The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-06-23

THE SOUTH.
A Talk with Edward Atkinson.


Edward Atkinson, of Boston, was IN
this CITY few DAYS ago. Being well
known throughout the South from the
study he has given to cotton and Its
manufacture. a Tribune reporter asked
him: Have YOU any idea OF the
amount OF capital invested IN ginning
A. nearly a. / can ascertain there L
half a. III ich capital invested in cotton
ginning and pressing in the Cotton
States as there is In all the factories for
spinning and weaving in all the United
States pat tOEe her. Measures are be-
ing taken By the uperintendent OF the
Census 10 determine this question, Of
which as vel there are no positive data
known 10 me. Ia this way the Whole
sum can be computed. The ginning
aud ba.ing are decidedly The most i'm
pgrtant branches in cotton manuiactur
ing and yet 10 is safe to say that in the
south, IN respect TO power, half the
power applied rs wasted in respect 10
labor double the hands are employed
that need be and IN respect TO results,
nine bales iu every ten are deprecated
ten per cent. after beng picked in the
field before delivery at the factory by
the vs. stetul, -hiftless, dirty, barbarous
manner in which he staple Is treated.
Until the people are trained 70 suitable
methods in this department Of cotton
manufacturing, can IL be eXpec ed that
there Hl.l be- any lare measure Of sue
cess iu the spinning and the weaving,
which require order, method, discipline,
cleanliness and the closest possible at
tentIJu tJ the miuutest details 20 save
the manufacturer from bankruptcy.
TIE Conversation turning upon the
exhibition 10 be held next fail in At
lanta, Mr. Atkinson said THE Cotton
Exhibition viii undoubtedly do much
good, because it i probable that many
inventions, new % the South, for the
improvement Of the fibre Of the cotton
viii be brought together and receive
the attention they deserve"
Have you seen any new inventions
recently|
Il saw to-day a hulling- machine for
separa ing tlehulls from the seed, made
in this city, To- be operated either by
hand, mule or steam power. BY the
use Of his machine every cotton farmer
could feed the huiis to his own stock,
a they are more nutritious The oil
can be- taken from the seed and he can
use the meal Oh his farm. To do this
instead Of shipping, as the country does
now, 1900 tons Of cake to Great
Britain, would be a good thing. In
this machine the leaf and stalk of the
cotton plant can be cut up and prepared
for stock; these are now wasted entire
~. Sucn a machine can be had in New
York, and yet it is hardly known out
side Of few oil factories which careful
" protect the trade secrets 1t costs
more to feed q mule in the South than
il Is to feed field hand nearly
three times as much and yet the plan
tiers do not know Of this machine, that
would convert their waste into the best
of food.
s.Wnat Will increase the cotton CROP"
'-Tne feeding Of 1000, 900 to 40
600, 600 Of sheep on what was almost
entirely wasted Il few years ago"
In referring to the feeding Of cattle
and sheep in the South, Mr.. Atkinson
said: / saw to-day on farm near the
CT Y, a new force in operation that may
reiuvenate he South and restore pros
perity to the deserted farms Of New
England"
90 you refer to ensiage ?"
Eyes. Mr. Mills, who Is the discov-
erer of this new force, which | believe
will taxi the place Of other feed for cat
tie in just the same way that kerosene
was substituted for whale oil, has de-
veloped in a more perfect way han
any other man. But any one who at
Temps to define what the term qnsilage
means viii run the risk of being con
sidered almost lit subject for lunatic
asylum But having seen 100 cattle
and twelve horses that had been fed for
nearly eight mouths on the product of
thirteen aud une-half acres Of land,
with only four quarts per day Of very
ordinary m.dilngs, | think it be-
comes rather difficult to limit ones
conception as TO what this new force
may DO in restoring eXhaus ed soils or
developing power uI production in places
that have nos yet been touched. The
need If the South Is suCculent food in
the long. hot, dry summer that makes
the great cotton crop; the need of the
East Is -uecuieut food during the long
winter when pas IRE is not to be had.
Both are supplied in ensilage. Mr..
Mills, who has perfected this modern
miracle. differs in his theory from the
French scientis :, who have not been
successful Al the Atlanta Exhibition
100 tons Of the corn fodder, COW peas
aud other green food will be fed to cat
tie, sheep, hogs and mules during the
three months of the exhibition, to show
the farmers Of the South Of what great
benefit Jhis discovery is."-N. y. Tri-
bune.
PloateTs Atfpntfou