The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1861-05-29
From The n. Y Even ng Post.
KING: COiTDN DETHRONED.-A NEW
ARTICLE. IN THE MARKET


cal and commercial operations upon one idea,
that cotton is king, and that it rules the world.
| IN particular have they imagired that France
| aid Great Britain could not 90 without il, and
that this Necessity would compel them sooner or
| later To recognize the Southern COniedcracy.
| They have hcutcd at the idea of any hostile
competition ia the production of this article else
where IN sufficient quantity and OF adequate quail
| ity to superSede their own. But We imagine
| they soout to be undeceived and that too,
| in most unexpected manner.
IL has long been suspected that there were
Other vegetable, 6bres which might be made as
v,luabl,. as thus, of the cotton plant, and many
| are IN use III Various parts OF the word-such as
| the vegetable silk or drcore de palma of South
America Iesc ubliGg cotton wool, but not having
ruu.hness enough in the fibre to permit its being
| woven; the puu or vegetable silk Owhyee the
| sunnee Of India, or brown hemp the jetee from
Madras; the borassus fibre from the palm tree
| countries; the jute from Bengal, now a rival of
fax and hemp, but limited in its use because it
will not stand being wet; various kinds of hemp
and flax tibres-thOse of Manila, the aloe, cOir,
| pineapple, China grass, bast, &c.
| All these have their uses and their value, but
| the woolly covering of the seeds of the gossy-
| plum, or cotton plant, has supplanted them all
| in quantity, quality and general adaptablity to
the wants and comforts OF the human race.
| None of the ibres of the other vegetable SUBJ
stances above mentioned, with the exception OF
| flax, have ever been turned SO easily or cheaply
to use. This, which the botansts call Hnum
ustiatissim,is has been the chief competitor of
cotton; bat its preparation aud manufacture are
| effected by process SO tedious and OperOse,
that very great efforts have been made to shorten
and simplify it.
As long ago as 1928 patent was granted by
act of Parliament to Mr. Lee for a method of
separating the fibre in two of three hours. In
1852 Mr.. Schenck invented method of pre-
pairing the fibre in sixty hours, and the Chevalie,
Caussen introduced sill, later, process by which
the fibre, soaked in a solution of the carbonate
of soda and forwards dipped in weak acid So
luton, came out broken up To its mnutest dvis-
| IONS aud in the form OF flax cotton, and when
manufactured proved to have stronger and finer
| texture than the best cotton. For some reason
unknown the discovery was not proceeded with
cotton still remained king but We believe its
downfall is at hand
| On our great western prairies, and in large
part of Western Canada, there is species OF
wild fax, unknown to botanists formerly, which
is indigenous, perennial, herbaceOus and mex.
haustible in quantity. 1t was put to no use by
the early settlers, except to make straw of it for
litter. Recently the seed has been considerably
collected for the manufacture of oil, but still
later its fibre has been found TO be very valuable
| and now it has assumed a momentous Importance
| through the means of very simple invention
The stalks are placed in a cylinder and subjected
to an enormous pressure of high steam-250
pounds to the inch In less than six minutes
the contents are blown out or exploded. and the
flax comes forth with the fibre divided up, and
/ 81, ,,t,
parts. Ii then resembles Codila or tow. 1t is
.ext passed through cylinders armed with teeth
which hackle it and smooth out the fibres. 1t is
| then washed with nitric acid and comes out as
| wbite as snow. IL is then carded, drawn on,
| into yarn, and is spun into thread precisely Ike
| cotton, and is ready for the loom. Thus the old
tedious and unhealthy process Of water-rottng
| is done away with, and so is that Of bleeching
to prevent which chemistry has exhauted itsel
| and large fields OF lawn have been Indispensable
This article, when ready for spinning, can be
afforded at uniform price o: six cents per ID.
and enough of it can be gathered wd-thOugl
it will he much improved by culture-from Our
own prairies, to clothe the world with a fabric
of the finest and most durable quality. The ex
periments already made, and the mills already
constructed to manufacture it, have furnished
the most conclusive evidence the of truth of thi:
magnificent discovery.
Samples of the article, in all its processes
have been forwarded to Manchester, and partie.
are ready to furnish as many bales of it as al
the mills in England may demand.
Thus Providence seems 70 step in at a critica
moment to destroy the value Of the staple or
which secession has placed its greatest reliance
for its means OF support, and for the attainment
of foreign alliances. Let cotton be superseded
by this better and cheaper article, and the Con
tederate States which grow this material will
lose wealth, power and pe-manence, ard be re
duced 10 the greatest extremities. And, ever
if they should draw back from their present un
Unsuitable and untenablc position, in all human
probability their repentance viii come too late