The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1857-01-31

A CHAPTER ON COTTON.

great staple we extract from a recent number
Of the NcwYork Herald. 1t will be found
important to every one Interested in the pros
perity of the South:
PRESENT GROWTH AND FuTuRE SUPPLY OF
CorToN.-Ihe question of the supply and
growth Of cotton, both in q commercial and
political point OF view, has for q long period
engaged the attention Of the civilized world.
England, ever watchlUl Of her commercial
and manufacturing interests, has been casting
about for the last quarter of G century for
some source from which she could obtain cot
ton independent Of the United States. She
was induced at the expense of probably a mil
lion Of dollars, to make the experiment in India,
which ended in utter failure. France has cs-
sayed to try the same experiment in Algeria,
which can only rerult in disappointment,
Those who entertain tile theory that because ~
country is sufficiently hot ~sereiore ought,
with a favorable soil, to produce cotton, shuM
a deficiency of practical knowledge on The
subject.
1t is so arranged in the order Of Providence,
that the United States possess tine enly climate
and soil adapted to the e"' lure Of cotton,
to be found, probabl. >ble globe.
Let US see how this Is to accer,
We must understand that there a ;
fifty varieties OF the gosypium, or colt.
and that out Of the whole Mumber, there are
only about four cultivated for commercial pur-
poses, each Of which is an annual, ard requires
rcplanting every year. The perennial cotton
trees Of the tropics are wholly useless, as far
as the quantity Of yield or quality is concerned ;
their pods, or bolls, are small, aud compatiye..y
few to the tree, while the fibre Of the cotton is
,,,,,,n 1,u cl, md hnst@jD MN ,,,,,rt -,
bend the fact that the annual plants cultivated
in the United States are only adapted to a
climate where rain and sunshine alternate, with
sufficient heat to nurture the plants, and that
they will not stand the extremes Of drought
and rain common to all inter-tropical latitudes.
where the only plan which can be employed in
rearing them consists in irrjgation--a method
TOO artificial and expensive ever to be employed
on a large scale. Hence, when we hear that
India, Africa, Algeria, or Egypt, are TO conf
pete with the United States, we know that the
thing is simply impossible.
In the United States, the northern limits OF
the cotton culture are bounded by "a to So
degrees North latiludel, emitting Intervening
mountainous elevations and stripes OF sterile
soil and by the shores of the Atlantic ocean
and the Gulf OF Mexico (thc latter being in IS
to 30 degrees Oh the South. This cotton re-
gion extends around the Gulf OF Mexico,
through Texas, to the mouth Of the Rio Grande,
and then stretches in Il nortll-casterly and
south-westerly direction from about The longi-
tude Of 1G degrees 80 minutes to 80 degrees
West of Greenwich.
The great cause Of the fertility of the coun-
try thus described is attributable to the grca,
basin of water known as the Gulf Of Mexico
and the Gulf stream, which passes out parallel
with the shores Of the Southern cotton States.
The water Ct the Mexican Gulf, heated by the
the rays Of a tropical sun, causes an immense
evaporation, which, in expanding or drifting
north, Or towards the elevated lands cast and
west Of tie Mississippi, is condensed by Gods all,
and produces frequent showers during the warm
months Of spring and summer and which is
the life OF the cotton plants. A similar pro-
cess takes place along the Sothcrn Atlantic
States. TIN evaporation from the Gulf stream
is condensed by the cooler air Of the Al!eglla-
MES. Thus we have All immense region of
cotton lands over which nature las established
the most wonderful system Of irrigation known
in the world, in combination with the proper
amount OF lieat and richness Of soil. Wien
we consider that these great physica! advanta-
yes have been united with enterprise, skill, and
slave Institutions, managed by Ang!o-Saxon
intellect, all tending to their development, pro-
NOTED by the cnly fixed labor suitable to the
culture Of cotton, We shall experience no diff
Guilty in comprchending Why the lAited States
enjoy a monopoly Of its production.
Aud suppose England could overcome the
laws Of nature, and transfer the cultivation Of
cotton from America to AT lea. what would
she gain by the operation: If she is our best
customer for cotton, are we not her best Gus
TONERS for her manufactures? BY changing
the cultivation OF cotton Irum America to
sen ibarbarous regions, and thus cvipllin@ the
industry Of this country, would she not at the
same time injure herself to The galne extent by
destroying her best customer?
In all questions affecting commercial and
political economy. commo sense must and
ought to govern the case. 1he question ii,
present as to the future supply Of cotton is one
OF labor. Tho consumption Of the article and
lis prices must be greatly iHtlrnced 10y the sup
ply OF labor. Our cotton lands irrigated by
the laws OF nature, are yet extensive enough,
if brought into full cultivation, to produce
many more millions Of bales over the present
yield just as easy as three millions Of bales are
now grown.
The annual increase in the production OF
cotton has not been in q uniform ratio. Thus,
III lS20-2l the crop only amounted 10 100000
bales in lo.6-'27 rcacied mere than double
that quantity, the crop Of tina, year being 957,-
2Sl bales; The annual augmentation being
from 100000 to 100000 bales. The ,ext du-
plication occurred about lS3l-'39, when the
crop reached sol All bales. The first year
IN which the crop reached 100000 bales was
in l839-'4e, when it amounted to 2,l77,s35.
From that period to 1881 embraced a period
of commercial depression, consequent upon the
commercial reaction which followed the revul-
sion of 1863, and to which was added the
disturbing clement Of the Mexican war. The
crops for these ten or eleven years averaged
about 100000 bales. With lie discovery Of
California gold mines commercial affairs ac-
qnired n new impetus, with which an increase
in the demand for consumption grew up. From
Il crop of 2.09G, 70G bales in ls49-'50, we lind
that the supply il, ls52-53 reached 3,2C2,s $50
bales, which III lS53-5i Tell back, by a bad
season, to 2,93o,O27 bales, and in ls5l-,55 to
2,s4I,333 ba!2s; while in ls55-'5G the supply
reached the enormous amount of 3,521,945
bales, about 100000 Of which, it was estimated.
was of the previous years growth, kept back
by low water in the country, making tie ave-
rage growth Of the two years as follows !:
ls54-'55, 3,llI,339; le55-5G, a,2a27,s15.
The crop OF this wear. cr lSHb-'5- 10 ost;