Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1881-09-01
The Cotton Manufacture.
ESciehtitio Amerioan.1 !.

Inc cotton year, 'statistloalIy ends Sep.
tember l, when tho preceding years growth
is substantially all marketed aud tho pick
ing Of the new crop is we'll under way, this
part Of tho work extending up to tho end
of the year and sometimes later. It is
now certain that the crop of 1880-81 will
oxceod that of l879-S0, which was 5,76l,.
262 bales, and was the largest crop ever
raised in the country up to that time
were 5,735,356 bales, against 4,014,226
bales to the corresponding date last yost
| The quantity of cotton in bale VARIES a..
though tho improved machinery for com.
pressing and baling has tended to make all
bales heavier tho last few years. The total
weight of the last crop was 2,771, ,797,15G
pouhdb, tho lightest balca being of Sea
Island, weighing 34s-55 pounds, and thu
other descriptions varying from 400 10
500 pounds Beside the American growth;
India and Egypt together contributes about
l,500,O00 bales annually to tho worlds
supply of cotton, but of so different.a q
quality as 10 affect but little tho sale of the
American staple with prices ruling as low
as they have for few years past. ;.
Especial Significance will be given to.
these figures this year, and to everything
| pertaining to the cultivation and manufacA
| ture of this great staple, by tho exhibition
to open at Atlanta in October, all tho
preparations for which are in very foIrs
ward state, and give promise of afTording o.
worthy representation of the vast interests
concerncd. Many had wished that suoh
an exhibition might have been held in
somo Northern city, near tho principal
eeotcrs of manufacture, but this would,
have reduced to a minor place what will be-
a lending feature Of the coming show-the
| illustration Of the conditions under wkoh
the crop is raised, ahd the practical working
of tho appliances by which it is made ready
for market. Tho exhibition, coming as it
does right in the harvesting period, and
10 a locality where the gathering of the
crop can bo personally investigated By all
visitors, will present moro wildly to tho
minds Of mechanics, inventors and business
men many questions Of Importance which
have hitherto received comparatively little.
potioc These include not only such aal
relate to tho merits of different imtfovcd
gins and various devices to facilitato tho.
picking aud bettering the average conditioh
of tho crop, but the larger problems con.
nectcd with the possibilities of the future
in the more extensive utilization of the
seed and the stalk for the production OF
oil, feed, paper, substitute for jute, eto.
We have had largo aud healthy growth
in tho manufacture of cotton goods for
few years past, which has covered a sub
stantial development in this branch of in
dustry in tho South itself, where the faoto.
ries already in operation are making good
dividends and many new ones are projected
But we do not es yet make up into finished
goods more than about one.third of tho
cotton we grow. In this department Of
industry Great Britain has loug been q
great way In advance Of oil the rest of the
world, taking about one-half Of our raw.
cotton, and nearly all of that furnished by
other cotton growing countries. For tho
past few years times have been "rather
hard' with her id this speciality, as in,
many other manufactures, but tho falling
of in actual amount Of production seems
to have beon duo rather to depressed state
Of trado generally than the com petition of
manufacturers elsewhere. For tho four
years between 1870 and 1875, her produc.:
ton exceeded $500. .OO0; 900 annually, the
raw cotton costing from ono-third to two.
fifths of this amount, and tho remainder
going to pay for English labor and capital.
About one-ffth Of this great total was ex-
ported, while our own exports of cotton
goods for those years averaged about 49,
100000 yoarly; they have since reached
Sll 100000; but our imports of cotton
goods 10 1880, Notwithstanding pretty
stiff tariff, wero but little below $3O,000,.
600.
We como next to England ia the manu.
facture of cotton goods, running more
sp!ndles than France and Germany to-
gether, but how far behind her we still arc
these figures too plainly Indicate. Un-
doubtedly lower wages and cheaper capital
give the British manufacturer his principal
advantages, to which ore to be added botter
means Of communication with different
markets, long established connections, oto
but with all these in his favor he has been
especially alert, within few yerrs past in
seeking out and originating improvements
10 tho machinery required in the business
Marked advances in this direction have
been mado in tho cotton industry quite
recently, and there is hardly any dotail Of
| the business for which somo new devico or
machine has not been brought forward.
Tho value us to advancement 10 tho product
or economical performance, of many Of
these supposed improvements are yet mat.
tcrs Of debate in tho trade here, but tho
exhibition at Atlanta, in which British
manufacturers Of cotton machinery are to
be, prominently represented, ought to bo of
great advantage to our manufacturers gen
orally; on account Of the comparisons they
can then make of their practical working.
i, nrf r.