Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-03-01


The Isroelites, who must have learnt
the art while in bondage, in all probabl-
lily were the first who cultivated this
plant in the land of Canaan.
From Arabia it would naturally travel
towards China, through all the countries
that lie below the 4olh degree of north
latitude; but, as species OF the cotton
plant has been found in the same latitude
in America, it confirms the opinion that
most plants spring spontaneously within
given distance from the Poles, and that
their varieties originate from the nature
of the soil, or accidental impregnation
from plants of a similar species.
The PheGnicians, who were the ia
Tiers of trade, and the Greeks, who were
the sons of art, would, from their inter
course with Egypt, transplant the Gossi-
hum to their own isles.
Pliny says, in his Natural History,
that in the higher parts of Egypt, to-
wards Arabia, there grows shrub and
bush tina, produces cotton, which is call
ed by some Gossihium, and by others
4ylon. He says, the plant Is small and
bears fruit resembling the bearded nut
or fiibert, out Of the inner she'll or husk
of which the downy cotton breaks forth.
which is easily spun, and is supepior for
Wilderness and seltness, to any flax in the
world. OF this cotton, he adds. the Egyp-
ian priests of old times delighted to have
their sacred robes made. This cloth was
called Xylina. The same author informs
us,t that in an island in the Persian gulf,
there were cottop-trees that reduced
fruit as large as ounces, which opened
when ripe, and were full Of down, from
which was made fine and costly cloth
like linen; and that in an island in the
same gulf, called Tylos, there was ano-
Their kind of cetton-tree, called Gossam-
Hines, that was very productive. Theo-
phrastus also mentions these trees.f
which we presume to be the .frboreum,
or tree cotton, and which seem also the
same tina, Virgil notices:
Cor Ethiopian forests, bearing wool,
Or leaves from whence the Sores hceces pull. !"
This species is a perennial plant or
shrub, and was cultivated as curiosity
in this country as long back as 1854.
Nieghof, who was in China in the year
1858, says, cotton grows in great album
dance in that country, and was then one
OF the principal articles Of its trade. Thel
seeds had been Introduced into that en-
pre- about 500 years previously.
The Turks have long had possession
of that part OF the Eastern world, from
whence the the common cotton springs.
They cultivate ibis annual plant in The
neighborhood OF d mascus and Jerusa-
lem, as also in the Isle of Cyprus. It'll
is likewise cultivated in Gambia, Lem |
nos, Malta, Sicily, and Naples. This
variety of the cotton plant is sown in the
spring, on land that has been ploughed
and prepared for the purpose; and is cut
down when ripe, in tbs same manner as
our harvest, The seed of the cotton is
about the size of that of tares, and of ra-
Their clamny nature, which causes it to
adhere to the downy substance with
which it is mixed, and from which it is
separated by the little machines, which
discharge the seed on one side, and the
cotton on the other, Smyrna alone has
furnished US with 10000 bales of cotton
wool per annum. This country former
ly took great quantities of cotton-yarn
from the Turks; but our manufactures
are now so complete, that even the
spinning is done by machinery, which
enables Us to get 1t turned into thread,
both more regularly and cheaper than
the Incidence of the Turks can furnish
it; bu, we still import some cotton-yarn
from the Mahometans, which, being
drawn from the distaff, has great advan-
tage over the yarn which is spun by ma
chinery for making candlc-wicks, parti-
cularly those of sperm and wax, as the
fine threads being drawn s,raighter, are
not SO liable to spring out in burning,
which causes the candles made of other
cotton to gutter and burn irregularly.
II appears that we had made some
p rogress in the manu'actory Of cotton in
Queen Elizaheth's reign, as Gerard OBJ
serves in his History OF Plants, ITO
speake of the commodities of the wool of
this plant, it were superiluous common
experience, and the daily use and benc-
fl we receive by ii, doth shew SO that it
were impairment TO our history, to