The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1881-12-10

per hale' was To2 s. ,o23, Wnlch Is
really far below the true amount,
for nearly three fourths of the cot
ton which leaves the South goes to
England, involving an additional
expense of cent or two per pound.
500, 100000 is not too small an esti-
mate for the annual tax laid upon
the cotton crop. The crop of 1879
was worth not far from 100000.
Two ffths-40 per csnt--of the
South 8 income from its great staple,
therefore, goes for baling, transpor
tation, and the services of middle>
men-things which add not a cent
TO the value of the product, and are
made necessary only by the awk-
ward fact that the plantations are
from one thousand to three thod-
sand miles from the factories. But
the advantages are by no means
Coniired to he elimination of unne-
cessary chrges for baling and trans
portation. Power and labor are
nnquestionably cheaper in the
South than in the North. The wa
ter power Of the Southern States is
almost without limit. TIE avail
able power of Georgia's streams is
reckoned at several million horse
power. On an average it costs
about Sc per horse power per annum
for water to run mills in the South,
while the steam for the Fall River
mills costs $I2 per horse power.
The Augusta canal supplies water
at IS 20 per horse power. This
canal is 9 miles long, 80 feet wide,
and II feet deep. The main canal,
| between the first level and the Sa
vannah River, gives more than IA,
GOO horse power, of which only
900 are used. AT Lowell, n. c.,
water power is offered free of
charge to new mills All over the
two Carolinas and Georgia there
are natural streams with ample fall
for manufacturing purposes. and on
many OF these streams granite tOun
datiohe for mills are to be had.
| The Southern water courses never
freeze over nor do they dry up,
droughts being much less frequent
| there than in the North; both ice
and drought are recognized sources
of loss in New England manufac-
! turing. In another respect the
| climate Of the South is more favor
able for cotton manufacturing. The
humidity of the Southern atmos-
| phere is of very even quantity, from
| 65 to 20, condition which is de-
nianded for spinning and weaving
cotton. In the drier Massachusetts
air the manufacturer must employ
steam to moislen the air and make
he lint work smoothly The AZ
Ianta Cotton Mill, with 10000 spin
dies, is run by steam, as Atlanta
has no water power, though canal
which Will bring the waters of the
Chattahoochee to the city is pro
| iected. Coal costs here So per
ton, but even at this disadvantage
as compared with the mills of Au-
gusta and other neighboring cities
the Atlanta Cotton Mil, running
night and day, clears 81 900 pei
week, or over twenty per cent profi
on It's capital Of $250,000. There
are, besides, large number o
other factories, Touring mills, etc.
in Atlanta, al run by steam, bur
paying good returns on the capital
invested, and new mills are build.
ing all the time. y
In another letter, the same writer
describes the practical working o
certain representative Georgia anC
Carolina mills.
In the city of Augusta abou
$4,000 spindles are now running
The Augusta mil has grown W
around small manufacturing prop
e. ty bought in 1883 for $I40, 900, u
which the pure hasing company
added 500, 900 tor repairs and exten'
sions. By stock dividends of two
shares for one, the capital was sub
sequently increased to 5000 600, anC
on this sum the mill has paid since
she war dividends amounting I,
226 per cent, or at the rate of Is pei
cent per anEum. ard the money
value of tho property owned by th'
corporation Is not less than 81 ,000
600. The mill now runs "A. 200 spin
dies and 800 looms. 1t makes plair
sheetings, drillings, and yarns Nos
12to IA For the year ending jun
| 80, 1878, the gross earnings of tn
mill were $130,447, and the expon
ses S56, ,878, allowing for quurterl,
dividends of 2 per cent, beside
$25 900 carried TO the surplus fund
The mill has never paid less thai
this. In I0s0ait turned out Ii, 16l,
491 yards of sheetings and drilling: