B-1072 December 1967 ff imm~i;¢ Raw Cotton Requzrements TEXAS A8zM UNIVERSITY TEXAS AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION H. O. Kunkel, Acting Director, College Station, Texas Summary During the summer of 1965, 98 representative textile firms were surveyed to ldetermine major factors affecting domestic textile demands for raw cotton. Current fiber utilization, opinions as to desirable fiber qualities and characteristics of the cotton marketing system were analyzed. Quality and marketing problems relating to cotton pro- duced in various regions of the Cotton Belt and the com- petitive position of southwestern cotton relative to other cotton-producing areas received special attention in this survey. For the purposes of this report, the states of Texas and Oklahoma are considered to be the southwestern area. Cotton produced in this area has been predominantly of short staple length. These two states have produced more than 95 percent of all U. S. cotton under 1 inch in staple length since 1960. Carryover stocks of short staple cotton have continued to increase since 1961, and by 1966 reached a level of almost 6 million bales. From 1961 to 1966, annual production of cotton under 1 inch averaged 5.8 million bales. During this same period, annual domestic mill consumption of cotton under 1 inch ranged from 1.2 to 1.6 million bales. Exports of this cotton have remained at approximately the same level as domestic mill consumption during the past 6 years. Cotton under 1 inch in staple length com- prised over 37 percent of the total stocks in CCC inventory on August 1, 1966. By June 29, 1967, total stocks of cotton under 1 inch in staple length made up 66 percent of CCC inventory. In order to reduce this inventory, consumption must be expanded either by domestic mill use or by export, or production must be drastically reduced. The opportunities for expanding consumption of short staple cotton in domestic mills are examined in this publication. The 98 mills surveyed consumed nearly 6 million bales (or bale-equivalents) of cotton and synthetics in 1964. Over 51/4 million bales of cotton alone, about 58 percent of the total U. S. cotton consumption in 1964, were used in the 98 mills. It was estimated that total domestic mill consumption of cotton in 1964 was slightly over 9 million bales. Although total mill consumption of cotton has had an upward trend in recent years, it has not increased as rapidly as mill consumption of other fibers. Cotton’s share of the fiber market has declined greatly in the past 2O years. An estimated total of almost 600,000 bales of cotton from the Southwest was consumed by the 98 mills surveyed 2 in 1964. Only 16 of the 98 mills used than 1 inch in staple length. There was a diw tion between the finest yarns produced and 3» length of the raw cotton used. As end produ finer and finer yarns, it was necessary for n’ longer staple cottons or blend short staple cott, longer fibers. The majority of the 40 d' products utilizing southwestern cotton were l. relatively coarse yarns. A The most important reason mill person using southwestern cotton was the relatively of this cotton. Prices paid for southwestern y“ from 27 to 33 cents per pound, while longer -, from other areas brought prices up to 40 or pound. In a few cases, convenience and avai given as reasons for using southwestern Texas cotton was mentioned as being of r - than other cotton for broadcloth, print cloth produced in one mill. Good dyeing properties, lengths, particular micronaire numbers and.‘ were given as the main reasons for using ‘ cotton for certain special end products. i‘ Some of the marketing problems involv i ing cotton from the Southwest were common i‘ such as removing cotton from warehouses Q from the loan. Additional problems specifi, to the quality of southwestern cotton includ‘ in quality, poor character, poor running and fluorescent spots. In spite of these difficul tively low price paid for southwestern ~59 profitable for mills to obtain cotton from t i The results of this study indicate that; cotton could compete with cotton from oth were priced sufficiently low, or if the - Z presently limiting mill uses were improved. i mediate future, the main use of this cotton! products requiring a coarse yarn or for blen longer staple raw materials. An increase in would expand opportunities for outlets consi the extremely short staple cottons, prices g considerably below longer staples to corn’ with longer staple varieties. Fiber char t than staple length play only a small role at’ determining the attractiveness of southwestern; staple length remains the major problem w‘, must consider in finding uses for its cotton. t _ _ Raw Cotton iuirementr of Textile Mills- . lions for Southwestern Cotton iAraEs W. GRAVES, Assistant Professor p» ent of Agricultural Economics and Sociology Contents . -------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- 2 ion .................................................................... -_ 3 tern Cotton _____ .......................................... .. 3 sumption of Southwestern Cotton ________________ ._ 5 for Use of Southwestern Cotton .................... .- 8 ons for Domestic Use ...................................... .. 8 edgments .......................................................... .- 9 ............................ ............................. .. 9 i“ Tables ......................................................... .-12 COTTON FUNDAMENTALLY 1s USED as a raw material by the textile industry. As such, it must compete in price and quality with other raw materials such as wool, flax and manmade fibers. Textile manufacturers select those raw materials that will provide them with the desired quality of finished product at the lowest cost. The basic factors affecting textile mill decisions on raw material procurement and the competitive nature of southwestern cotton are analyzed in this publication. Southwestern cotton, as defined in this pubi.lcation, is cotton produced in Texas and Oklahoma. It is generally known in the trade as being of relatively short staple length. In recent years, this cotton apparently has been priced too high under the Commodity Credit Corporation loan program to compete effectively in the market with cotton of longer staple lengths. Shorter staple cotton can- not be processed as rapidly or as efficiently as longer staples by the textile industry. Increasing wage rates and other manufacturing costs have forced mills to operate at faster speeds to maintain profits. As a result, short staple cottons from the southwestern area have been ac- cumulating in CCC stocks. SOUTHWESTERN COTTON The location of the production of southwestern cotton in 1964 is shown in Figure 1. More than 75 percent of this cotton had a staple length of less than 1 inch. The carryover of cotton less than 1 inch in staple length totaled almost 600,000 bales on August 1, 1961. This total in- creased rapidly to almost 6 million bales by 1966. Only 8.4 percent of the 1961 carryover was of cotton less than 1 inch in staple length. On August 1, 1966, almost 56 percent of the cotton carryover was under 1 inch in staple length. Of the 16.5 million bales in carryover on August 1, 1966, 14.5 million were held in CCC stocks. Figure 2 shows the distribution of CCC stocks by staple length on August 1, 1966 and on July 28, 1967. Comparison is made between CCC stocks and 1966 production by staple lengths. Figure 2 also shows the relative importance of Texas and Oklahoma in the production of cotton less than 1 inch in staple length. The staple lengths of cotton produced in Texas and Oklahoma in 1966 were typical of lengths in earlier years. Figures 3 and 4 indicate the importance of short staple cotton in Texas and Oklahoma relative to the rest of the United States from 1952 to 1966. Texas has produced more than 70 percent of all cotton under 1 inch in staple length produced in the United States since 1948. In 1952 and 1954, Texas produced 71 percent of all U. S. cotton under 1 inch, but, since 1960, this proportion has remained above 87 percent. More than half of the remaining cotton under 1 inch produced during the past 9 years came fro-m Oklahoma. Since 1952, from 60 to 8O percent of all cotton produced in Texas has been under 1 inch in length. 3 A Over the same period, a larger portion of the J crop has been under 1 inch in length, ranging Oklalwma percent in 1952 and 1954. The broken line in Fl indicates the percentage of U. S. cotton under 1 in has been produced in both Texas and Oklahoma. Because such a large portion of the short stapl is produced in the Southwest and such a large p0‘ southwestern cotton is underli inch in staple len study will stress uses of short staple cotton. The a for such cotton is of vital concern to the southwest Stake in the Cotton Industry Between 1960 and 1964, Texas and Oklah: vested 45 percent of the total U. S. cotton acrea‘, acreage harvested dropped from 6.8 million acr million acres in 1966, but remained at about i percent of the total. More than 90 percent of the t; acreage in the southwestern area was located in i The Southwest has historically produced my Figure 1. Distribution of cotton production, Oklahoma and Texas. thlrd of U’ S. cotton. Cotton production during. Ginnings from 1964 crop. Each dot represents 5,000 bales. in the Southwest averaged 4.8 million bales. In’, (Source: Cotton Quality Crop o)‘ 1964, p. 3. Consumer and _Z____ l: Marketing sefviCes Cotwn Divifiliofl, USDA, Washingwn, D- C) ‘Nearly one-third was in the High Plains area of Texas. Legend CCC Inventory August 1, 1966 Total 1966 U.S. =Entire co1umn\ CCC PT°duPt1°n Prod]=Ent1re column Sold for immediate ‘*”:\ 4- or future delivery Rest of U'S' CCC Inventory Total 1966 Texas July 2s, 1967 + Oklahma 3- V) 1D I-i m .2 c o --| r-l 3 2- 2: 11 0 IIIIz;;; _ I42 _ _i, 7/8" G 29/32" 15/16" 31/32" 1" 1-1/32" 1-1/16" 1-3/32" 1-1 shorter 10f Staple length . Figure 2. CCC cotton stocks in inventory, August 1, 1966 and July 28, 1967 and pr0ducti0n in 1966 in United states 311d" Oklahoma by staple length. Source: Compiled from data obtained from USDA, Economic Research Service. Cotton Situation p. 30, and ASCS notice of July 28, 1967.) 4 Total U.S. production Oklahoma Texas I 1 1_ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 J I 1955 1956 1957 195s 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 196s 1966 Crop year beginning August 1 ltroduction of cotton under 1 inch in staple length, ‘ma and United States, 1952-1966. (Source: Cotton j of 1952-1966.) firvested acre in the Southwest have averaged fin other states. Between 1960 and 1964, the 1,11- in the southwestern area was 342 pounds the U. S. average was 475 pounds per acre. itombined with low quality have brought about s of producing and marketing southwestern Textile Mill Survey a study was conducted by the Southern on Marketing Research Committee to de- L qualities of cotton that mills were using, and ar cotton was being used.” The specific ob- tithe study were (1) to determine current and jnsumption patterns for cotton and competing {(2) to determine reasons for mill selection of {was conducted with the cooperation of Experiment i Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, 1 ~ Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and the ,,-w Service of the U. S. Department of Agricul- uthern Regional Project SM-31. In addition to the Y rt, subregional reports have been prepared for each l; producing area. The first report, Factors Affecting ‘leartern Cotton and Competing Fibers, was published Z1967 by E. W. S. Calkins and H. C. Spurlock, South i-ricultural Experiment Station. ____Teu_~ 4nd fiklahoma as ,__ ,» ’ “ * ~ _ . - - ‘ ‘ ‘ - — — — — — ’ "" percent of U5. cotton ,’ ““’ under l inch 0k 1 ahoma Texas United States -‘ 1 1 1 1 L I 1 1 1 1 11_ r1955 1956 1957 1958 19591960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 i Crop year beginning August l 3’ rcent production of cotton under 1 inch in staple :11 States, 1952-1966. (Source: Cotton Quality Crop --) specific qualities of cotton. Information was obtained from 98 mills relating to the degree of competition of cotton and synthetics and competition between cotton from various producing regions in the United States. Additional data were obtained relating to textile products manufactured, qualities and type of cotton used, other fibers used in blends with cotton and reasons for selecting certain types of cotton. The 98 mills consumed over 51A; million bales or 58 percent of the total domestic cotton consumption in the United States in 1964. The sample was selected upon the basis of location and types of products produced. Various-sized firms producing all types of products were included in the sample in approxi- mate proportion to their representation in the industry. In order to obtain accurate information from the larger consumers of raw cotton, nearly all of the largest firms using cotton were studied. This survey provided informa- tion relative to uses of southwestern cotton. Additional information relating to uses of cotton from other areas has been analyzed and is being published by representatives from those areas. MILL CONSUMPTION OF SOUTHWESTERN COTTON Mill uses of short staple cottons were first examined and the origin (if known) of the cotton used was analyzed. The supply and disappearance of all cotton and cotton under 1 inch in length since 1957 is presented in Table 1. Figure 5 shows the supply and disappearance of cotton under 1 inch for these same 10 years. Mill consumption of this cotton has fluctuated between 1.2 and 1.6 million bales except in 1959 and 1960. Favorable economic con- ditions and lower cotton prices in 1959 caused mill con- sumption to increase. Exports of short staple cotton also increased in 1959 and 1960 with less foreign production and lower export prices. As a result, the carryover level of cotton under 1 inch declined to a low of 598,000 bales on August 1, 1961. Exports and mill consumption both dropped in 1961 and carryover levels of under 1 inch cotton doubled by August 1, 1962. Carryover levels have continued to climb and approached 6 million bales by 1966. Mill consumption of short staple cotton was estimated at about 1.5 million bales in 1963 and 1964. During both 1963 and 1964, Texas and Oklahoma produced 95.8 percent of all cotton under 1 inch in length produced in the United States. In other words, 24 out of every 25 bales of short staple cotton were produced in Texas or Oklahoma in those 2 years. (An even larger percent of the short staple cotton came from Texas or Oklahoma in 1965 and 1966.) If cotton from the South- west was consumed in the same proportion as its produc- tion, then an estimated average of 1,465,000 of the 3,500,000 bales produced in the Southwest were used by domestic mills in 1963 and 1964. u‘ TABLE 1.—COTTON: SUPPLY AND DISAPPEARANCE, ALL COTTON AND COTTON UNDER 1 INCH IN STAPl UNITED STATES AND SOUTHWEST CROP YEARS 1957 TO 1966 -p Crop year beginning August 1 Item 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 Beginning carryover August 1 - — — — — — — ~ — — — — —- -— 1,000 Bales — — — — — — — —— — ; Total ................................ ._ 11,525 8,757 8,885 7,559 7,228 7,851 11,216 12,578 14,2 Under 1 inch .................. .. 5,775 5,712 5,722 1,450 598 1,278 2,855 5,686 4,5 Production plus importsl l‘ if Total ................................ .. 11,061 11,561 14,685 15,270 14,800 15,027 15,454 15,564 14,9_ Under 1 inchs .................. .. 2,759 2,984 5,447 5,575 5,854 5,842 5,872 5,459 Supply“ _ t Total .............................. 22,584 20,298 25,570 22,829 21,828 22,858 26,650 27,742 29,2 Under 1 inch .................. .- 6,552 6,696 7,169 4,805 4,455 5,219 6,729 7,126 8,5 Total disappearance‘ l,‘ Total ................................ __ 15,716 11,492 16,199 14,911 15,867 11,770 14,271 15,250 12,4 Under 1 inch .................. .. 2,820 2,974 5,759 4,205 5,075 2,564 5,045 2,787 2,, Exports “ Total ................................ _. 5,717 2,789 7,182 6,652 4,915 5,551 5,662 4,060 Under 1 inch .................. .. 1,587 1,514 2,595 1,966 1,545 1,155 1,524 1,245 Mill consumptiont Total ................................ ,_ 7,999 8,705 9,017 8,279 8,954 8,419 8,609 9,171 Under 1 inch .................. __ 1,255 1,660 5,546 2,239 1,532 1,209 1,519 1,544 Production——Texas Total ................................ ._ 5,575 4,210 4,575 4,518 4,774 4,694 4,550 4,055 Under 1 inch .................. _. 2,251 2,650 2,875 2,937 3,402 3,442 3,435 3,055 Production—Oklahoma Total ................................ __ 259 508 579 454 566 505 525 278 Under 1 inch .................. .- 220 208 511 559 266 261 275 240 , Production—-Southwest 5 j Total ................................ .. 5,852 4,518 4,752 4,772 5,140 4.999 4,675 4,511 4,} Under 1 inch .................. .. 2,452 2,858 5,186 3,276 3,668 3,703 3,708 3,294 3, tProduction plus imports equals ginnings of current crop plus city crop plus net imports: Upland and American-Egypt's “Imports not included with production of under 1 inch cotton. a “Supply equals carryover at beginning of crop year plus production plus imports. ‘Disappearance equals supply minus carryover at the end of the season. “Mill consumption equals total disappearance minus exports. “Total disappearance of cotton under 1 inch and mill consumption for 1966 are not yet available. tEstimated for 1966-67. “Exports to June 1, 1967. g Source: (1) Carryover, production, supply and disappearance from Statiitirr on Cotton and Related Data, 1925-1962 and v 1966, Statistical Bulletin 529, Economic Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 5 (2) Production for 1966 from United Slldlé! Cotton Quality Report for Ginningt, 1966 Crop, Consumer and U. S. Department of Agriculture. “ (3) Exports from Annual Outlook Issues and July, 1967 issue of Cotton Situation, Economic Research Servicqpl- ment of Agriculture. Even though the same bales produced in the South- by those mills studied. Another 60,000 b l west may not go to the indicated final destination, south- unknown territories. Assuming 550,000 0i», western cotton enters the channels of trade or carryover bales 0f Cotton Ilndfil’ 1 infill in length C0 l stocks and replaces other cotton being consumed or ex- lhllls sllllVeYetl lh 1964 Came tloth the ported. It is reasonable to assume that southwestern cotton would have heeh 82 Peteeht ot those lhlllsll contributes to the disappearance of short staple cotton in ot shott staPle eottohs- Slhee the PtoPottltl, the same proportion as production in this area contributes the Southwestls Ptootletloh ot shott stsPle to total U. S. short staple cotton production. Based on this Percent’ Cnnsntnpnnn 1n the sample tnlns . assumption, an average of 1,525,000 bales were exported; less than exlseet“ Tnls would lnlllcsle 1,465,000 bales consumed by domestic mills and 710,000 lalgel slllallllly of the slloll staple colloll ~ bales entered carryover stocks from Texas and Oklahoma mllls lll the sample Calms flom olllel lllells llll», in 1963 and 1964 been expected. A high proportion of the; coming from unknown territories may have f in the Southwest. Possibly the sample of CQIISUIIIPUOII by Mills sllfVffYiid of cotton was not representative of total f In 1964, approximately 500,000 bales of cotton under shott stePle eottoht ot shott staple ‘eottottit 1 inch in length from the Southwest were consumed by sntned by nntnesnc tnnls tn Ptnpnttlon toe mills in the sample. In addition, 65,000 bales of short It was estimated that an additional 5_ staple cotton from other areas were also used in 1964 cotton averaging 1 inch and over in length 6 Beginning Southwest production 1958 1959 1960 iliminary and estimated, 1966. ls was produced in the southwestern area. The ‘n states of Texas and Oklahoma produced 51y 1 million bales of cotton 1 inch and longer Most of this longer cotton was used for products the finer yarn numbers. A total of almost ‘. es of cotton from the Southwest was consumed , the mills surveyed. A. Consumption of Cotton ,1 Under One Inch in Length 98 mills surveyed, only 16 used cotton shorter in staple length. Of these 16 mills, only one _l of its short staple cotton from sources other f Texas or Oklahoma. These 16 mills consumed 425,000 bales of cotton less than 1 inch in ; in 1964. This cotton was blended with lie bales of rayon and polyester fiber. An £000,000 bales o__f card strips and comber noils ed in combination with the cotton under 1 inch gth. Appendix Table 1 shows the end prod- -- from all cotton under 1 inch consumed in e mills surveyed. l: 300,000 bales of short staple cotton indicated ained from the southwestern area, about 185,000 Total supp1y\. carryover — Tota1production” / 1961 Legend ‘Total disappearance —Exports* Domestic mill consumption* 1963 1964 1965 1966 Crop year beginning August 1 Supply and disappearance of cotton under 1 inch in staple length, United States, 1957-1966. (Source: Data compiled from bales came from West Texas. An additional 40,000 bales came from West Texas and Oklahoma territory; 5,000 bales came from West Texas or South Texas; 67,000 bales came from the East Texas-Oklahoma territory; and 5,000 bales carne from North Texas. An additional 27,000 bales of short staple cotton were obtained from the Central Belt. Mills surveyed also consumed about 28,000 bales from the Southeast and East and 8,500 bales from California and Arizona. Little of the short staple cotton consumed by mills surveyed was used in blends with manmade fibers. Only three different classes of end products combined cotton with manmade fibers. Gray cloth produced by one mill was ma-de from 5O percent short staple cotton and 50 percent rayon. Another mill making knitting yarns blended cotton with 50 percent polyester. The yarn numbers in most cases were relatively coarse.“ Yarn numbers ranged from less than 12s to 25s. However, for most end products produced by mills sur- veyed yarn numbers ranged from 6s to 20s. Sixteen of 3Yarn numbers are given in the customary “cotton count" system, in which the number represents the number of "hanks” of 840 yards required to make 1 pound of yarn. For example, 840 yards of 1s yarn (about the coarsest that is spun) weighs 1 pound. In 50s yarn, the same pound of cotton is stretched out into 42,000 yards (almost 24 miles) of much finer yarn. 7 the 22 different end products made by mills using short staple cotton had highest yarn numbers under 20s. Qualities of Cotton Used The average grade of short staple cottons used by mills surveyed was middling or strict low middling, spotted and light-spotted. Staple lengths average 15/16- inch with some at 31/32 and 29/ 52. Only two of the mills surveyed indicated they consumed 7A;-inch cotton for their end products. The micronaire and strengths of cottons used by mills were studied also. Only a few of the mills surveyed used cotton with a micronaire of 3.0 or less, and the average micronaire of the short staple cottons used was 4.0. The strength requirements for short staple cottons were not high. The average strength of the short staple cottons used by mills surveyed was 82,000 pounds per square inch. The lowest strength indicated by mills sur- veyed was 75,000 pounds for use as carpet weaving yarn. For 16 of the 22 end products using short staple cottons, price was indicated as the major reason why this type cotton was consumed. In addition, micronaire, staple length and convenience were also given as reasons for selecting cotton from the Southwest. In 1964, prices paid by the mills interviewed ranged from 27 to 53 cents per pound. The average price was 29.50 cents. Final Southwestern Cotton Products Southwestern cotton was used chiefly in end products requiring fairly coarse yarn numbers. Products requiring yarn numbers of 14s or less included duck and osnaburg, industrial fabrics, tufting and weaving yarns and twine and cordage. Appendix Tables 2 through 5 present the characteristics of cotton used in the Southwest by end products. About two-thirds of the cotton used in products requiring coarser yarns came from the Southwest. Nearly 200,000 bales of cotton were used in products with high- est yarn numbers between 8s and 14s. Of the 95,000 bales of cotton used for products requiring highest yarn num- bers of 15s to 21s, 52,000 bales were 1 inch or longer in staple length.’ Nearly 178,000 bales of cotton from the Southwest were used in products requiring highest yarn numbers between 22s and 28s. The average staple length of 94,000 of these bales was 15/ 16 inch while the other 84,000 bales had an average staple length of 1 inch or longer. Only 120,000 bales from the Southwest were consumed in end products requiring yarn numbers higher than 28s. The highest yarn numbers for which south- western cotton was used were 42s and 52s. These yarns were used in manufacture of broadcloth, print cloth, sheeting and miscellaneous fabrics. In each instance, the a staple length of cotton used for these products was 1 inch or longer. 8 y REASONS FOR USE oF;:f¢ SOUTHWESTERN COTT- Most of the southwestern cotton utilized I surveyed was used for relatively coarse cott, or coarse yarn numbers. Southwestern cotton with manmade fibers for five different - In several other instances, Southwest cotton i, with longer staple cottons from“, other areasf of the coarser fabrics, Southwest cotton w’, source of raw material used. ‘ The most important reason given for a western cotton was its low price. Price was primary reason in _21 out of the 57 end p Convenience and availability were the primarf using southwestern cotton in five different} three mixes, better running or character of given as the main reason for selecting southw Two mills indicated they used southwestern __ of its good dyeing properties. Other -- different mills included staple strength, i_ uniformity. The importance of price in t southwestern cottons indicates that short i can be used efficiently if it is priced signifi longer staple cotton to cover the additii’ processing. " Some mills indicated that problems of ob ' from warehouses or withdrawing cotton f were greater in the Southwest than in any, perhaps because more of this cotton was in: Additional problems mentioned by the u‘ included variability of quality in Southw, poor character, poor running, presence of fl V, and variation in dyeing factors. These last___ indicated by only one mill in each case a particular end product uses. IMPLICATIONS FOR DOMESK": From this analysis of qualities of c.’ in the southwestern area and the survey of‘; the following conclusions appear evident: . from the Southwest probably will continue i staple length than other U. S. cotton. (2- short staple length compete with longer f1.‘ the basis of price and must be priced suf higher quality cottons to compete effectively’ western cottons probably will continue to i’ in the production of coarser yarns and less product materials in the future. (4) The f I‘ tion of cotton by U. S. mills is expected grow, but the market share maintained by will depend largely on quality and price‘ The domestic mill consumption of U... trended upward steadily since 1947. The Total cotton consumed _ infants Children and Women, misses and juniors Total apparel uses Men, youth and hays Household uses Industrial uses l . - I I l I | A l I l I I | I l I 7-’ 4i 49195051 5'.’ S3 54 SS so S7 5K S‘) 196L101 h] o3 (>4 o5 s? linlexulnr your , Domestic mill consumption of cotton, by end uses, 947-1965. (Source: Cotton Counts Its Customers, Special A9958, 1966 and October 1966.) in men’s, youth’s and boy's apparel, with some other apparels and household uses. Cotton used uses has declined since 1947. Figure 6 shows idomestic mill consumption of cotton by end uses 7 to 1965 compared with 1939 uses. / t trends continue, and there seems to be little assume they will not, it is evident that the major domestic mill consumption of cotton will come r ing and apparel. Southwestern short staple 5' facing increasing competition from longer staples ietics in these major end uses. The slight in- cotton consumption in household goods offers f,- for short staple cottons. However, the decline rial uses may result in smaller markets for short A '5» on from Texas and Oklahoma. The overall , for domestic mill consumption of short staple not promising unless major price or cost adjust- r. . ‘.- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS author wishes to acknowledge the contribution i.» bers of the SM-31 Technical ‘Committee in plan- i project, data collecting and reviewing the manu- ‘This committee consisted of members as indicated following agencies: Arkansas, D. G. Lafferty; ' R. F. Anderson; Louisiana, F. Hudson; Missis- i- R. Wells; Missouri, V. A. Metcalf ; New Mexico, all; Tennessee, B. D. Raskopf. Additional sug- j were provided by ]. R. Hurst, Alabama; W. ]. i South Carolina; W. Martin, F.E.S.; E. W. S. 3 E. Ross, and O. C. Hester, ERS; R. R. Robinson, 5' and ]. C. Williamson, ]r., Administrative Advisor, , rolina. p owledgment is made to the many individuals ji- tile industry for their cooperation in providing -- on which this report was based. Without their * and cooperation, this study could not have been GLOSSARY‘ Broudclotb. Fine fabric, usually combed; used prin- cipally for shirts and dresses. Cable cord. A thread or cord made by twisting to- gether several strands of plied yarn. Each successive twist is in opposite direction to the one before. Curding. Process of opening and cleaning textile fibers which separates fibers from each other; lays them parallel, makes them into a thin web and condenses them into a continuous untwisted strand of fibers called a "sliver.” Curd strips. Usuable waste from the carding process. ‘Carded yarn. Yarn made from cotton that has not been combed. CCC stock. Cotton that has been pledged as col- lateral for the government loan and not redeemed. At the expiration of the loan, it is catalogued by the Commodity Credit Corporation and sold to the highest bidder, subject to certain minimum price restrictions. Cbeeseclotb. See gauze. Combed yarn. Yarn made from cotton that, after carding, has been combed to remove short fiber and make the yarn smoother and stronger. Camber noils. Short, knotted fibers which are re- jected in the combing process in preparing yarns. Commission buyer. One who buys cotton (usually in his local market, although some travel to other areas) for a mill or shipper, without taking title to the cotton in his own name. Compressed or standard density bale. A bale of cot- ton compressed to a density of 23 pounds per cubic foot, which makes it possible to load 100 or more bales in a box car. Standard density bales are usually made by re- pressing flat bales, but some gins are equipped with standard density presses. Consumer. One who buys goods for his own use or for use by his dependents, and not for resale. Converter. One who buys gray cloth, has it bleached, dyed, printed and so forth to his specifications; he then sells the finished fabric to cutters, wholesalers and others. Cordage. Twine, rope, clothesline, sash cord and others produced by twisting or braiding. Cutter. One who buys finished fabric and cuts and sews it to form manufactured articles, such as clothing, sheets and other products. Covering yarn. Fine combed yarn that is wrapped around strands of rubber to form elastic thread. ‘From Factors Affecting Use of Southwestern Cotton and Com- peting Fibers, by E. W. S. Calkins and H. C. Spurlock, South Carolina Experiment Station Bulletin 532, p. 75 and Fiber Facts, by the American Viscose Corporation. 9 Denim. A tightly woven fabric made of coarse yarns, usually with undyed warp and colored filling. Used for work clothing and sportswear. Drills and tu/ills. Strong, heavy fabrics in which either the warp or the filling passes alternately over two or more threads and under one, the “floats” forming a diagonally ribbed pattern. Duck. Strong, heavy, square-woven fabric used for many industrial purposes. Filling. The yarn that runs crosswise of a fabric, being laid between the warp yarns by the shuttle. Filling yarn usually has lower twist than warp yarn. Fine goods. Fabrics woven from combed yarns, usual- ly 60s or finer, including lawns, batistes, tracing cloth and typewriter ribbon. Flannel. A fabric woven of relatively fine warp yarns and coarse, soft filling, then “napped" by plucking up fiber ends from the filling yarns to form a soft, fuzzy surface. Flat bale. The cotton bale produced by most gins, containing approximately 500 pounds of cotton in a pack- age about 56 x 28 x 45 inches at a density of about 12 pounds per cubic foot. Gray clot/a. Cloth as it comes from the loom; com- pletely manufactured, but not bleached, dyed or finished. Industrial fabrics. Heavy fabrics such as duck and chafer used as raw materials for manufactured articles, usually in combination with nontextile raw materials (rub- ber, plastic, metal and others). The mechanical properties of the fabric are more important than its appearance. Industrial tloread. A coarse, strong cable cord con- struction used for sewing shoes, tents, tarpaulins and other products. Industrial user. One who buys textile products fo-r use as raw material in the production of nontextile manu- factured articles such as automobile interiors, belting, hose and other products. Integrated mill. A mill that both spins and weaves. In addition to weaving its own yarn, an integrated mill may sell excess yarn to other users or buy additional yarn from other spinners. Some large integrated firms also own finishing plants and sell finished fabrics or manufac- ture sheets, pillowcases and other products. Note: Most manufacturers of drapery and upholstery fabrics, because of the many types of yarn required, anid most manufac- turers of laces, tapes, webbing, braids and cordage, because of the small volume, do not attempt to spin the yarn they use. Only a few of the largest knitters manufacture their own yarn. Io-bber. One who buys in large quantities from manu- facturers and sells to wholesalers or directly to retailers. l0 Knitter. A person or firm that manufactures underwear, tubular or flat fabrics from yarn by r3 Knitting yarn. Yarn used for knitting hosiery, wear, gloves and other products. High strength is not required, but the yarn must be smooth and evf have low twist. in Local nzerc/aant. One who buys cotton in th market, usually from producers in his home coun resells to mills, to other merchants or to shippers at a distance. A Mill buyer. One who buys cotton for the accv one or more mills; he may be a salaried employ commission buyer who, by special arrangement, bi clusively for one or a few textile firms. Mix. (1) A blend consisting of one or mor of cotton in specified proportions, with or with’, other fibers. (2) A number of bales (usually 20k ii opened at one time and blended in processing to out any quality variations between individual balesi, Osnabnrg. A coarse, rough fabric usually g low-grade cotton or a blend of raw cotton and cottonij Originally made for use as a cheap bagging, it has i, popular for decorative household uses because of it esting texture. i" Plied yarn. Yarn produced by twisting tog i’ or more strands of single yarn. Poplin. A square-woven fabric similar to ‘i but finer and more firmly woven but not as fine as; cloth. Used mainly for shirts and dresses. Print clot/o. Cloth usually woven of 30s to 3 and 58s to 45s filling, with 64 to s0 threads per i, each direction. After weaving, it may be dyed, but is usually printed with a pattern in one i colors. i Raw cotton. Ginned cotton in bales, used w material for textile manufacture. " Retailer. One who buys from wholesalers of; and sells directly to the consumer. ’ Rug yarn. Yarn used for the pile of rugs. ~ If stitched or woven into the backing fabric, and on the face of the rug may be cut or uncut. i important quality requirements are uniform color dyeing. a. Sateen. A cotton fabric having a smooth, f face and a dull back; similar to satin but heavier?‘ so “silky” looking. . Sewing thread. A fine, strong cable cord J tion, usually combed and made of the longest and cotton obtainable. clath. Fine, closely woven fabric. The most jquality requirement is smooth, even yarn that ‘ve a streaky appearance when viewed by trans- it. 32g. Fabric for bed sheets and pillow cases; also vigother uses, usually woven of 20s to 30s yarns ,.64 threads per inch in each direction. e1‘. One who buys cotton in local markets, f; “round” or mixed lots, concentrates the cotton location and classes it out into even-running s. to mills. ‘yarn. Yarn as produced by spinning; not con- l- two or more strands twisted together. Ting mill. A mill that manufactures yarn from ether staple fibers. yarn. Yarn manufactured from staple fibers g and twisting. Fe fibers. Fibers of any length from less than i» to several inches. So called to distinguish them 'nuous filaments. r0 clot/a. Fabric similar to gauze, used to shade rug yarn. Yarn used for the “pile” of chenille , bathrobes and other products. It is stitched into a backing fabric similar to sheeting and the protruding loops are cut to form a fluffy surface. Twine. Either a heavy plied yarn or a cable cord, suitable for tying up packages and various other uses. Twisting. The process of forming plied yarn by twisting together two or more strands of single yarn; or forming cord by twisting together two or more plied yarns. Velveteen. A cotton pile fabric similar to velvet. Warp. Yarn that runs lengthwise of a woven fabric. It usually has higher twist than filling yarn to give it suf- ficient strength and elasticity to withstand the stresses of weaving. - _ Wnrte. Materials removed from cotton at any step in manufacturing and consisting of either undesirable fibers or of a mixture of fibers and foreign matter such as leaf particles, trash, burs, motes and others. Waste dealer. One who buys all types of waste from textile mills and resells the spi.nnable waste (card strips and comber noils) to other spinning mills and other types of waste to industrial users. Weaving yarn. Yarn intended to be woven into fabric. This name is usually applied to yarn produced by a spinning mill and sol-d to weaving mills. lV/Jolemler. One who buys from jobbers and manu- facturers and sells to retailers. ll Appendix Tables APPENDIX TABLE 1.—COTTON UNDER 1 INCH CONSUMED IN 1964 BY MILLS SURVEYED, SOURCES AND i, CHARACTERISTICS, BY END PRODUCTS Mill End product Range 0f Bales of Territory from Other raw Average yarn numbers cotton which cotton materials in Average staple produced used obtained‘ blend” grade“ length‘ A Hank roving and mop yarn 1-7 300 Any SLM-s 30 L‘ B Industrial yarns 1-12 6,000 SE,Cal,WTO CS,R,CN SGQ 30-33 B Weaving yarns 8-12 6,000 ETO~—WTO LM+ 30 C Duck and osnaburg 2-13 14,000 C,Ar,NTO,WT,ST SGO-|- 30 I; D Knit carded yarn 2-10 8,300 WTO CN SLM+ 30 E Twine and cordage 4-10 5,250 ETO CN M-s 30 F Canton flannel filling 5-11 8,600 WT CN SLM 29 G Glove flannels 3-20 5,000 Ar,WT W&F M-ls 30-33 H Flannels 2-2 3 10,050 ' WT,Ga M-ls 30 I Osnaburg 6-17 6,000 Ar,SE CS BG 29+ j Osnaburg 4-1 2 4,096 ETO CS SLM-ls 30 J Gray cloth 13-29 36,850 ETO CS M-ls 30 K Knitting yarn 5-30 5,500 WT P M-ls 28 L Tufting yarn 6-8 90,000 WT CS,CN M-ls 30 L Blankets 18 23,000 WT,E SLM 28-33 . M Industrial fabric 6-8 15,000 CB,ETO CS SLM-ls 30-33 M Sheeting 12-22 30,000 CB,ETO SLM-ls 30-33 N Chenille yarn 6-18 18,000 WT CS-CN 30 » O Duck 7-18 60,000 Any SLM+ 31 O Carpet weaving yarn 7-18 25,000 WTO SLM-ls 30 P Filling for sheets 8-27 50,000 E,WT M-1s 30 Total bales 426,946 ‘Territory abbreviations: SE:S0utheast; Cal:California; WTzzWest Texas; OzOklahoma; ETzEast Texas; Ar:Arizona;‘ U NTzNorth Texas; E:East; CB:Central Belt; FW:Far West; and Anyzfrom any territory. “Abbreviations for blends: CSzcard strips; Rzrayon; CN:c0mber noils; and W&F:waste and fill. “Abbreviations for grade: Szstrict; Lzlow; Mzzrniddling; Gzgood; O—_-ordinary; BGzbelow grade; szspotted; ls: tztinged; and +:plus grades or bright, 1 ‘Staple lengths in 32nds of an inch. Source: 1965' Survey of Cotton Textile Mills. 12 , TABLE 2. SOUTHWESTERN COTTON CONSUMED IN 1964 IN MILLS SURVEYED, PRICE AND REASONS FOR ; TERRITORY AND END PRODUCT I-“Territory Bales Mill Reasons for using product use consumed price Primary Secondary 4- 98,033 10th 11,000 33.00 Better running Early harvest i, 1 , 1 67 27.1 0 Price Cleanliness 36,000 Good dyeing Convenience 'al fabric 5,000 28.50 Price i g 9,166 28.50 Price doth 11,000 33.00 Better running Early harvest g; 10,000 33.00 Better running Early harvest denim 12,000 Good dyeing Convenience i’ g 2,000 Convenience Better running yam 700 32.00 Convenience i’, Oklahoma 324,900 ‘s 15,000 30.00 _, backing 25,000 28.50 Price i i‘ 3,500 27. 10 Price Cleanliness 7. flannel 8,600 29.80 Price flannel 4,000 30.15 Micronaire C010~r 3,500 27.10 Price Cleanliness 3,000 30.00 Price Convenience 40,000 29.50 yarn 15,300 Price vial yarn 5,000 28.50 Price V? .3 yarn 8,300 29.50 Price and weaving yarn 1,500 Convenience i (l; yarn 90,000 29.50 Price F-g yarn 3,000 28.00 Price 1' and ticking 83,200 30.50 f! - yarn 18,000 27.74 Price _ klahoma 91,221 19,000 31.25 Convenience 5,025 29.60 Length C010! I éftloth 36,8 50 28.90 Price "dial fabric 6,000 Price H g 4,096 28.30 Price ; 12,000 Price "ng yarn 3,000 28.00 Price '3 ‘and cor-dage 5,250 ' 29.00 Convenience PriCe , lt, Southwest and Far West flaneous fabric 75,000 r t, East Texas, Oklahoma and East Qploth and duck 9,800 Convenience consumed 598,954 3965 Survey of Cotton Textile Mills. l3 APPENDIX TABLE 3.—BALES OF SOUTHWESTERN COTTON CONSUMED IN MILLS SURVEYED, SOURCE OF AND RANGE OF YARN NUMBERS MANUFACTURED, BY END PRODUCTS Bales Yarn number! End product consumed Territories‘ Lowest 7 All cotton 460,304 Broadcloth 1 1 ,000 ST 26 Blankets 13,000 WTO _,_ Carpet backing 25,000 WTO 7 Duck 23,667 WTO ' 2 Denim 36,000 ST 6 Flannel 5,025 ETO 2 Canton flannel (N) 8,600 WTO 2 Glove flannel 4,000 WTO 3 Industrial fabric 11,000 ETO, ST Osnaburg 16,762 ETO, WTO, ST 2 Print cloth 14,000 WTO, ST 13 Sheeting 62,000 ETO, WTO, ST 8 Toweling 2,000 ST 12 Carpet yarn 15,300 WTO 2 Knitting yarn 9,000 WTO, ST 2 Knitting and weaving yarn 1,500 WTO 1 Tufting yarn 90,000 WTO 6 Weaving yarn 6,000 ETO, WTO 8 Rope and cordage 5,250 ETO 4 Denim and ticking 83,200 WTO 14 Chenille yarns—-low grade 18,000 WTO 6 Blends 158,650 Cotton-rayon 41,850 Gray cloth 36,850 ETO 13 Industrial yarn 5,000 WTO 1 Cotton-rayon or polyester Miscellaneous fabrics 75,000 CB, SW, FW 4 Cotton-nylon Stretch denim 12,000 ST 8 Cotton-polyolefin Gray yarn and duck 9,800 CB, ETO, E 6 ‘See Appendix Table 1 footnotes for abbreviations. Source: 1965 Survey of Cotton Textile Mills. 1'4 ... 1 0 ODUCTS '_ TABLE 4.—MICRONAIRE AND STRENGTH OF SOUTHWESTERN COTTON CONSUMED IN MILLS SURVEYED, f pounds per square inch. 65 Survey of Cotton Textile Mills. Micronaire‘ Fiber strength” Low High Low High Average N0. No. No. Bales N0. N0. No. Bales rh 4.6 11,000 s3 11,000 ; 3.5 backing 3.4 25,000 75 25,000 3.0 3.3 23,667 3.6 4.3 4.0 36,000 70 73 36,000 - 3.9 4.7 4.4 5,025 79 5,025 lflannel (N) 3.5 5.0 4.2 8,600. ~_. annel 3.6 4.8 4.8 4,000 75 78 4,000 3' fabric 2.6 4.8 4.1 11,000 72. 75 75 11,000 \ g 2.6 4.7 4.1 16,762 72 92 73 ' 16,762 0th 3.0 4.6 14,000 83 11,000 3.5 4.8 4.1 62,000 78 62,000 5.5 5.0 4.2 2,000 78 80 2,000 yam 2.; yarn 3.5 4.8 4-0 9,000 76 j»; and weaving yarn 3.5 5.0 4.2 1,500 yarn 3.8 3.4 90,000 j_'-; yarn 3.5 8O 6,000 "w- cordage 2.0 5.0 5,250 ‘ and ticking 3.5 4.7 4.0 83,200 e yarns-low grade 6m 3.5 4.1 4.1 36,850 s7 92 s9 36,850 3' yarn 3.5 80 5,000 U or polyester gianeous fabrics 2.8 4.8 75,000 80 denim 3.6 4.3 4.0 12,000 70 73 12,000 _ lefin i. am and duck 5.0 3.8 9,800 70 80 75 9,800 i! readings. 15 BY END PRODUCTS APPENDIX TABLE 5.—GRADE AND STAPLE LENGTHS OF SOUTHWESTERN COTTON CONSUMED IN MILLS Grade‘ Staple length’ End product Low High Average Low High Code Code Code Bales No. No. N0. All cotton _j Broadcloth SLM M SLM+ 11,000 __ 34 , Blankets SLM 1 3,000 28 I, It Carpet backing SLMls 25,000 26 "I 30 t, Duck I SGO-I- LMW SLMls 23,667 32 30 Denim LM MW M 36,000 32 i Flannel SLM 5,025 30 , Canton flannel (N) SLM M SLM+ 8,600 29 30 y Glove flannel Mls 4,000 30 I Industrial fabric SGO LM SLMls 11,000 30 33 32 -* Osnaburg SGO LM 16,762 26 33 32 Print cloth SLM M SLM+ 14,000 33 A, Sheeting SLM M Mls 62,000 30 if Toweling LM SLM LM-l- 2,000 33 34 34 a Carpet yarn SLM 15,300 32 f Knitting yarn SLM+ 9,000 30 ‘ Knitting and weaving yam LM M SLM 1,500 34 33 =- Tufting yarn SLM SMls Mls 90,000 29 30 '7 Weaving yarn LM M LM+ 6,000 29 31 30 I Rope and cordage M SMs 5,250 30 l Denim and ticking LM+ 83,200 32 Chenille yarns 18,000 24 30 3 Blends Cotton-rayon Gray cloth Mt Mls Mls 36,850 30 Industrial yarn GO LM LM 5,000 30 33 31 f Cotton-rayon or polyester 5 Miscellaneous fabrics LM SM 75,000 30 34 i Cotton-nylon Y Stretch denim LM M SLM 12,000 32 Cotton-polyolefin _ §f Gray yarn and duck 9,800 32 34 ‘See Appendix Table 1 for abbreviations of code. “Length in 32nd of an inch. Source: 1965 Survey of Cotton Textile Mills. l6