The Newtown bee., 1879-11-26
Some Facts About Cotton.

In recent letter Mr.. Edward Akin |
son, of Boston, gives some interesting |
facts and figures about the great staple |
of the South: The crop of cotton of |
1878 and 1879 was the largest ever raised.
The ten crops of 1852 to 1861, inclusive,
being the last crop raised by slave labor,
numbered 34,995, 44O bales. The ten
crops of 1870 to 1879, inclusive. being the
ten last crops raised by free labor, num-
bered 41,454, 743 bales. The excess of
the ten years of free labor amounts to
6,459,3o3 bales. The value of the ten
last crops, of which about two-thirds
have been exported, has been not less
than So, 500, 100000, and has probably
amounted to $4,000, 600, 600. The in
crease is progressive, the excess of the
| five last crops over the five crops i'm
mediately preceding the war has been
3, 932 AS bales.
The worlds crop of cotton is now
equal to ten to twelve million bales of
the average weight of American cotton,
probably the latter. Of this quantity
five million bales are raised in the United
States and between six and seven mil
lion bales are spun and woven upon ma
chinery contained in large factories in
Europe and America. The rest is spun
and woven by hand, and there is prob
ably a larger portion OF the population of
the globe still. insufficiently clothed in
handmade goods than are clothed in
those furnished by the factories OF
Europe and America combined. Tile
average work of one operative working
one year in Lowell will supply the an
nual wants of 1000 fully clothed Chi
nese ora 900 partly clothed East Indians
No country in the world, except Egypt
produces any substantial quantity Of
cotton SO well adapted to work upon
modern machinery as that of the South
ern States. Nearly one-half the world
remains to be conquered by cotton and
commerce. To the cotton fields and
factories of the United States will not the
increase surely come as commerce slowly
but surelyopens the wayp
The whole cotton crop of the world
/ could be raised on ;. section of Texas less
: than one-twelfth of it's area; or could
be devided between any two of the othel
, principal cotton States without exhaust
; ing one-half of their good lands, or i
could all be raised on less than one hal
! the Indian Territory that is not yet oc
= ~~--,:i est al.
Touching the cost Of raising cotton il
the South, Mr.. Atkinson suggests tn,
! opinion that if the cost of labor b,
, measured by its effectiveness as well a
the measure of the money with which i
!, is paid, there is no place in the worlt
r where so an effective amount of manua
$ labor can be procured at SO little cos
as in the employment of negroes upol
+ our Southern cotton fields. The price O
t bacon and corn gauges the cost of cotton
Eaten together they are digestible ant
Y nutritious separately quite other
!, wise. They constitute the food that til
negro feld-hand freely chooses. Tire
i and one-half pounds of bacon, one peck O
II meal, and one quart of moiasses or syru
n constitute the weeks ration for an adul
!, man or woman. The ration has bee
lately and can now be supplied at a cos
/, of thirty -eight to forty-two cents pc
e week, or six cents or less per day. Th
i plat of sweet potatoes and fish from til
n ponds and rivers serve for the rest.