Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-07-21
Some Facts About Cotton.

In recent letter Mr.. f lward Atkinson,
Of Boston. shows by comparison of results
tho enormous economic superiority Of free
labor over slave labor, in tho cultivation of
cotton. The crop of cotton of 1873 and 1870
was the largest ever raised. The ten orops
OF 1850 to 1861, inclusive. being the last
crop raised by slnvc labor, numbered a.
995.4i0 bales. The ten crops of 1870 to
1879, inclusive, being tho ten last crops
raised by FREQ labor, numbered 4l,454743,
bales. The excess Of the ten years of free
labor amounts to G.i50,303 bales. The value
of the ten last crops, Of which about two
thirds have been exported, has been not less
than $2,500,0u0, 600, and has probably
amounted to O,0o0,000. The increase is
progressive, tho excess Of the five last crops
over the crops Immediately preceding the
war has been 3,032,4I5 bales.
The worlds crop Of cotton is now haual
to ten or twelve bales of the average weight
of American cotton, probably IT,. latter. az
this quantity iye million 'alcs aro ro;scd
in the United Stc..ss, and between six and
seven m"...,n bales are spun and woven upon
n:lchlnery contained in large fnotoros in
Europe and America The rest il spun and
woven by hand, and there is probably larger
portion Of tho population Of tho Globo still
insuflicicntly clothed in hand mado goods
than aro clothed in those furnished by the
factories of Europe and America combined
The average work Of ono operative working
ono year in Lowell will supply tho annual
wants Of l,6)0 fully clothed Chinese or 1900
partly clothed East Indians. No country
in tho world, except Egypt, produces any
substantial quantityo OF cotton go we'll adapted
to work upon modern machinery rs that OF
the Southern States. Nearly one half the
world remains to be conquered by cotton and
commerce. 70 The cotton fields and factories
Of the United States will not the increase
surely como as commerce slowly but surely
opens tho way?
The whole cotton crop Of tho world could bc
raised on n section OF Texas less than one
twolf,h Of its area; or could be divided between
any two Of The other principal cotton States
without exhausting one half Of their good lands
or il could all be raised OH less than ono half
the Indian Territory that Is not yet occupied at
oil.
Touching Tho cost Of raising cotton in the
South, Mr.. Atkinson suggests the opinion that
if tho cost of labor be measured by il effective
ness as well as by The measure OF tho money
with which it is paid, there is no place in the
world where so effective an amount Of manual
labor oan be procured at so littlc cost rs in the
employment of negroes upon Southern cot
ton fields. The Trico of bacon and corn gauges
tho cost of cotton Eaten together they arc
quite otherwise. They constitute tho food that
tho negro fold hand freely chooses. Three md
one half pounds of bacon, ono peck OF meal
and one quart Of moasscs or syrup constitute
the weeks ration Of an adult man or woman.
This ration has been lately and can now bo
siipplicd ~ a cost Of Thirty ciglit to forty two
cents per week. or six cents or less per day.
The plat Of sweet petntoes aud fish from tho
ponds anl riYers serve tor the rest