Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-01-13
The Clement Attachment.

We see that Mr.. s. r. Cockrih, Vice
President of the Mississippi Valley Cot
ton Planters Association, has addressed
letter to Southern planters, showing
the great advantage to them of spinning
their cotton into yarns in the field by
means of the Clement Attachment He
estimates the annual cotton crop at
), 200, 600 bales. worth. in its raw state.
$225, 600, 600. By converting this into
yarn, by means of this attachment, he
claims that its value will be easily
doubled, and that the crop would be
worth $3.50, OO0, 900. He estimates that
one hundred bales of cotton, of $50
pounds each, is worth, after being
ginned, ten cents q pound or 1850
gross. but the same cotton, converted
into yarn from the seed, would be worth
twenty cents pound, and would yield
to the farmers net profit of So, $50.
To accomplish the object he advocates.
Mr.. Cockrill advises planters in various
localities to combine and erect a building
for the attachment in each neighbor-
hood, at q cost of from $4,000 to S., 900,
and then enter into a partnership con-
tract with the owners of the machines,
by which both parties would share in
the profits OF the spinning In this way,
he says at little cost, there could be
placed in use at the South 10000, 900
spindles, with which 1000, 900 bales of
cotton could be spun into yarn from the
seed. This would require an average of
200 mills of 1000 spindles. or 400 mills
with 4. 500 spindles each, and he thinks
the latter size would be best TO begin
with, since they could be enlarged after
wards, if found advisable. On this
point he says
Suppose the planters begin and build
houses for the spindles, only five year,
in three years they would have the num-
Der required for each county. These
mills. after being put into operation,
would be permanent property. owned by
the planters and spinners, Of great value
10 them and the country. The profits
then should be appropriated TO the extern
sion and improvement Of the mills and
machinery and the erection of new mills,
until the cotton States hadmills TO spin
3. 500, 600 bales. being the quantity we
are compelled to gin and bale and com
press and sell to 90 10 Europa Why are
we compelled to send it TO Europe? Be.
cause they have the spindles and we
have not. The spindles are 4, 600 miles
from the cotton fields now, and we, the
cotton growers, have it in our power to
put them up in the cotton fields and spin
the new cotton into thread and make
bales of yOur yarn worth from $50 to
800 bale.
This is a subject necessarily of great
interest to the cotton planter. Mr..
Cockrill's ideas may be fanciful and
theoretical. but it Is hardly likely that
they are not practical His high posi-
ton in the Mississippi Valley Cotton
Planters Association is very conclusive
proof that he is a man who understands
that Of which he speaks, and the figures
which he gives show that he has devoted
much thought TO the subject. If his
figures are correct, the plan he suggests is
certainly worth trial, for at very slight
cost-one which in a combination of
planters and spinners would scarcely be
felt-the wealth of our section would be
largely increased at once. We hope the
experiment which he suggests of con-
verting cotton into yarns in the field will
soon be given fair trial. If it succeeds
it viii, beyond doubt, be immensely
popular, and the South viii rapidly be-
come what she ought to become-the
great cotton spinning, as well as cotton
producing, section Of the world.