Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1866-09-29
Cotton-The Supply from the United
States and from India.
[From the Baltimore Snn. ]

Cotton-The Supply from the United
4 States and from India.
[From the Baltimore Snn. 49,
The report which has just been made
by Dr. Forbes TO the English govern
ment upon the cotton crop of the Uni
ted States, after an extensive tour
through all the cotton states, is proba-
bly, very accurate estimate of the
amount which will be secured during
the present year. DIR. Forbes estimates
the whole crop at 1 200. 900 bales. This
testimony is confirmed by the most in
telligent gentlemen from the Southern
States. Coy. Pic1ens. ofiSouth Caro-
lima, himself large cotton planter, has
published letter on the same subject,
inwhich he estimates the whole crop at
between 1900, 900 and ], 400, 900 bales.
His calculation is made by comparison
with the crop of 1860 andsthe quality of
labor engaged IN the cultivation of cot
bales were thrown upon the market IN
1850, the product of 100000 laborers,
black and white He estimates the
number OF laborers to have been tre-
dueed, by the desolations of war and
the change of location of the Negro
population to 400, 900, and the Same av-
erage production now as before the war
would be ,333, 900 bales, but 133. 600
more than the amount conjeetured by
DIR. Forbes. Before we can estimate,
the effect upon the price in England
and in this country by the short crop,
it is necessary to compare the cotton
supply which is now drawn from india
with that of 1860. In that year we sent
to England 2, 251O00 bales, and. Iudia
sent 400, 600 .bales%. Under the stfnAnla-
ting influences of odr civil war, the In
iasItpply rose steadily from 400, 900 go
], 200. 900 bales in 1864, while that from
the United States was's onIy 10000
bales. Sass
According to the London Times of
Sept 6bn,. 1865, India'now occupies, in
regard to the cotton supply, a place
scarcely inferior. in proportion to that
which was occupied by the United
States. The small export in 1865 OF the
surplus cotton which had been stored
during the war. has hardly caused any
diminution 10 the crop of Indian, aud,
as 300, 600 bales is probably the ex-
from the domestic consumption of this
country for English manufacture. it
may be estimated that the development
of the culture and production OF. India
has been constant, aud more especially
us the agricultural production of India
has steadily increased in like ratio for
several years IN the great staple of jute,
wool, tea and coffee 1t may, then, be
fairly assumed that india viii always be
able to compensate for the deficient
crop OF tine United States. At the same
time the change in the labor and social
system of the Southern States renders
it probable that "a large part of
heir agricultural industry will be
permanently directed to the produc-
tion of grain and the raising of cattle
and those things which make "a country
stlf-sustaining. The plantation system
favored the monopoly of the producer
of cotton. The farming system, which
will now take its place, will tend to do
away with monopoly, and introduce a
greater variety of crops. Hence, even
should the negro population be as sed.
uIously occupied in productive industry
as they were before the war, the amount
of cotton produced would be perma-
nently less than under the old system,
and the price in themarketOf the world
less dependent upon the crop of the
United States, while it must be con
stantly higher than it was when we
raised the enormous amount of 4, 600, 900
bales annually. 1t viii then he long
before, if ever, the price recedes to
eight or ten cents. Making up by
increased price for the diminished sup
ply, agricultural labor in producing for
their own consumption much of what
they formerly bought, the cotton states
will add to their substantial wealth,
which will hereafter be measured by
some more general standard than the
mere export of cotton nh