make up the required load of seed cotton. (3) The ginner 
 may have bought up various lots of seed cotton and stored them in the gin 
 house or elsewhere until such time as he could conveniently gin the accum- 
 ulated lot, too little care being taken to keep the different grades and 
 staples separated. Occasionally a portion of this cotton may have been picked 
 and other portions may have been harvested by snapping or sledding. Mixed- 
 packed bales or plated bales may be the result. 
 
 3/ The regulations in effect in May 1936 declare bales showing within them- 
 selves a difference of staple exceeding 1/16 inch to be mixed-packed. At 
 that time, however, a revision of this definition was under consideration, 
 and interested persons would do well to inform themselves of any change that 
 may have since been made in the regulations. 
 
- 18 - 
 
 When a load of seed cotton that varies in quality is presented for 
 ginning, the ginner can do little more than mix the cotton thoroughly. Un- 
 less this is done, a two-sided bale is almost certain to result. The class- 
 ification of samples from such a bale will probably vary with the position 
 on the bale from which the samples are drawn. 
 
 Another ginning factor of importance in connection with obtaining a 
 representative sample is the seed cotton from the last load remaining in 
 the distributor, cleaner-feeders, and roll box when the press box is turned 
 to receive the cotton for the next bale to be ginned. Some ginners claim 
 that it wastes much time and machine power to let the rolls run until they 
 stop turning, and that, since the press box is turned at the same time on 
 each bale, no loss in pounds of lint is suffered by the farmer. However, 
 if all the seed cotton has not been ginned and passed into the press box 
 before the press box is turned, this cotton will form a layer on the bottom 
 of the following bale, the lint of which may or may not differ materially 
 from the remainder of the lint that makes up that bale. 
 
 If this layer is of either better or poorer quality than the average 
 for cotton in the bale, it may prevent the drawing of a representative sample 
 and thus affect the classification of the bale. It should be borne in mind 
 that the commercial sample used in cotton classing is, in reality, composed 
 of two samples, one from the bottom side and one from the top side of the 
 bale, and that it is customary to buy cotton on the basis of that portion 
 of the combined sample that is lowest in grade and staple. In spite of the 
 fact that plates on bales of cotton are often so thin as to be recognized 
 by the classer as of minor importance, it should be remembered that when 
 a layer of inferior cotton is placed on a good bale, an injustice is done 
 the farmer who grew the cotton. 
 
 The thickness of the plate on a bale of ginned lint depends on sev- 
 eral factors, among which are the size of the gin, the type of ginning ma- 
 chinery, the variety of cotton, and the quantity of cotton left in the ma- 
 chinery when the press is turned. 
 
 F. L. Gerdes, associate cotton technologist in charge of the cotton 
 fiber research work at the Department's ginning laboratory at Stoneville, 
 Miss., found that if the press box is not turned promptly but instead the 
 saws are allowed to run until the seed roll stops turning, more or less short 
 fibrous material is deposited on the top side of the bale. The quantity of 
 this fibrous material deposited will depend also upon the variety of the cot- 
 ton and the size of the gin. 4/ Mr. Gerdes found that this deposit contains 
 linter fiber ginned from the seed from the time the feeding supply is exhausted 
 to the time the roll stops turning, and that it is often considerably dis- 
 colored, especially if the cotton being ginned is of a variety having big, 
 fuzzy seed. 
 
 Ordinarily this deposit is too thin to affect the grade or staple of 
 the bale unless the sample is not sufficiently trimmed. 
 
 4/ The number of gin stands and saws varies from 1 stand and 60 saws to 6 
 stands and SO saws; other things being equal, the smaller the gin, the thin- 
 ner the layer of fibrous material. 
 
- 19 - 
 
 Another cause of plating on the top side of bales is the re-clean- 
 ing of seed cotton. Certain types of gins have an overflow of soed cotton 
 from the distributor. Later, this cotton is passed through the overflow 
 suction pipe to the cleaning machinery, is re-cleaned, and is again pre- 
 sented to the distributor. If the gin stands are still too crowded to take 
 all of the cotton presented, the distributor throws the excess to the over- 
 flow pile, and the cleaning process is repeated. Should the operation of 
 the over-flow system cause seed cotton to pass through the cleaning equip- 
 ment two or more times, a plate of different quality would probably be de- 
 posited on the top of the bale. 
 
 Ginning also affects the thickness of the plate in another way: the 
 plate may not be of uniform depth. It may be thick on one end of the bale 
 and thin on the other end, or it may be thick in the center of the bale and 
 thin on the ends. Charles A. Bennett, senior mechanical engineer in charge 
 of engineering work at the Department's experimental cotton ginning labor- 
 atory at Stoneville, Miss., states that uneven distribution of fibers in a 
 plate or a bale may be caused by an unequal rate of feed into the different 
 gin stands, unbalanced action of brushes or air-blast nozzles that deliver 
 the ginned fiber from the gin stands, or a combination of these two causes. 
 To quote Mr. Bennett, "Standard construction of the lint flues in gins intro- 
 duces the fiber from each gin stand to the main lint flue in such a manner 
 as to give a spiralized or twisting delivery of the lint to the condenser. 
 This delivery, acting like a thread on a screw, will discharge lint from 
 any particular gin to a certain position on the condenser screen; conse- 
 quently, the failure of all the units to deliver lint uniformly and in equal 
 quantities will result in the bat being thicker at one place than another, 
 and as the bale is built up, more fiber accumulates in the corresponding posi- 
 tion within the press box. If one stand is not fed at the same rate as that 
 for other stands, or if the doffing action of the brushes or air-blast nozzles 
 produces a greater velocity of discharge from one gin stand than from another, 
 it will be seen that it becomes possible for the bat to be thinned out in one 
 place and thickened in others." 
 
 Since a bale packed in this way is not of uniform density, and since 
 this lack of uniformity affects the top layer of fibrous material as well 
 as the underlying cotton, it is possible for a sample to be drawn at a point 
 on the bale where this layer is likely to be thick and another sample to be 
 drawn through a thin portion of the layer at a different position on the 
 bale. This may result in differences in classifications for the same bale, 
 due to actual quality differences in the samples drawn. 
 
 In some cases, the ginner avoids placing the plate on the bottom of 
 the bale by turning the press box one-fourth of the way around. As the gin- 
 ning of the new bale is started, the lint from the previous bale that was 
 left in the roll box is allowed to fall to the floor. After a part of the 
 lint from the new bale is ginned into the press box, the lint from the pre- 
 vious bale is thrown into the center of the bale, and the ginning continues. 
 
- 20 - 
 
 This is a violation of law in some States 5/, and so far as known is not 
 a general practice elsewhere. 6/ 
 
 Developments in the mechanical design of gin machinery that would 
 obviate the plating of bales would be of great value. Not only would it 
 increase the representativeness of samples, but it would remove one of the 
 factors that frequently affects the classification of the grower's cotton. 
 
 Cotton buyers in different parts of the Cotton Belt were interviewed 
 in an effort to obtain information concerning the prevalence of two-sided 
 bales of cotton marketed in the territories in which they operated. Cotton 
 buyers of all types were included, some of them being among the largest buy- 
 ers of cotton in the United States, and some being only small country mer- 
 chants. Since it is not known how much cotton was handled by each buyer, or 
 how much cotton was grown in the territory in which each operated, there is 
 no satisfactory method of weighting the information given by these buyers 
 concerning two-sided bales. 
 
 Unweighted averages of the estimates were computed, therefore, for 
 the various States, and they are presented in table 2 as an indication of 
 the prevalence of two-sided bales. Inasmuch as two-sided bales are valued 
 for grade according to the "low" side and for staple according to the "short" 
 side, it can be seen that losses thus sustained by farmers alone in the United 
 States amount to thousands of dollars during each season. 
 
 Bales of cotton the two sides of which vary one-sixteenth of an inch 
 or more in staple length are not desired by many spinners even at a price 
 representing the value of the shortest staple length. Unless the rolls on 
 a spinning frame are reset, cockled yarn is likely to result from the spin- 
 ning of cotton that averages longer in staple than that for which roll set- 
 tings have been made. Bales that are two-sided in grade can be used at some 
 mills, but spinners often reject them. 
 
 Another matter connected with ginning that should have attention be- 
 cause it affects the sampling of cotton, is the roughly packed top side of 
 the bale. It is common knowledge among cotton samplers who work at com- 
 presses that it is easier to get a sample of desirable size from the bottom 
 side of the bale than from the top side. The first cotton that falls in- 
 to the press box forms the bottom of the bale. The sample from the bottom 
 of the bale does not break into parts as does the sample from the top side. 
 In other words, the sample from the bottom of the bale will usually open 
 into layers, which in most instances are the length of the sample; where- 
 as the sample from the top of the bale will not open into layers so read- 
 ily and often has a rough, wadded appearance. This roughness is not of the 
 same intensity in all samples, but few samples from the top of the bale are 
 so rough that the grade assigned is lower than it otherwise would have been, 
 or that, in trade terms, the grade is reduced. An extreme case of roughness 
 
 5/ See extracts from State laws relating to false packing of cotton, p. 36. 
 6/ A mechanical device has been invented for catching the first part of the 
 lint for each bale, allowing the next lint ginned to fall into the press box. 
 The first lint ginned is then deposited into the press box, and the bale is 
 completed. 
 
- 21 - 
 
 in packing gives the sample drawn from the top of the bale the appearance 
 of loose cotton. If the sample is trimmed rather deeply, however, this is 
 not so noticeable, especially if the last layers of cotton distributed to 
 the bale were folded smoothly. The layers of cotton in the sample from the 
 top side of the bale are not so long, as a rule, as those in the sample from 
 the bottom side of the bale. The shorter layers and the greater roughness 
 are two useful indicators of the top side of the bale. Notwithstanding the 
 rough appearance that is sometimes noticeable in the sample from the top 
 side of the bale, it is usually the more representative of the two portions 
 of the sample. It is of the same origin, presumably, as the major portion 
 of the cotton in the bale, for the bottom of the bale may be plated with 
 cotton of different quality from the load of seed cotton previously ginned. 
 
 Table 2.- Estimated percentages of two-sided bales among 
 cotton bales handled by buyers interviewed in 
 specified States, crop of 1932-33 
 
 State 
 
 Buyers 
 interviewed 
 
 Average 
 percentage 1/ of 
 two-sided bales 
 handled 
 
 Total 
 
 Number 
 161 
 
 Percent 
 12.7 
 
 
 
 Alabama 
 
 11 
 
 15 
 
 19 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 64 
 
 3 
 
 11.8 
 
 Arkansas 
 
 15.3 
 
 Georgia 
 
 7.2 
 
 Louisiana 
 
 2/ 
 
 14.2 
 
 Miss -5 ssippi 
 
 Mi ssouri 
 
 17.5 
 
 North Carolina 
 
 13.9 
 
 South Carolina 
 
 12.7 
 
 Tennessee 
 
 4.4 
 
 Texas 
 
 Virginia 
 
 18.3 
 11.8 
 
 
 
 1/ Unweighted average of buyers' estimates. 
 2/ No data. 
 
 Gin-manufacturing companies and ginners vary in their opinions as 
 to the cause of the rough top side of a bale. Some manufacturers of gin 
 machinery state that when the top side is rough, the picker roll is not prop- 
 erly timed. Mr. Bennett gives the following explanation: "Frequently, dur- 
 ing the final minutes in the ginning of a bale of cotton, the chutes lead- 
 ing to the feeders are irregularly filled and the seed cotton is not uniformly 
 spread over the entire length of the stand. This results in dribbles of 
 seed cotton feeding down on one side of the gin only, and consequently the 
 saws are delinting one portion of the seed roll while ginning at a varied 
 
- 22 - 
 
 rate on the remainder. This action of itself may produce a severe rough- 
 ness in the sample, and scanty accumulations of cotton in the condenser chute 
 will result in accentuating this roughness when the doffers discharge the 
 lint into the press box. If the ginner does not raise the gin breasts promptly 
 when finishing the bale, the seed rolls are ginned down to different densities 
 so that variable amounts of cotton remain in the seed-roll boxes, and very ir- 
 regular plating may result on one side of the bale." 
 
 Under certain circumstances the cotton classer finds it desirable 
 to be able to identify the sample drawn from the top side of the bale as 
 distinguished from that drawn from the bottom side. Information concerning 
 the distinguishing characteristics of the two sides of the bale was there- 
 fore sought from those interviewed concerning sampling practices. The identi- 
 ty of the top and bottom sides of the flat bale can be determined in almost 
 every instance by observation. First, the buckles are usually near the top 
 of the bale, and the opening of the buckle is always toward the bottom, re- 
 sulting in a longer lap in the ties toward the bottom of the bale. In those 
 instances in which the buckles are placed so near the center of the bale 
 that there may be some difficulty in identifying the top side of the bale 
 by this method, a second means of identification may be found in the smooth- 
 ness with which the bagging covers the top of the bale and hangs over the 
 sides. Gravity will cause the bagging on the top side of the bale to hang 
 down smoothly, whereas wrinkles in the bagging will usually be seen on the 
 bottom side, particularly at the edges. The identification of the top and 
 bottom sides of standard-density and high-density bales is a more difficult 
 problem, but one that in many instances it is possible to solve. For ex- 
 ample, the top side of a flat bale will still be the top side of that bale 
 after compression if a small auxiliary press has been used to remove the 
 bands before compressing. The position of the buckles and the smoothness 
 of the bagging will thus indicate the top and bottom sides of this bale, 
 as in the case of the flat bale. 
 
 An additional test is sometimes applied when it is known that the 
 top side of the flat bale was up when placed in position for compression. 
 If this fact can be established, then it is possible to determine by the 
 following procedure which side of the compressed bale was the top side of 
 the original flat bale. The finger nails are drawn against the sides of 
 the bale; the side will feel rough when the nails are drawn from the bot- 
 tom of the bale toward the top; but when the nails are drawn in the opposite 
 direction, the sides will feel very smooth. It should be borne in mind that 
 this method can be applied only to the extent that the fact can be established 
 that the flat bale was placed in the press with the top side up. 
 
 It was found that the top and bottom sides of flat bales could be 
 identified at 92 percent of the compresses and warehouses visited, as com- 
 pared with 64 percent for standard-density bales and 61 percent for high- 
 density bales (table 3). In order that the classer may determine which of 
 the two portions of the sample is more nearly representative of the major 
 part of the cotton in the bale, some adequate means of identifying the top 
 and bottom sides of all bales is desirable. This might be accomplished 
 
- 23 - 
 
 through a tag or marker placed at a fixed point on the bale at the time of 
 ginning, to remain in that position throughout the existence of the bale. 
 
 Table 3.- Comparative ability to identify top and bottom sides of 
 flat, standard-density, and high-density bales of cotton 
 at compresses and warehouses visited, by States, 1933 
 
 State 
 
 Compresses 
 
 and 
 warehouses 
 visited 
 Number 
 
 148 
 
 Proportion of total compresses handling 
 specified types of bales at which top and 
 bottom of such bales could be identified 
 
 
 Flat 
 
 Standard- 
 density 
 
 High- 
 density 
 
 Total 
 
 Percent 
 91.9 
 
 Percent 
 63.5 
 
 Percent 
 60.7 
 
 Alabama 
 
 Arkansas 
 
 Georgia 
 
 13 
 12 
 23 
 14 
 
 2 
 
 12 
 
 11 
 6 
 
 46 
 
 2 
 
 100.0 
 91.7 
 
 100.0 
 92.9 
 
 100.0 
 
 100.0 
 66.7 
 72.7 
 
 100.0 
 95.7 
 50.0 
 
 77.8 
 90.9 
 20.0 
 16.7 
 100.0 
 50.0 
 
 33.3 
 
 66.7 
 71.8 
 
 77.8 
 87.5 
 28.6 
 
 Louisiana 
 
 Mississippi 
 
 Missouri 
 
 21.4 
 100.0 
 
 North Carolina 
 
 South Carolina 
 
 Tennessee 
 
 100.0 
 33.3 
 
 Texas 
 
 73.2 
 
 Virginia 
 
 
 
 
 Drawing th e Sample .- Although many of the compress and warehouse man- 
 agers interviewed seemed to think that the method of sampling employed lo- 
 cally was the only method used to any extent in the United States, there 
 was a consensus of opinion among buyers that a poorly drawn sample affects 
 the classification of the bale, and many buyers stated that classification 
 varies with the method of drawing the sample (table 4). 
 
 Only about 3 percent of the buyers were of the opinion that the method 
 of sampling affects staple-length classification. There is reason to believe 
 that seme buyers who answered in the negative did not take into account the 
 fact that variations in classing may result from differences in the degree 
 to which different samples pass through the plate. These variations may 
 result from hurried stapling of samples inconspicuously plated with cotton 
 of the same grade as the remainder of the bale but of different staple length. 
 
 Of all buyers interviewed, 25 percent stated that the method of sam- 
 pling affects grade, and nearly 65 percent stated that it affects the appear- 
 ance of the sample. The outstanding fact brought out by a comparison of 
 the data shown in tables 1 and 4 is that more than 86 percent of the buy- 
 ers interviewed in Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama, where the more attrac- 
 tive plugged and cut samples are in use, thought that the method of sampling 
 
- 24 - 
 
 would affect the appearance of the sample; whereas approximately 60 percent 
 of the buyers interviewed in South Carolina and 90 percent of those in North 
 Carolina, where samples are drawn by hand almost exclusively, thought that 
 the method of drawing would not affect the appearance of the sample. 
 
 Table 4.- Buyers interviewed and percentages of them stating 
 that method of sampling affects grade, staple 
 length, or appearance of sample, by States, 1933 
 
 
 Buyers 
 interviewed 
 
 Percentage of buyers stating that 
 method of sampling; affects — 
 
 State 
 
 Grade 
 
 Staple 
 length 
 
 Appearance 
 
 of sample 
 
 Total 
 
 Number 
 161 
 
 Percent 
 24.8 
 
 Percent 
 3.1 
 
 12.5 
 6.3 
 
 Percent 
 64.6 
 
 Alabama 
 
 Arkansas 
 
 Georgia 
 
 11 
 
 15 
 
 19 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 64 
 
 3 
 
 18.2 
 33.3 
 15.8 
 37.5 
 
 15.4 
 16.7 
 35.9 
 
 90.9 
 60.0 
 52.6 
 
 Louisiana 
 
 87.5 
 
 Mississippi 
 
 Missouri 
 
 33.3 
 50.0 
 
 North Carolina 
 South Carolina 
 Tennessee 
 
 9.1 
 38.5 
 50.0 
 
 Texas 
 
 85.9 
 
 Virginia 
 
 
 
 
 The different sampling practices prevailing in the different parts 
 of the Cotton Belt may be explained to some extent by differences in circum- 
 stances surrounding the marketing or handling of cotton in the different 
 areas. It will be observed, for example, that the hook is much used in sam- 
 pling Delta cotton. In this connection, attention is called to the fact 
 that, inasmuch as the natural appearance of long-staple cotton is somewhat 
 more rough or stringy than that of other cotton grown in the United States, 
 the extent of additional roughness caused by the hook or by pulling these 
 samples by hand is not readily apparent. 
 
 At one compress visited in Virginia, all samples — whether from flat, 
 standard-density, or high-density bales — were drawn by hand. But many 
 managers of compresses visited were of the opinion that, although a good 
 sample can be taken with the hands from a flat bale, it would be impossible to 
 obtain in this way a good sample from a compressed bale. A large number of 
 high-density bales were observed with bands so close together that an adequate 
 sample could not be obtained without breaking a band, and several bales were 
 seen on which bands were crossed. Breaking and replacing bands require loss 
 of time and involve added expense, and some shippers will not allow the bands 
 to be broken after the bale has been compressed. Thousands of bales are sampled 
 
- 25 - 
 
 after compression at interior compresses and elsewhere in Texas and Louisiana, 
 the samples sometimes measuring as little as 2 inches in width. 
 
 There is considerable variation in the size of samples drav/n by the 
 different methods from different kinds of bales. The width of the sample 
 from a flat bale averages between 6 and 7 inches. The largest samples ob- 
 served were those from the Delta area in Mississippi. In this area, it is 
 the practice to pull samples that are as long as possible and as deep as 
 can be obtained with a hook. They are in many instances as long as the width 
 of the bale. Buyers state that much cotton produced in Mississippi is sold 
 by brokers and that the original sample is divided into two parts in order 
 to have for their use two samples from the same sample hole. Samples from 
 compressed bales in Texas averaged 4 inches in width; but samples drawn in 
 Mobile and Savannah, where the practice of better spacing of bands had been 
 adopted for bales of cotton to be certificated, were found to average from 
 6 to 7 inches in width. In all areas the length of the compress sample ap- 
 peared to depend also upon whether the cotton was to be certificated. 7/ 
 Certain cotton classers insist that a satisfactory sample requires a mini- 
 mum of 6 ounces of lint, 3 ounces from each side of the bale. They state 
 that accurate determination of grade is not assured if the sample is too 
 small. 
 
 When the sample is taken by hook, it is extremely difficult to pull 
 the cotton close to the band, whereas by the plug method the sampler can 
 cut the fibers parallel to and against the band, giving a little more width 
 to the sample. Those who prefer taking samples with the hook say that it 
 is less destructive to fibers than is the knife used in sampling. A hand- 
 drawn sample is even smaller and thinner than a hooked sample, because of the 
 difficulty of pulling the cotton close to the band. Because of the greater 
 effort required to pull samples by hand, this method of sampling is said to 
 encourage "pinching." 8/ 
 
 The plug method is best for obtaining samples from standard-density 
 and high-density bales on which the bands are placed close together. It 
 has been suggested, however, that the sampling of high-density bales would 
 be much facilitated by spacing the bands somewhat as shown in figure 11: 
 two rather close together on each end of the bale and the other five at uni- 
 form intervals over the rest of the bale. 9/ 
 
 7/ Specifications for samples from bales to be certificated are given in Ser- 
 vice and Regulatory Announcement 124 of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, 
 United States Department of Agriculture. 
 
 8/ "Pinching" is the practice of making a very small hole in the bagging of a 
 cotton bale and pulling a small sample by hand. The size of the sample is so 
 small that it is said to be a pinch. A sample taken in this way probably 
 will not weigh 1 ounce. 
 
 9/ This spacing, suggested by F. J. Heberlin of Galveston, Tex!, is now used 
 extensively in the Southwest. A. L. Reed, Secretary-Counsel for the South- 
 western Compress and Warehouse Association of Dallas, Tex., aided materially 
 in bringing about the adoption of the practice. 
 
26 
 
 
 U.I. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE NC6. 31209 BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMIC! 
 
 Figure It,- SUGGESTED SPACING FOR BANDS ON COMPRESSED 
 BALES OF COTTON. Sampling is facilitated by placing two 
 
 BANOS CLOSE TOGETHER NEAR EACH END OP THE BALE ANO DISTRI- 
 BUTING THE REMAINING FIVE BANDS AT EQUAL INTERVALS OVER 
 THE REST OP THE BALE* 
 
- 27 - 
 
 If the grade of the cotton is low, the edges of a plugged sample are 
 likely to show more trash or foreign matter than would the edges of the same 
 sample drawn by another method, the density of the cotton at the edges be- 
 ing less disturbed by cutting than by grappling with either hook or fingers. 
 The plugged sample thus provides an especially correct representation of 
 the trash or foreign matter contained in the bale. Several large cotton 
 firms in Texas have adopted the practice of requesting plugged samples for 
 the classification of their cotton. 
 
 Similarly, v/hen samples are drawn by cutting one edge only with a. 
 knife, the pulled edges, where the fibers have been somewhat disturbed, are 
 likely to show less leaf or trash than do the cut edges (figs. 3 and 4); 
 but these edges look rough, which probably counteracts the favorable im- 
 pression due to absence of trash. It must be remembered that, although cot- 
 ton is not classed by looking at the edges of samples, the psychological 
 effect of attractive samples is to be considered. 
 
 Patching.- The drawing of representative samples may be prevented 
 by the size and character of the patches used on bales of cotton. A very 
 cheap patch is sometimes made by gathering up odds and ends of bagging, jute, 
 and refuse, placing it in a burlap bag that has previously been used for 
 fertilizer or cottonseed products, and sewing up the bag. This makes a thick, 
 bulky patch that must be cut through in order to obtain a sample. The patch 
 may be so thick that the proper depth cannot be attained, and an insufficient 
 sample results. 
 
 Trimming the Samp le . - To the extent that the outside surface of a cot- 
 ton sample bears evidence of bagging trash, bagging stain, or ground stain, 
 it is not representative of the major portion of the cotton in the bale. 
 If the bale has been exposed to the weather for a long period, there is likely 
 to be some rotten or damaged cotton on the outside of the bale, evidence 
 of which may be found on the outside surface of the sample. For this reason 
 and for compactness and convenience in rolling and wrapping, it is customary 
 to strip a layer of soiled or fiber-impregnated cotton from the outside surface 
 of samples and to pull away straggling tufts from other edges. This is refer- 
 red to as trimming or "dressing" the sample. 
 
 Although a few of the buyers that were interviewed said that samples 
 should not be trimmed because the buyer should be given an opportunity to 
 see all the cotton making up the sample drawn, most buyers thought that samples 
 should be trimmed to the extent of removing all weather stain and damage. 
 The trimming of cotton samples was found to be practiced in all of the States 
 and at 95 percent of all compresses and warehouses visited (table 5). Samples 
 drawn by plugging usually require little or no trimming or dressing, except 
 on the outer surface. Attention is called to the fact that the rules of some 
 trade organizations specify that samples shall not be trimmed. 
 
 Rolling the Sample .- The samples taken from the top and bottom sides 
 of a bale of cotton should be so rolled and tagged (1) that correct judgment 
 concerning the grade and staple of the cotton in the bale, based on these 
 
- 28 - 
 
 samples, is facilitated; and (2) that there can be no doubt concerning the 
 identity of the bale from which the samples were drawn. 
 
 Table 5.- Prevalence of the practice of trimming cotton samples 
 at compresses and warehouses visited, by States, 1933 
 
 State 
 
 Compresses 
 and warehouses 
 visited 
 
 Percentage 
 where samples 
 were trimmed 
 
 Total 
 
 Number 
 148 
 
 Percent 
 95.3 
 
 Alabama 
 
 13 
 12 
 23 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 2 
 12 
 11 
 
 6 
 46 
 
 2 
 
 100.0 
 
 Arkansas 
 
 100.0 
 
 Georgia 
 
 100.0 
 
 Louisiana 
 
 92.9 
 
 Mississippi 
 
 Missouri 
 
 100.0 
 100.0 
 
 North Carolina 
 
 100.0 
 
 South Carolina 
 
 100.0 
 
 Tennessee 
 
 100.0 
 
 Texas 
 
 Virginia 
 
 87.0 
 100.0 
 
 
 
 At many of the compresses and warehouses visited it was found that 
 there were no regulations governing the method of rolling samples, the sam- 
 pler following any method convenient to him. At most compresses and ware- 
 houses, however, the samples from the top and the bottom sides of the bale 
 were carefully rolled with the identifying coupon between them, and at nearly 
 7 percent of the compresses and warehouses it was customary to roll the sample 
 from the bottom side of the bale on the outside of the combined sample (table 
 6) . As previously stated, the sample drawn from the top side of the bale 
 is sometimes rougher and often has shorter and more irregular layers of cotton 
 than the sample from the bottom side of the bale. When this condition is 
 noticeable, it is a valuable means of identifying the sample from the top 
 side of the bale. Under such circumstances, samplers sometimes place the 
 sample from the bottom side of the bale on the outside and roll from each end 
 toward the center, but the usual direction for rolling samples is not from 
 the ends inward toward the center, but from one end to the other. Samples 
 for certification according to the United States Cotton Futures Act are laid 
 flat on sample paper and rolled inside the paper. 
 
 At one-half of the compresses and warehouses visited it was found to 
 be customary to roll samples with the inside surfaces together (table 6). 
 This practice was followed extensively in Alabama, Texas, South Carolina, 
 Mississippi, and Virginia. At about 5 percent of the compresses and ware- 
 houses, the outside surfaces of the samples were rolled together; and at 
 about 5 percent, the inside surface of one of the samples was rolled against 
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 Occasionally a sampler will draw a sample from the top side of the 
 bale, Irim it, and divide it by layers, mixing the layers several times so 
 that the inside and outside surfaces of the sample cannot be distinguished. 
 n the sample drawn from the bottom side of the bale has been given the 
 same sort of treatment, the two samples are placed together with the coupon 
 between them. This practice of mixing layers is decidedly undesirable, for 
 there is a possibility that the bale is thickly plated and that the portion 
 of the plate drawn will be so placed as to unduly affect classing. In most 
 cases it is possible to identify the inside surface of a sample before it is 
 trimmed, unless it has been pulled by hand and is not very deep. Other means 
 of identification are found in the bagging stain or trash en the outside 
 surface and the comparative shortness, narrowness, and roughness of the in- 
 side surface. As shown in table 7, employees at compresses are usually able 
 to distinguish the inside surfaces cf cotton samples from the outside surfaces, 
 but are less able to distinguish the portion of the sample taken from the top 
 of the bale from that taken from the bottom of the bale. 
 
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 may be composed, wholly or in part, of cotton from the previous bale ginned, 
 as is not the case with the sample from the top side of the bale. If, as 
 previously suggested, some means of permanently identifying the top and bot- 
 tom sides of bales should be adopted, standardized practice with respect 
 to rolling would enable the classer to know in every instance, which portion 
 of the sample is from the bottom of the bale. The practice of rolling the 
 sample from the bottom side of the bale (when the bottom can be identified) 
 on the outside of the combined sample would aid the classer in determining 
 which portion of the sample is most representative of the bale. This deter- 
 mination would be further facilitated by the practice of placing the inside 
 surfaces of the two portions of the sample together (with the identifying 
 tag between them) . The results of this study indicate that this is the pre- 
 dominant method of rolling samples at compresses and warehouses, presumably 
 because the outside surface is in most instances larger than the inside sur- 
 face. This gives special protection to the inside surface, which is prob- 
 ably mest representative of the major portion of the cotton in the bale. 
 
 H andling , Packing, and Care of Samples .- Cotton samples should be 
 handled carefully after they are drawn in order to prevent loss of sand or 
 other foreign matter therefrom or other changes that may affect their rep- 
 resentative character. In some localities samples are left on top of the 
 bales fcr varying lengths of time before they are wrapped, whereas in other 
 localities it is customary to wrap samples as soon as they are cut. The 
 practice of leaving samples on the top of the bales after they are cut is 
 not a good one, for the humidity of the sample may be changed, and the color 
 also may be changed to some extent by bleaching. 
 
 Samples taken from cotton that is to be certificated are rolled and 
 wrapped in individual papers, which helps to keep the humidity and the color 
 of the cotton as nearly constant as possible throughout the sample. At some 
 of the inland compresses and warehouses in each of the States except Alabama, 
 Arkansas, Tennessee, and Virginia, individual papers were used for the sam- 
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 samples are rolled and packed in a sack; in others, they are rolled and packed 
 in a box or a basket (table 8). At 25.7 percent of the compresses and ware- 
 houses visited, sacks were used for handling samples; at 3.4 percent, a method 
 was used whereby samples were pressed in rows upon sampling paper and wrapped, 
 50 samples to the bundle; and at 0.7 percent, a string was tied around the 
 sample immediately after drawing, and it was given to the farmer (table 8). 
 
 Buyers seem to think that when samples are rolled very tightly and 
 packed tightly in a bag, they remain representative of the bale for a long 
 time. The use of a box or a basket allows light and air to strike the sam- 
 ples, possibly lessening their representativeness. The poorest method of 
 all is that of merely tying the sample with a string, for the sample is thus 
 continuously exposed to light and wind from the time it is cut. 
 
 Either boxes or baskets were used as containers for samples at 13.5 
 percent of the compresses and v/arehouses visited, being used most extensively 
 in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama. It seems worthy of note 
 that in this area samples are usually drawn by hand and that little thought 
 is given tc the matter of appearance of the sample. The sack is the means 
 most often specified in most other States. Sacks, boxes, and baskets are 
 widely used because they cost less than wrapping paper. 
 
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 not only to preserve their representativeness with respect to color, foreign 
 matter, moisture content, and other characteristics, but to prevent the loss 
 or misplacement of the identifying coupons. 
 
 Summary and Conclusions 
 
 The principal types of samples drawn from bales of cotton are (1) the 
 
 plugged, or blocked, sample; (2) the sample that is cut on one edge only; 
 
 (3) the sample that is pulled from the bale with a cotton hook; and (4) the 
 sample that is pulled from the bale by hand. 
 
 At one-third of the 148 compresses and warehouses visited for the 
 purpose of assembling data for this report, the knife was used for cutting 
 one or more edges of cotton samples before drawing them from the bales, all 
 samples drawn being either "plugged" or drawn by cutting into the bale on 
 one edge only. These compresses and warehouses were located in Texas, Louis- 
 iana, Alabama, Arkansas, and Georgia. At 4 percent of the 46 compresses and 
 warehouses visited in Texas, plugged samples only were drawn. 
 
 At 22 percent of the compresses and warehouses visited in the Cotton 
 Belt, samples were drawn by cutting into the bale on one edge only, usually 
 in the form of a crescent. This method was most used in Texas and Louisiana. 
 
 At 24 percent of the compresses and warehouses visited, particularly 
 in the vicinity of the Mississippi Delta, the knife was used to cut the bag- 
 ging, after which samples were pulled from the bales with a cotton hook. 
 
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- 34 - 
 
 At 31 percent of the compresses and warehouses visited, after cutting 
 the bagging only, samples were pulled from cotton bales by hand. This prac- 
 tice was most prevalent in North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and 
 Alabama. No compresses or warehouses employing this method were found in 
 Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, or Missouri. 
 
 Ginning and baling practices are closely associated with sampling. 
 The possibility of insufficient mixing of the load of seed cotton brought 
 to the gin and of "plating" the bale with cotton from a previous load that 
 is of different quality, are matters associated with ginning that sometimes 
 affect materially the representativeness of samples. 
 
 Information furnished by buyers interviewed throughout the Cotton Belt 
 indicates that about 13 percent of the cotton marketed in the United States 
 in 1932-33 was two-sided, and 92 percent of the managers of compresses and 
 warehouses visited indicated that the top and bottom sides of flat bales 
 can be identified. As a rule, the top and bottom sides of a compressed bale 
 can be identified only when it is known that the flat bale was placed in the 
 press with the top side up. 
 
 Since buyers, as a rule, are unwilling to pay for cotton of two dif- 
 ferent qualities within the bale a price above that which the lower quality 
 commands, farmers should benefit from a method of drawing and rolling sam- 
 ples that would indicate whether or not the lower quality represents the 
 bulk of the ba^e or only a small part of it. Additional benefits would re- 
 sult from developments in ginning by which plated or two-sided bales might 
 be obviated. If the identity of the two sides of a compressed bale as well 
 as of a flat bale could be known from time of ginning throughout its exist- 
 ence as a bale, and if the rolling of samples were so standardized as to 
 insure the identity of the two portions of the sample, the classer would 
 be able to know, in all instances, which portion of the sample is from the 
 top side, and therefore most representative of the bale. 
 
 It has been shown that most cotton bales are plated to some extent. 
 Under prescut conditions, it is necessary in cutting a sample that the cut 
 into the bale be sufficiently deep to insure representativeness in the sam- 
 ple; thai, is. that a thin plate will not unduly affect the representative- 
 ness of the sample after it is trimmed. If the plate is thick, or if the 
 sample is thin, adequate representation of the bale may not be obtained. 
 
 Thick, uneven patches on cotton bales often prevent the drawing of 
 a good sample. 
 
 Cotton samples are usually trimmed to a depth that will remove bag- 
 ging stain and weather stain. 
 
 At one-half of the compresses and warehouses it was customary to roll 
 the samploo from the top and the bottom of the bale with the inside surfaces 
 together, separated only by the identifying coupon. At several, care was 
 taken to roll the cc .ton from the bottom side of the bale on the outside of 
 the combined sample Both of these practices are desirable and could well 
 
- 35 - 
 
 be incorporated in any plan for standardized rolling of samples. They facil- 
 itate rolling and tend to give greatest protection to that portion of the 
 sample that is likely to most nearly represent the bale. The classer would 
 thus know that the portion of the sample rolled on the outside is the one 
 that was taken from the bottom of the bale and may be affected by plating. 
 
 When samples are to be used again, they should be handled carefully 
 and in such a way that the two portions of the sample are not changed from 
 their original position in the sample. 
 
 The present method of wrapping samples in individual papers for cer- 
 tification is the best yet devised for this purpose, but this method is not 
 often employed in wrapping other samples. Individual papers for single sam- 
 ples are useful for preserving their identity, but the cost of such papers 
 is often prohibitive. Wrapping several samples carefully and completely in 
 paper, excluding light and air insofar as possible, is another good method 
 of preserving their representativeness. Probably the next best way is to 
 put the samples in a sack. Using open boxes and baskets is less desirable. 
 
 Although managers of compresses and warehouses were usually familiar 
 with only the method of sampling that was employed locally, cotton buyers 
 were of the opinion that method of sampling affects cotton classing. Al- 
 though only 3 percent of the 161 cotton buyers stated that method of sam- 
 pling affects staple-length determination, 25 percent stated that it affects 
 grade determination, and 65 percent stated that it has a psychological ef- 
 fect on classing through difference in appearance. 
 
 The hand-pulled sample is the smallest and thinnest of the four types, 
 and it is drawn with the greatest difficulty, particularly from high-density 
 bales. 
 
 The sample pulled by hook is rough in appearance with irregular edges, 
 As a rule, some of the trash is missing from this type of sample, and the 
 layers of fibers have been disturbed. This sample may be smaller than either 
 of the cut samples, as the cotton cannot be pulled loose close to the bands. 
 The rumpling effect of the hook is not so evident when the cotton sampled is 
 longer than 1-1/8 inches in staple, as such cotton is naturally somewhat 
 rough in appearance. 
 
 The sample cut on one edge only can be taken conveniently from high- 
 density bales only when the bands are properly spaced. Although there is 
 usually plenty of room between bands on flat bales for drawing a sample by 
 making the crescent-shaped cut, there seems to be little reason for prefer- 
 ring this kind of sample to the plugged sample — it does not roll so easily 
 and is more difficult to pack and store. 
 
 The results of this study indicate that plugging is the most desir- 
 able method of drawing samples from high-density bales. The plugged sample 
 can be wider than other samples, for the edges can be cut close to the bands. 
 Such samples are more attractive in appearance and are more compact. They 
 
- 36 - 
 
 can be stacked better, and they are more easily rolled. Because they re- 
 quire comparatively little trimming, handling and classing are expedited. 
 The trash seen on the edges of the plugged sample does not detract from its 
 usefulness as a sample but makes it more truly representative of the bale. 
 
 EXTRACTS FROM STATE LAWS RELATING TO FALSE PACKING OF COTTON 
 
 Alabama Laws relating to Gins — General Acts of 1923 — Act 376, Article 32, 
 
 Section 12 — "Any person who fraudulently packs, or bales, any cot- 
 ton, by plating or otherwise, must, on conviction, be fined not 
 less than fifty, nor more than five hundred dollars, and may also 
 be imprisoned in the county jail, or sentenced to hard labor for 
 the county, for not more than six months." 
 
 Arizona Revised Code of Arizona, 1928, Section 4823 — " Increasing weight 
 
 of g oods sold in containers . Every person who in putting up in 
 any bag, bale, barrel, or other package, any hops, cotton, wool, 
 grain, hay or other goods usually sold in same by weight, puts in 
 or conceals therein anything whatever, for the purpose of increas- 
 ing the weight, with intent thereby to sell the goods therein, or 
 to enable another to sell the same, for an increased weight, is 
 punishable by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars." 
 
 Florida Compiled General Laws of Florida, 1927, Section 7856 — " False pack - 
 ing of provisions . Whoever fraudulently puts into any barrel, bale 
 of cotton, cask or other package of sugar, rice, or pork, or any 
 other article of provisions, any dirt, rubbish, or other thing, 
 shall be punished by fine not exceeding one thousand dollars." 
 
 Georgia Penal Code, Vol. 6., 1914, Section 709 — "Any person who shall put 
 
 or cause to be put into any bale of cotton, vessel of sugar, rice, 
 pork, beef, or other provisions, wool, or other article, prepared 
 for market, any dirt, rubbish, or other thing, for the purpose of 
 adding to and increasing the weight or bulk of said cotton, sugar, 
 rice, beef, pork, or other provisions or things, shall be deemed 
 a common cheat, and shall be punished by a fine equal to the value 
 of the thing thus fraudulently packed or put up, and imprisonment 
 and labor in the penitentiary for not less than one year nor more 
 than five years. The bare possession or ownership of such commod- 
 ities, so fraudulently packed or put up, shall not of itself au- 
 thorize a conviction, where sufficient evidence of knowledge or priv- 
 ity on the part of the owner, or the person in possession, may 
 not be produced on the trial." 
 
 Missis- 
 sippi Mississippi Code, 1930, Section 837 — "If any person shall fraud- 
 ulently pack or bale any cotton, he shall, on conviction thereof, 
 be fined not more than five hundred dollars, or imprisoned in 
 the county jail not more than six months, or both." 
 
 
- 37 - 
 
 New Mexico New Mexico Statutes, 1929, Section 81-205 — " Plaiting; bales . 
 
 Each and every ginner and any officer, servant or employee 
 of a corporation, person or gin company conducting the gin- 
 ning business under the provisions of this act, or any other 
 person, persons or corporation who shall fraudulently, wil- 
 fully or knowingly 'plait' or pack a bale of cotton, which 
 is to say, who shall wilfully and knowingly place on the out- 
 side of said bale a better grade and quality of cotton than 
 on the inside of said bale or who shall gin cotton when it is 
 wet or who shall in the process of ginning said bale of cotton 
 or thereafter add water or any foreign substance to said cotton 
 shall be guilty of an offense hereunder." 
 
 South 
 
 Carolina. 
 
 .Code of South Carolina, 1932, Section 1280 — " Fraudulent Pack - 
 ing of Cotton . Any person or persons convicted of knowingly 
 or wilfully packing into any bag or bale of cotton any stone, 
 wood, trash, cotton, cottonseed, water, or any matter or thing 
 whatsoever, or causing the same to be done, with the intent 
 and purpose of cheating or defrauding any person or persons 
 whomsoever in the sale of such cotton, or who shall exhibit 
 or offer for sale any bag or bale of cotton so fraudulently 
 packed, at the time of the said exhibit, or offer for sale 
 knowing the same to be so fraudulently packed, shall on con- 
 viction thereof, as aforesaid, be sentenced to pay a fine of 
 not more than five hundred dollars nor less than twenty dol- 
 lars and to be imprisoned for a term of not more than six months 
 nor less than one month." 
 
 Tennessee. 
 
 Texas. 
 
 .Code of Tennessee, 1932, Section 11147 — " Penalty for conceal - 
 ing; iron, stone, etc . , in bales of cotton or packages of to-j 
 bacco . If the owner or superintendent of cotton gin or tobaccc 
 establishments of any kind shall place any wood, iron, rock 
 dirt, or other substance, into any bale of cotton, hogshead 
 package of tobacco, when packed or baled, for the purpose 
 adding to the weight thereof, or shall cause the same to be 
 by others, such person so offending shall be deemed guilty 
 felony, and, upon conviction thereof, shall suffer impris 
 in the penitentiary for a period not less than two nor 
 five years, and shall also pay a fine of five hundred 
 
 .Complete Texas Statutes, 1928, Article 5672 — " Certi ; 
 Guarantee . Whether or not a sample of the bale ofj 
 ginned shall be requested and taken by the ginner, 
 shall, nevertheless, place with each bale of cottoi 
 him a certificate of guarantee under his bond thatj 
 process of ginning or thereafter, while the cottc 
 possession of the ginner, no water or foreign subs 
 nature had been placed with such cotton, with intenj 
 Such certificate shall bear the name and address 
 for whom the cotton was ginned, the number of tl 
 books of the ginner, and the weight of the bal< 
 
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