American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1872-11-02
Cotton Manufacturing.

Benz. III. Micou, President of the
Tallassee, Alabama, Manufacturing
Company, publishes an interesting
letter in the Montgomery Aduertiser
of the 10th, giving results in regard
to the working of that factory, also
its capacity. This company has
two mills running, $4,000 spindles
and 200 looms, besides other ma
chinery. After referring to the
working capacity of the mills, Mr..
Micou says:
But the principal object have in
view in writing this letter (after
showing to our people by actual ex-
pertinent that we can here at the
cotton fields spin cotton as well aud
as cheaply as it can be done any
where else in the worldly, is to show
the immense production oil wealth
in the cotton States attainable by
the introduction of spinning ma
chinery at the numerous water pow
ers adjacent to the cotton fields of
the South and sending our cotton
to foreign markets spun into yarn
instead of the raw state as now.
The facts and figures here pre-
scented show that one cotton mill
Tor spinning cotton with II to 20
thousand spindles, employing $50
to 500 operatives, drawn from a
class who are now non producers,
can produce of direct wealth to the
| fnf =
By spinning up 5000 bales cotton
and doubling its value by the Ope-
ration, a production of wealth to
this extent is entirely practicable on
a capital invested of five hundred
thousand dollars.
Now to produce 5000 bales cotton
from the soil requires the cultiva-
ton in corn and cotton of 10000
acres of land, by 1000 laborers and
1,5OO mules, with a large capital IN
vested in waste lands, farming uten-
sis, gins and gin houses and screws
and houses for laborers, sc. The
proposition Is so plain that any prac-
teal farmer can calculate that it
requires much more capital to pro-
duce 5000 bales of raw cotton than
it does to spin 5000 bales raw cot
ton into hood yarn, and double its
value by so doing. But the people
say we understand cotton planting
and we are an agricultural people
and not manufacturing people.
l do not advise our people to with
draw their capital from planting
cotton but only wish to show them
the entire practicability of doubling
and thrilling their wealth by en-
couraging the spinning at home of
the cotton produced by them.
The entire cotton crop could be
worked up at home into yarns with,
out drawing one Iaborer from the
cotton field, making effective pro-
ducerS of our women and children
who are now non producers and re-
quiring only an investment of CAPT
tai equal to one cotton crop valued
at one hundIe ed dollars per bale
This state Ofthings could be brought
about in ten or fifteen years by each
cotton spinning an investment an
nually of One-twentieth of the value
of cotton produced by each.
The idea l intend to convey by
this last statement is that, if we
could open the eyes of our planting
community to the great Importance
of this spinning business so as to
induce general and liberal invest
ment by them in cotton spinning
amounting in the aggregate each
year to 0ne-twentieth of the value
of the crop produced that it would
in ten or fifteen years give such an
impetus to the Gnsiness and bring
in so much outside capital not now
invested in cotton pla nting as to
accomplish the grand result.
Cotton spinning like cotton plant
ing or any other branch of business,
requires care, economy, attention
and good management, to make it !
profitable. But with these an ex-
perience of twenty years satisfies
me beyond n doubt that it is more
useful and beneficial to the public
good as we'll as more profitable to
the capitalist than any other bust
ness that is open to the enterprise
and industry of the Southern peo-
pie. l have determined to devote
the balance of my business life to
the development of this great in
terest in the Cotton States.
I will close this letter, which is
much longer than / expected, when
L commenced writing, with the
statement, that cotton yarns well
made are as valuable in the mar
kets of the world as the raw cotton.
Al e.
per pound to the spinner than to
the cotton planter.