The Fairfield herald. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1849-1876, 1875-03-31
Cotton manufacturing in tho South.

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1t is q we'll known fact that cotton
factories. at the South have been max.
ing money while many Of those at the
North have been compelled to sus.
pend operations in whole or in parts.
Sopio Of tho reasons for this state Of
things arc as follows
|. Labor i, cheaper at the South
than ut the North.
,. In consequence Of a milder oil.
mate, the necessary expense Of living
is less there than in New England, as
IS also that Of heating factory build.
ings, etc.
8. Coal is abundant in the South,
and cheap water privileges can be OBJ.
tanned in every direction.
The purchase of the raw material
direct from the producer saves the
prohts OF numerous middlcmen, the
cost of several bulldogs, and long
transl ortation.
10 these advantages l am satisfied
that still another of great importun.c
can DO added. The Southern factory
should buy the cotton in seed, gin
and then spin it, without packi ing into
bales and 1T is to urge some Of your
inventive readers to arrange machiu-
cry for this purpose that I write
TINS communication. Some OF the
advantages Of such system would be
rs follows:
]. The yarn would bo stronger,
Balcd cotton cannot be prepared for
carding without beating, and thus
weakoning the tibol to a greater or
less extent.
3. There would be less waste.
Frequently y much cotton is discolored
and otherwise injured by foreign sub.
stances that havo been packed with
1T. l understand that at the North
and III Europe it takes from l0S to-
10 lbs. of cotton to make 100 lbs,
OF yam and although the waste is
not so greatat tho South, it is never.
4hclcss considerable.
8. The cotton seed would be press.
ca at the same cstat lishmont, and
the oil and the oilcake sold for mapy
millions each year.
H. Iho interest on gins and gin
houses, which are now idle the
greater part of the year, would be
saved to planters.
.. The raising Of cotton on small
farms would bo encouraged. The
plantation system is not adopted to
free labor, and is steadily breaking I
up ; but until cotton can be rcadilV
sold in the seed, few small farms
Will be opened i'll the cotton section,
tor the reasons that man cannot
aiiord to buy and operate gin if he
onl y plants few acres Of cotton.
Better cotton and moro per acre will
pc obtained on small farms than on
large ones. The reason Of this is
nat hand can plant and cultivate
Two or three times as much cotton as
he can pick. During the picking
season, the entire field should be
gono over at least once u day, Even
undcr the slave system, planters who
put III an acre of corn for each acre
OF cotton, and sent tho smallest
Fickanniny into the field TO pick cot.
ton, were often unable to pick fast
enough; and nov that they have SO
Httlo control over their workmen, tho
result is sometimes disastrous. but
the small farmer if he is unable to
get extra hands when he needs them.
can generally rely on wife and chill
dren to help. .. .
am confident that, under the
system proposed, the South can
manutactnro cotton cheaper than
y cw England, or Old England either,
ana that if tho proper effort is made,
1t Iced not be long before her income
ir":a cotton will be double what it is
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