The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1869-09-17
The Cotton Supply.


From he New York Tribune.
"A geographical fact of the greatest
importance lies at the foundation of all
lust views on the question of the cotton
supply. England believes that deeper
blowing, selecter seed, more diligent
culture, nicer picking and marketing,
will enable her to offset our South with
her Irdia. AS to quantities, this may
be; as to quality of staple, never; and
this is the reason:
Cotton, as to the size of the plant and
the number of pods it holds, depends
upon richness of soil and solar heat.
These England finds in sufficient per-
lection in the valley of the Ganges and
on the table-lands of Deccan. But as
to the color and oilness of the seed, the
fineness and length of its silver fila
ments, cotton varies in quality accord
ing to the mildness and evenness of
the Autumnal climate. Different re-
gions in our sunny cotton belt differ in
this respect, but the contrast is mild
one, and we have great advantage
over the whole of the Fast Indian
peninsula. After July our Southern
climate is for the most part rainless till
late in the fall. This is caused by the
ulSn lduuSg WulCh lohA OAlO
to two hundred miles from the seaside
where the best cotton grows. Clouds
loaded with moisture from the gulf and
the ocean off Florida are waited north
ward, but do not discharge their con-
tents till they reach the slopes of the
Cumberlan and Allegheny Mountains.
This circumstance gives America her
unequaled advantages as producer of
long cottons. In India there is a small
district where the conditions are some.
what similar, and rain-clouds in the
picking seasons are attracted north
ward across the lower portion of the
Ganges Valley to eXpend their waters
upon the frig'd slopes of the range that
parts India from Thibet. Dacca is the
central city of this region, and Dacca
lawns have romantic fame like that
of Damascus blades. A study of the
geographical conditions In India, as
etched on any good map, will show
how limited is the area to which En-
land must be confined in her endeavO
to grow such cottons as her finest looms
demand.
Vigilant and grasping as ever, she
has of late been moving to secure that
hereditary pet of all her politics, a mo-
nopoly. She proposes to do it by active
and potent stimu ants applied to cotton
culture i'm the Ganges Valley, and the
transporting facilities of that country.
In Lancashire, the great seat of the
cotton industry of the Kingdom, there
is at present no more cotton than will
keep the mills going five days out of
six. and there is a continued struggle
among the manufacturers to obtain the
cotton necessary to prevent a stoppage
of the mills. Sad effects are showing
themselves In the rapidly growing
number of operatives throw out of en-
plovment, and in the increase of paul
perism. At meeting just held in
London of representatives of the cotton
industry of the North of England, and
of members of Parliament whose con-
stituencies are interested In that indi.s-
try. the conviction was generally ex-
messed by the speakers that Lancashire
will have to look elsewhere than TO
this country, seeing that the Americans
are usipr their cotton more and more
LARGELY themselves, and will conse-
ouentiy be able to spare less and less OF
it every year.
AS to the other fields of cotton supply
Egypt and Turkey, it was said, could
not be relied upon, and the South
American States, including Brazil, had
disappoined expectation. India, there
fore. appeared to be the sole quarter to
which british manufacturers could look
for succor. i.f
Resolutions were passed earnestly
recommending the Government to es-
tablish boards of agriculture in each
-: ,-..-,, &c Trdio with q view TO the