New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-04
SEA-ISLAND COTTON.

The world Of newspaper readers has heard %
much of late about Sea Island cotton perhaps II would
like TO hear where it grows; how it Is grown how
much is grown upon an acre; how much to givee
Number of hands; how those bands are fed aud
clothed, and how they work, and what tools they
work with how the cotton is gathered, cleaned snd
baqeed. upon some Of the beat Sea-island cotton
plantations Of EdstO and other islands In tia region
Sea.Island cotton is known by that name 10 long
staple cotton and also blacaseed cotton' to distn-
oush il from the short staple, OF Upland variety the
leeds of which have greeDiSh coating over tue 0iAeb
hull that iucoses the oily kernel
The lint of short-staple or green-seed cotton, o.
heres firmly 10 the seed as TO require some force
10 pull il away. II is this that makes the Whitney,
or saw GIN so valuable and necessary. The shShs
adhesion of the lint to the black seed makes il posss
bic to separate them in the manner almost universal
among Sea.Islsnd cotton-growers. Before describing
this process aud that i. may be better understood in
contrast with the preparation oil the Upland CROP
we will show
HOW UPLAND COTTON Is GINSED.
On good Mississippi cotton lands medium crops
900 lbs per acre in the seed. This will yield 2so
10 300 lbs Of ginued cotton, and 80 busheso seed In
other cotton-growng States the yield Is estimated as
300 lbs, TO 700 lbs per acre. and at to lbs. OF seed
cotton for one pound Of clean lint.
The seed cotton is put in hopper. resting IN Tho
lower eide against set of curved iron bars, between
which run circular saws, set upon shaft revolving
with great velocity. There from "a to % OF these
saws which are ten or twelve inches diameter. In
,inple GIN The teeth hook on to the lint and draw
il through the bars leaving the seed to fall between
grales behind. As the lint is carried around, cyln-
der. covered with stiff brstles, wipes II from tho
SAWS and i, ia blown away into tue nt-room at tho
rate of one to three bales day according to the SIRE
Of the gin and the power with which 1t IS driven
This process will not answer for ong-stape Cotton
as we shall see directly.
WHERE sgA-IsLAND COTTON Il GROWN
Tie low islands and fiat seashore, along the coase
of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida including
very limited territory, is the region where the oee-
Island cotton is grown. 1t was first introduced oy
immigrants from the island Of Barbados, 10 ioo4'
but vas not grown to any extent for century. Ioe
cultivation of this long staple for sale wss commenced
in South Carolina by Mr.. Burden, in 1914, though
q brotber.n.law Of his, named King, had cold SIM
ola crop of il in 1893. The father Of Mr. Burden
clo,b,d hs negroes with cotton cloth made on tho
sn,son ma eurly as 1852, when all the lint was
separated from the seed by hand. Ills plantation
was on Johns Island
Erom Johns Island the cultivation extended 70
tbo.e adjoining OF tn 90, Edsto has since become
most noted for the fine quality OF It's Cotton.
HOW syA-lsLAND COTTON IS GROWN
The cultivation of nearly all OF these island psn's'
tom. /. .xceedipsly rude. Upon one small isahds
living south of EdstS thai We visited about a uoA'o
wears ago. the only agricultural implement used YVES
,bs hoo Wa were told that no vehicle oil any ue-
.crir,oa had ever been ueed there, except
tco.rh tho romans Of which were shown u.s. ana
which for wears had afforded the hens "A cohyen,en'
roos, The cotton was all packed from The he'i IN
h..L.,, uron negroes heads, aud tho bales roileu
from the packng.house 70 the boat snd s'e','"s
sl.e that required to be moved WAS done oy sum-"
e,oerditors If manual labor. The cultivation :"
,be crouud il almost exclusively done by h'T' ups
nearly al Of lie Sea-Island plantations
NOW sr,-IsLANp CoTrcN Is GisNEp' 3.
Tho Gin /, An exceedingly simple uaehine'
merely two wooden rollers, about es"' VI "a. ~
IN leprih md less TRAN one inch 10 'A'no''' o,a
,o,u. .,ft wood. usually common ~u6 ''" ;r,a
8 10. ro,ler. is inserted in the Sockes Oh a.
!, a.,.,ce.,,bosl OF about fifteen pounds we's"H I,.
,;1 m,n,,,,ed mon a bench and operated p' and
w.. rol.,, arc hold together by 'isn' '""'s ID
-, g., the operators foot Wide 10 ,,.
t'' - Co. n. fingers 20 sbo rce;s in. -,
''s "'.O" .,, /, .b,sugh gbilc a. 'eeas ''''
d f-' -a' AID ''''' "