The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-04-04
laernIne Star and Catholic MESSENGER.
INV eRI.HANs. SUNDAY. APRIL = ts''.
Cotton Manufacturing in the South.

To the Editor Of the scientidc American;
I,;s. va,, known fact that cotton facto-
r;as at the South have been making money,
vhile mapy of those at the North nave oeeh
compelled to suspend operations 10 "ao p;e
or in mart. Some of the reasons TOT Iu's
state of thipgs are as follows ..
1. Labor is cheaper at the oou'h YIN" ~
the North. .,,o., ;,.te the
necessary expenses of living is less than In
New England, as ia also that OF hea'ing
factory building, etc. c.,, a
3. Coal is abundant in the SOUTH ana
cheap water privileges can 10 ooea'neo III
every direction. .;.,
4. The purchase of the raw mateI.al
direct from the producer saves tne piona1
of numerous middlemen, the cost OF seVerai
buildings, and long transportation:
To these advantages l am satisfied that
stjll another of great Importance may Dc
added. The Southern factory shou'd ouy
the cotton in the seed, gin, and then SPIN
it, without packing into bales; ana IL Is 10
urge some of your inventive readers TO
arrange machinery for this purpose .na ,ha
write this communication. Some OF tne
advantages of such system would be as
/. The warn would be stronger. Baled
cotton cannot be prepared for cardlng
without beating, and thus weakening the
fiber to q greater or less extent.
9. There would be less waste. Frequently
,ncb cotton is discolored and otherwise
injured by foreign substances that have
heen picked with it. l understand that at
the North and in Europe it takes from lOe
to us pounds of cotton to make lOO pounds
of yard, and although the waste is not SO
great at the South, it is nevertheless con-
siderable.
g. The cotton seed would be pressed a,
oh and
oilcakes sold for many millions each year
4. The interest on gin and gin houses
which are now idle the greater part OF thu
gear, would be saved to planters.
S. The raising of cotton on small farms
would be encouraged. The plantation
system is not adapted to free labor, aud il
steadily breaking up; but until cotton cal
be readily sold in the seed few small farm
will be opened in the cotton section, for tn
reason that a man cannot afford to buy ant
operate gin if he only piants few acre
of cotton. Better cottOns and more pc
acre will be obtained on small farms thai
large ones. The reason of this is, that
hand can plant and cultivate two or tire
times as much cotton as he can pick
During the picking season the entire feel
should be gone over at least once day
Even under the slave system planters VIII
put 10 an acre of corn for each acre of cot
ton and sent the smallest pickanniny int
the field to pick cotton were often unabl
to pick fast enough, and now that the
have 30 little control over their workme
the result is sometimes disastrous. Br
the small farmer, if he is unable to g,
extra hands when he needs them, ca
generally rely on wife and children to hel
I am confident that under the syste
proposed the South can manufacture cote
cheaper than New England, or Old Eul
land either, aud that if the proper effort
made it need not be long before her iucon
from cotton will be double what it is no,