The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1871-09-13
A Cotton Revolution.

In the year 1860 eighty five per
cent. Of all the cotton used in Eng
land was Of American growth
i but the rebellion put All end to
the virtual monopoly long enjoyed
by our Southern States, and, as
events have proved, began 4 com
! pIetc revelation. The English
manufacturers, deprived by the
war Of their usual supplies, cast
about for new fields, and under
the stimulus Of absolute necessity
they have caused the lands Of the
East to become abundantly fruit,
ful. The increasing yield o. the
new cotton fields, and their bril-.
liant promise for the fature, are
s:riking!y set forth in u work just
! published in Manchester under
| the title Of "I'hc CuttUn Supply
Association It's Origin and Pro
gress." The author, Mr.. lsanc
Watts, is the Secretary Of the As
sociation, and he has drawn the
facts OF his intcr' .1S narrative
from the official records. The Cot,
ton Supply Association was organ
lied in 1867, for tho specific pur,
! pose Of opening up and develop.
ing other sources Of cotton supply
than the Southern States of Amer,
Ca ; but up TO the time Of our civil
war its operations were limited i'll
extent and comparatively barren
in result. The pressure Of the
cotton famine in 1861 lent new
visor to its undertakings, and IN
dia became the theatre Of eiabo,
rate experiments. The results OF
these experiments during Il period
of ten years are now given for the
first time in IL connected official
form.
In 1860 the sum paid to India
for cotton was Sl7, 100000 but in
1864 it had increased to 500, ,000,,
900, and the average annual q,
mount rcmittcd from England for
cotton during the past eight years
is stated at S1l5, 900, ,000-showing
an aggregate increase in the value
Of the Indian cotton trade, during
this period, of about 50,D00,000
This astonishing growth has been
followed by a corresponding de.
velopment Of the cotton-produciuS g
districts Of Turkey, Egypt and
Australia. Since 1862 the pre-,
! cminencc Of Egypt has been a no
table fact in the history Of cotton
| culture. Mr.. Watts writes that
! in that year ''cotton began to
be so much in favor that cere,
ais were almost neglected, and the
enormous profits derived from It's
cultivation during the American
war led to the abandonment OF
! the ordinary ruccc-s;on Of crops
Il result which the late Ticcroy,
Said Pacha, bchcId with appre,
hcnsion and alarm" The present
khcdivc, however, has encouraged
the industry, and during his visit
to London in 1867 gave much
attention to the selection Of cotton
seed, and TO the measures best
calculated 10 render the crops cN.
cellcnt and abundant. Cotton cul.
turc is now firmly established i'll
Egypt, and the people are alive tc
its Importance. 1t is believed that
the fertile regions which are Wa,
tered by the Nile will in time be
converted into q vast cotton Held
and that India, prolific rs 1t now
is, will become 4 secondary source
Of supply.
These facts indicate the charac
ter Of the charge which is gradu.
ally coming to our Southern
! Statcs-a change which will de.
prive the cotton fields Of their
tancied advantages, and lead the
planters to cultivate cereals for
home consumption. The altered
conditions Of labor, the partitions
Of old estates, the loss Of fortune
the necessity Of giving larger
areas Of land TO the cultivation oil
corn and grain, arc some Of the
causes which must produce mark
cd changes in the South, and with
the complete explosion of the fal'
lacy that cotton is king, willcome
q better system Of agricultural de,
velopmcut, soundcr financial ba
SIS, and the encouragement Of the
working classes, who are the real
rulers in " republic. Certain dis.
| tricts in the South, fitted for lit,
tie elso than tic culture Of cotton,
will continue to furnish supplies
for the homo and foreign demand
but the extraordinary develop.
mcnts Of ten years in other fields
show that in the granary, rather
! than in the cotton bale, the ele
mcnts Of future prosperity will
cXist.-Baltim0re american.
l..