The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1879-09-12
Home Enterprise.

The prosperity of n commonwealth depends
not upon the devotion of its population to any
single pursuit, but uoon the distribution of its
forces upon such industrial enterprises rs dove
tail into each other, giving strength md dura-
bility to the common wealth. Tho devotion to
cotton culture in our Southern country has alb
sorbcI all other interests. Everything is sub
servent to cotton. All calculations as to the
future arc based upon cotton. We grow cotton
TO buy our bacon, -four lard, corn even to buy
our tuckcts, tubs, bropms, baskets, hoes, show
els, hOughs, wagons, bugg:cs, carriages, hats
shoes and thousand other things that could
as well be made at home with profit to all par
ties. The very bngging and ties for our cotton
bales are made abroad, while the cotton itself is
sent off to be manufactured into fabrics, To be
brought back TO us in increased value. which
should have been made at home. Mr.. William
Gregg, of Grancvilc, laborcl assiiuously for
years to Impress upon the Southern capitalists
the importance of working up our cotton nt
home and Grantcvie and Nauclusc stand as
monuments of his sagacity. There are all over
the State water power facilities, superior to
Lowell side by side with the cotton plantation,
aud III every such section are to be found needy
persons with nmbic fingers and anxious hearts
longing for some means by which they could
earn an honest livelihood aud bring up their
families with credit. II is remarkable with
what rcluctauc" M agricultural a. People brace
amy project outside the plantation routine
They will 90 frantic after any humbug that will
Increase The production Of cotton-pny fabulous
prices for fancy sect. fancy fertilizers or implc
n.cniS Int suggest the propricty OF introducing
"uy machinery iy whicl, the staple can he con-
vCrica into n more valuable frabric and the
cold shoulder is tur"ed To You ut once. More
than twenty years ago Mr.. Henry of Mobile
invented Il machine of great simplicity. hv
which the cotton could he grnncd and converted
into thread on the plantation with very little al
hiIonal cost. and requiring very little skill. II
mrt with little encouragement and was aban.
doncd. How few people know that now such
mnnutactory is in successful operation at West
muster, Oconcc County, on the Air Line Rail-
roHd All the machinery is run by Il l2inch
turbine whccl-thc seed cotton is measured into
the gin hy machinery and the lint separated
from the seed. carried in rolls TO tho spinllcs
md run out into excellent thread We have
been assured by persons who have tested it tha,
the thread is superior in strength to any in the
markct Hereby is II saving in the expense of
hagCng, ties, transportation and draying 10 the
lint 10y packing This factory runs 500 spin.
dies. and turns out 40 lunches of thread per
diem. 1t consumes !1OOOO pounds seed cotton
per annum, and the whole cost Of buildings.
machinery, etc, did not exceed $1,000. Would
it not he better for farmers 10 combine and in
vest their money in such improvements aS this
instead of more fertilizers. more area in cultiva.
1 iJn and more mean cotton. Now, il il not .
little singular that at IA meeting Of the State Ag-
ricultural Society and State Grange. n few days
ago in Chester, presided over hy their chief of.
tcials, Mr.. Woodward, quoniam President If
the State National Grange Society, should have |
offered n resolution for the Legislature to be !
mcmorialzcl to offer premium of $1,000 for |
amy man who would invent such n machine rs !
che above, while the presiding officer of the So
cicty, COL Crayton, lives in Anderson. n county |
adjoining Oconce. made response. Aprophct |
hath honor save in his own country and in his |
own huuSc.-CDr christian .lIrocGic.