Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1879-10-16
SPINNING COTTON FROM THE SEED.

spun cotton and made cloth. The seeds were
picked out by industrious fingers, and spun
into thread by the same motive power, turn
ing the old fashioned spinning wheel of one
spindle The thread was then taken from
the "shuck broach" on the old fashioned "reeP'
and "winding blades" made into hanks and
transferred to the old time "warping bars,
thence to the "beam" and the "slay" and the
"harness" of the old fashioned loom; /; and
then our mothers made the cloth to clothe
past generations.
In the course of time, the cotton gin was
invented, and machines also invented which
turned great numbers ofspindles in one frame
for spinning lint. The gin superseded fin
ger picking; and the "mule," or frame OF
many spindles turned by water or steam
power, took the place, very generally, of the
old fashioned spinning wheel.
There are still places in the Southern
States where the seeds are picked out by fin
gers; and many places, principally y among
the mountains, where the old spinning wheel
sings its daily song, accompanied by the beat
ing of the old hand loom. Thousands ofyards
of cotton and wooden cloth are thus annu-
ally manufactured by the industrious women
of the mountains. Their Jeans" is about
the best sold in the markets.
Our people of the South will remember that
during the four years of civil war the old spin
ming wheel and hand loom were re. instated in
nearly every household and the women Of the
South, thus to large extent made the cloth
that clothed themselves, their children, their
slaves, and their soldier boys.
The above facts should cause US to revert
to first principles in our seeking after the best
method Of spinning cotton from the seed, at our
own homes, here in the South. We do not
insist that our women return to the primitive
mode of making cloth; but we do maintain
that it is better in many cases for them to do so.
Rather than spend their time in idleness, and
the meagre earnings of the male workers OF
the family in purchasing imported goods,
the women are wise who turn the old wheel
and beat the old hand loom, as many are
doing to day. But our main object in calling
attention to these first principles of thread
and cloth making is to suggest how easy it
is, without the discovery Of any new inven-
ton, to put to work machinery, in every
neighborhood in the South, for spinning cotton
from the seed, in small home factories. If
the old spinning wheel, with one spindle, so
long met the wants of the past generations,
why would not machine with two, six,
twelve, fifty or two hundred spindles, to be
turned by hand, horse, water, or steam pow
er, be just the thing demanded? We need
no invention. Just order or make your
"mule," specifying in advance the number OF
spindles to suit the plan Of your factory, from
two spindles upwards. As to separating, the
seed from the lint, the common saw gin in.
vention is the best possible; and each party
desiring to start home factory can order
gin in size and cost proportionate to the
plan Of the factory.
We visited and examined the Westminster
narrow gauge cotton factory, in Oconee coun'
ty, S. c., where two "mules," of 250 spindles
EACH are made to spin forty punches of yarn,
per day, from the seed. The factory is owned
by three or four adjacent farmers, who have
thus combined to spin their own cotton near
their fields. The factory is located on small
creek, and the machinery is turned by a
twelve inch turbine wheel. The gin is small
one like any other gin. The seed cotton is
weighed and spread over an endless cloth,
moved regularly by rollers, from which the
seed cotton is dropped into the gin. Instead
of passing into the lint room, the lint is car.
ried, by means of the "Clement attachment
from the gin in rolls to the spindles. On the
very same principles factory Of ten or fifty
spindles can be operated. Just order what
you want.
The machinery Of the Westminster factory
cost about $4,000; and the whole expense
for houses and everything, about $4,000:
But we are sure that factories can be started
with capital Of a few hundred dollars, on
the principles already at work.-Spartanburg
Herald and State Builder.