Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-06

| before the cavaliers came to jamestown, or
| the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock.
Brasseur du Bonbourg claims to have found
bits of cotton cloth entombed in the ruins
| of Capan.
Dismissing all historical speculation In re-
gard to the time where cotton first became
known as a textile plant. and the geogra-
phical surmises as to where the plant was
first produced, and how it afterward became
distributed. we shall come to the practical
point IN relation to its growth, mode OF
gathering and methods adopted In its manu-
facture, with particular reference to It's pro-
duction, and subsequent handling and ma
nipulatiou In this country.
The exact date of the introduction of the
cotton plant into the United States, like
many of the chronology of history, cannot
be precisely fixed. The Georgia colonists,
introduced by General James Oglethorpe,
commenced TO plant the gossypium harba-
cium at very early period after their estab-
lishment in that country. The people In
Virginia along the Roanoke aud of North
and South Carolina planted cotton half a
century before the commencement of the
revolu' ion. AS we are not dealing in sta
tisiics we shall make no effort to ascertain
the amount or value Of the crop then pro-
duced Probably the facts could not be-
ascertsined II the effort were made; but we
know that the crop was very small, aud the
uses made of the textile very limited. Little
cloth was produced, and no great proportion
of the amount produced was manufactured
into yarns. In those early days cotton was
mostly employed to pad quilts, comforts,
etc.
There are men still alive who can remem-
Der hearing their grandfathers relate how the
cotton was planted, cultivated and gathered
in the times prior to the revolution. In
those days modern agricultural implements
were unknown. The pillow played a small
part In the farming operations then. The
husbandman went into the field with his
chilling hOe," and proceeded to raise little
mounds by digging first hole in the middle
of the selected spot, then filling it In again
and drawing the earth from the imme-
diately urrounding space until "the hill''
was completed. Proceeding in this way he
prepared a plat Of ground for his crop
Many persons have seen "potato Patches"
prepared Ia this way. Formerly pat OF land
was prepared IN this way for the cotton crop.
At the proper time the seeds were planted
in "the hills" and the young plants were
mostly cultivated with the hoe, until the
crop wss 'faid BY" that is, until sthe plante
had reached such a state of maturity that
further cultivation was deemed unnecessary
When the "boles" cracked at the seams
of the looes, the cotton grower of early DAYS
went through his patch and carefully open
ing the burrs, extracted from them the lint
and Seeds lock by lock- 1t was then spread
out and thoroughly dried IN the sunshine,
There were no gins in those days and the
seeds were extracted from the lint only by
the nngers. 1t was a custom In those days
for quantity OF cotton to be brought Gus
every autumn and winter evening before tie
1re-places of the great log houses of the
time, aud when the farmer and his family had
dispatched their frugal evening meal, all
hands-husband, wife and chiIdren-gather-
ed around the cotton heap and the process OF
finger ginning was commenced, and It was
industriously continued far into the night.
Sometimes the neighbors were invited, and
cotton seeding party resulted, In whiea
the rustic SWANS and maidens were always
ready to take psTt-pick cotton seeds and
cast love glanees at each other.
In very early times the distaff was the
only means known Of twisting the fbres
into threads. This was simply a sort of
wooden spindle with a small wheel or drum
at the larger end, which the operator twirled
with one hand, while the cotton which was
being spun was held in the other. It was a
slow process, and yet our ancestors had
cotton clothes.
Later the cotton card was invented, and
the ''old spinning wheel, }" whose merry hum
in the long sgo was music to the writer's
ears These were great improvements,
which enabled the thrifty housewife to pro
during single day. Six of these ''cuts"
produced four yards of cloth, when woven
In the old style hand looms.
Men who have attained the middle stage
Of life can remember the spinning Jenny.
1t was crude and cumbersome machine,
provided with rollers to take out the seed,
much after the pattern of the roller gins
which were employed exclusively before
WhitneY's great Invention OF the saw gin
was made. The old spinning jenny manu-
featured thread from the cotton just as 1t
came from the fields. 1t was ginned, cardsd
and drawn into threads by the same ma
chine. But 1t was great invention for it's
time In the South only the wealthy could
possess themselves of this mighty aid in the
production OF cloth, and a stout negro
woman was usually employed to turn the
machine. The production of yarn by good
jenny was from twelve to fourteen cuts per
day.
Perhaps the most important event In the
whole history of cotton as a textile material
was the invention of the saw gin by Whit
ney. 1t revolutionized the whole system of
Guilty ting, gathering and handling the
crop. II created a demand for the staple,
and led directly to other inventions, which
has made the production of cotton clothes
one Of the greatest industries of the world.
The power loom was an invention of much
Importance. The spinning jenny or "mule,"
as IL is now termed, would not have been
nearly so useful had not the mechanical
loom come to manufacture the yarns which
the other machine produced.
The knell OF time has scarcely rung the
requiem for dead century since the inven-
ton OF a saw gin. Then the largest cotton
planters put In cultivation few acres-a
mere "patch"-then there was no demand
for the staple anywhere. and few hundred
pounds met all the export demand, But
10 match m 4 Of
to day cotton is the chief article in the trans
actions OF the worlds great business. Mil
lions OF bales, containing billions Of pounds,
are required to meet the consumption Of COT
ton goods throughout the world.
Cotton begins to be cleaned-that is,
freed from the presence of the seed. To
describe the entire process of manufactur-
ing 1t into the various kinds of articles
which are made of it, would REQUIRE more
than the compass of an ordinary volume.
Therefore it is impossible to go into de-
tails.
Notwithstanding what has been said, there
are some facts In connection with q mod
ern mandatory that may prove interesting
to the readers Of this article.
The compressed bales of cotton are taken
to the ''opening room,' first cut open, then
the hardly compaeted lakes are tossed into
loose heaps, and afterWard they are passed |
through sort of large ''Wire ginn ma
chine and torn up until the cotton appears |
In loose fakes, though 1t Is not restored to |
the fine condition in which 1t left the |
saws OF the gin. When the cotton is In |
this condition 1t is placed In a machine |
called the oarder, technically termed, we |
believe, "carding frame;' the staple after |
going through this machine, appears in |
continuous rolls, about the size OF mans |
finger. These by automatic action are /
coiledi up in long metallic cans.with one |
end open, and the cotton is then ready to |
be drawn into threads. The old fashioned |
SPINNING mules' have In recent years been |
diSplaeed by what are called "spinning /
frames" These vary in size and run from |
fifty to two hundred spindles, in some ma
chimes even more. n large room these /
are arranged In long rows. Skating and /
pulleys are provided along the entire |
length of the s'spinning ROOM" which are |
acted upon by opinions" or belts, deriving |
motion directly from the engine, or the |
water wheel which drives the entire ma
chinery
Each spindle is independent IN motion Of
all other spindles in the latest spinning |
frames. By this It is meant that they are
so constructed that II a thread should |
break, that particular spindle will instantly |
stop, while the others OF the frame are at |
work.
1t would be impossible to describe a /
modern spinning frame without the aid of |
diagrams and Illustrations, and hence we !
rafrafr Froxo ba attannt ffar tho fb~oo5a |