The Osceola times., 1877-10-13
The Rise OF King Cotton.

anu VIII bt ttta ihtt'tNt ht
this day;
There was, some months past, a
notification in your paper, copied from
the Charleston Courier, requesting a
communication upon the subject Of the
introduction of cotton into Georgia and
South Carolina.
1t has been intimsted to me that pos
sibly this notification has originated in
some one desirous fer correct informa.
tion, in order that it might enter some
more general work, and NJ ! am at pre-
sent, perhaps the only person alive who
recollects distinctly the introduction of
sea island cotton, have addressed this
letter to you. -
II is known S-nany that cotton was
cultivated for domestic purposes from
Virginia to Georgia, long anterior to
the revolutionary war. Mr.. Jefferson
speaks of it in his notes on Virginia
Bertram speaks of 1t in his travels as
growing in Georgia. And have under
stood that twenty acres were cultivated
by Col. Delegalle, upon email island
near Savannsh, before the revolution !;
but this was the green seed or short
staple cotton. Two species of the same
family then existed in this countryside
real green seed and low cotton resem-
bling it in blossom, both being of pale
yellow, approaching to white-one with
the seed covered with fuzz, the other
with fuzz only upon the end Of the seed.
TO explore the first introduction of
the short staple cotton into this country
would now in all possibility, be impossi-
BILE; but we may very well suppose it
was by one of the southern preparatory
governments, and possibly from Turkey,
the trade of which country with England
was then of much higher consideration
than it has subsequently become.
Nor would IL have escaped those pro-
prietors (many of whom were enlightened
men) that the climate of Asia Minor
where cotton grew abuntantly was anala.
gous to the climate Of the provinces south
of Virginia.
Just abodt the commencement of the
revolutionary war, Sir Richard Arkwright
had invented the spinning jenny, and
cotton spinning became matter of deep
interest in England. Cotton rose much
in price,. Its various qualities attracted
notice, and the world was searched for
finer kinds. The island of Bourbon was
alone found to produce them, and yet
the Bourbon cotton greatly resembled in
its growth our green seed Stton, although
it cannot be its parent Plant, for all
attempts TO neutralize it\ in Georgia
(which were many and repeated) have
failed. 1t gave blsssom, but was cut off
by the frost in the fruit, nor would il
rattoon or grow from the root the next
year, in which, too, it resembles the
green seed cotton Of our country. This
is all / am able to say, and all that is
perhaps necessary to be said OF the short
staple cotton. The sea island cotton was
introduced directly from the Bahama
islands into Georgia.
The revolutionary war that closed in
1888 had been war not less Of opinion
and of feeling than of interest, and had
torn asunder many Of the relations Of life
whether of blood or friendship. England
offered to the unhappy settlers OF this
country who had followed he- standard,
home in but two of her provinces--to
the provincials of the north she offered
Nova Scotia, to the provincials of the
south she offered the Bahama islands
Many of the former inhabitants of the
Carolinas and Georgia passed over from
Florida to the Bahamas with their slaves,
but what could they cultivate?
The rocky and arid lands of those
islands could not grow sugar cane. COT.
lee would grow, but produced no fruit.
There was but one plant that would
grow, and that bore abundantly; it was
cotton The seed, as have been in
formed by respectable gentlemen from
the Bahamas, was in the first instance
procured from small island in the West
Indies, celebrated for its cotton, called
Auguilla. 1t was, therefore, long after
its introduction into this country, called
Auguilla seed. 1.
Cotton, as have already stated, had
taken a new value by the introduction
of the spinning jenny int England. The
quality OF the Bahama cotton was then
considered among the best grown. New
life and hope were impaired TO a colony
and a people with whom even hope itself
had been almost extinct. The first sue
ttsH, rs 10 HdtuIdl W tDc Hunldu
under whatever influence 1t may act, re.
called the memory of the friends they
had left behind them. The winter Of SO
brought several parcels of cotton seed
from the Bahamas To Georgia. Among
them lin distinct resemblance upon my
mind) was a parcel to the late Gov. Tat
nall, of Georgia, from near relation OF
his then surveyor-seneral Of the BAHIA
mas, and another parcel At the same time
was transmitted by Col. Roger Kelsal, Of
Exuma, (who was among the first, II not
the very first, successful growers of cot.
ton) to my father, Mr.. James Spalding,
then residing on st. Simon's island,
Georgia, who had been connected in
business with Col. Kelsal before the
revolution. ! have heard that Gov
Ta.nall, then Young man, gave bis
seed to Mr.. Nicholas Turnbull, lately
deceased, w..o cultivated it from tina,
period successfully.
know my father planted his cottcr
seed in 1887, upon the banks of small
rice field on st. Simon's leland. The
land was rich and warm, The cotton
grew large and blossomed, but did moi
ripen its fruit. It., however, rsttooned
or grew from its roots, the following
year. The difficulty was now over. The
cotton adapted itself to the climate, ano
every successive year from 1887 saw the
long staple cotton extending itself alons
the shores of Georgia and into Soutf
Carolina, where an enlightened popula
tion, engaged in the cultivation Of indigo
readily adopted it.
All the varieties Of the long staple, o.
at least the germ Of those varieties, cam,
from that seed.