The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1877-04-19
The Cotton Industry.


manufactures. That these foreigners should
have needed an exhibition to enlighten
them about our manufacturing skill Is
not particularly complimentary to Ameri-
can enterprise. If we sold as skilfully as we
produce the world would know our prod
ucts if We had not sacrificed our foreign
commerce foreigners would long ago have
seen in their own markets what so greatly
astonshcd them at Philadelphia. But our
Exhibition showed foreign visitors that they
could buy many American products to advan-
tage, and there is already evidence that from
the centennial will date IN important
revival Of our foreign trade. American
cotton, of course, goes to Europe, but
American cotton goods have of late once
more won favor in foreign countries for
their excellence and their honest make,
and as the cotton industry is one OF the
greatest in this country, and one in which
all parts of the country are interested, Its
future prospects are of the widest and
greatest interest.
We begin to-day the publication Of
series of articles on cotton and cotton man.
ufactures, prepared for the HKEALp by Mr..
Edward Atkinson, Of Boston, known no less
in the South than in the North as one of the
most thoroughly informed of American cot
ton spinners. The purpose Of these arti-
cles is to give information as TO the
present condition and the future pros
poets of the whole cotton industry OF
the United States information which will
be of interest and valuo to every man who
raises cotton and who is engaged in its
manufacture. Mr. Atkinson's articles are
founded upon careful and very widely
extended series Of inquiries addressed to
cotton growers and spinners-inquiries OF
such a character MS have elected mass Of
facts and statistics such as has not before
been brought together on this important
subject.
Europe and the United States consume
annually at this time six million bales OF
cotton, and the United States produce four
and half million bales of this total. We
therefore supply to the cotton spinners Of
the civilized world three quarters Of their
raw material, and it is astonishing to know
that this vast supply is derived from less
than two per cent Of the area Of our cotton
States. Texas last year produced, on less
than half of one per cent of its area, one
half of all the cotton consumed in the
United States and Texas alone is so fertile
and so favored by climate that if it pos
sessed the requisite population it could
produce easily all the cotton now consumed
by the civilized world and all tho wheat
now raised in the United States.
Cotton spinning and weaving give en-
ployment to million OF men, women and
children in this country and Europe, who
manage, with the help of sixty-eight mill
ions Of spindles, to turn six millions Of
bales into ten thousand million square
Yards of cotton goods. Three-quar-
tiers Of million of cotton operatives,
therefore, live by manufacturing Ameri-
can cotton, produced on less than two
thirds of the area of our cotton growing
States. Great and important as our cotton
product is to the world it is evidently still
in its infancy Our Southern States have
the capacity of indefinitely and almost
infinitely increasing the annual cotton
product, and to what extent, how
rapidly and with what security against
loss from oversupply they can in
crease this crop is q matter of the most
vital interest to every man who plants cot
ton. This question among Others the
series of articles of which we print the first
to-day will attempt to answer; and as it is
oh hoe ~ oil ;pko
gent cotton growers in the South for some
wears we need not do more than direct their
attention to the facts and figures which we
shall publish in these articles.
The manner of producing cotton has
changed greatly since 1865, and is still
changing. 1t is falling constantly more into
the hands of small farmers, and the habit of
raising meat and grain enough for home
consumption. in addition to the cotton crop.
is growing very rapidly in almost all the
cotton States. The evidence on this point is
very gratifying. 1t shows that the cotton
armer is beginning to consider his cotton
crop in its true light, as a surplus, an article
which represents to him cash on hand be-
You'd his actual living expenses. In this
practice of raising ut home the food sup
plies lies, we believe, the safety Of the
cotton culture against an overstocked
market Less cotton will be raised per man,
but the number of persons raising cotton
will increase steadily, and thus the aggre-
gate crop will slowly increase, and without
serious risks to the planters. more varied
agriculture will take the place of the simple
and hazardous system which grew up under
slavery; and indeed almost every cotton
State already feels the advantage of this
change villages and towns increase rapidly;
there is more employment for mechanics,
and the small farmers have the ability, if
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