Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1877-10-18

The Cotton Gin.

The cotton gin was invented in 1893
'rhcSculture of cotton was begun in the
Southern colonies in ITO. 1t was an ex.
pertinent for which the older nations Of the
world were not prepared, and was suited
only to bold and adventurous people. In
l7S4, the year after tho close of the rcvo-
lutionary war, vessel from this country,
that had carried to Liverpool eight bales oil
cotton, vas seized in that port upon the
suspicious charge Of illcit trade, grounded
OH tho presumption that so large quantity
of cotton could not possibly have been the
production of the United States. Eleven
years later than this, in 1906, when the
commercial treaty which bears tho namc
Of Mr. Jay was negotiated between the
United States and Great Britain, one article
of tho treaty, as it originally stood, pro-
hibitcd expectation from this country, in
American vessels, of such articles Us Great
Britain had previously Imported from the
West Indies Mr.. Jay was surprised to
learn subsequently that cotton was included
in this prohibition, and still more surprised
to be made acquainted with the fact, OF
which he was still then wholly unaware,
that cotton was becoming an article of cx-
port from the United States. Tho culture
was continued, amid difficulties and en-
barrassmcnts which constantly threatened
its abandonment, till it l79l the whole
amount Of cotton exported from the United
States was but lS9,3l6 pounds. The next
year, that preceding the invention Of the
cotton gin, the amount exported was
diminished $4,000 pounds. There was, in
fact, from the incipcncy of tho culture to
the period of this invention, no indication
of any tendency to an increase of the pro-.
duction. The chief difficulty in the prose-
cution of the enterprise had been found to
be tho extremely slow and luxurious process
OF cleaning the green seed cotton, or scpa-
rating it from the seed; and SC serious had
this embarrassment como to be regarded,
that the cultivators we're generally inclined
to yield to it as an insupcrabic objection to
what had been tho grand design of the
undertaking, namely, the raising of cotton
for the European market.
The green cotton seed is that which is
commonly known as tho upland or bowed
Georgia cotton, by which name it is distin-
guished from. that produced in the islands
and low districts pear the shore, called sea
island, or back seed cotton. The latter is
tho finest kind, aud derives it's namo from
tho circumstance of it's having been tho first
cultivated in this country in the low sandy
islands on tho coast Of South Carolina. It
will not flourish at distance from the SEQ,
and its quality gradually detcriorates as it
is removed from "the salutary action of the
oceans spray" 1t has a longer fiber than
other cottons, and is of peculiarly even
and silky texture, which qualities give it it's
superior market value. The expression
"bowcd,' which is applied to the upland
cotton, is descriptive Of the means that
were employed for cleaning it, or looscning
'he flamcnt from the seed, previous to tho
invention Of tho cotton gin. The process
was similar to that employed by hattcrs for
beating up wool to the proper consistency
Tor tcltlng. Strings, attached to bow,
were brought in contact with heap of
unclcancd cotton aud struck 80 as to cause
violent vibrations, and thus to open the
locks of cotton and perNit the easy separa-
tion of the seed from tho fiber. The clean.
ing was likewise done wholly by hand, the
work of the bow strings being scarcely
moro efficient than that accomplished by
the fingers of the slaves. In either case
the process was discouragingly tedious aud
slow. Whitney's cotton gip ovorca,no all
this difficulty and furnished tho means of
separating the seed and cleaning tho cotton
with such economy of labor and time as at
once to give spring to tho agricultural
industry of the South, and an impetus to
what in few years, comparatively, btcamc
ono OF the most important branches OF the
commerce and manufactures Of tho world.