Daily Republican., 1884-08-16

Hnferesting Faets About . Greas In

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The traveller in the far East sees grow
Ing about the temples OF Iudia . purple
blossorned shrub, over which the Hin
doc priests watch reverently. Il was
the sacred cotton tree from whose ripe
bolls 10 made the tripartite thread, the
Brahman symbol ofthe Trinity. Al
though In no other CLINE and By NO
other race 10 this plant held In suck pe-
culfar and rsvsrent regard, all the cfvi-
lised world pay homage and tribute 70
the king whose throne il in the sunny
cotton fields. And 90 they must from
necessity. I 57.-....7- : (
This king clothes fully one-half Of
the human race In his own fabrics, and
= large share Of the remainder are
indebted 70 him for an essential part
OF their rainsnt. In his employ . thou
SAND " heavy-laden argosies" pass to
aud fro acress the seas 1t his bidding
cities rise vocal with the sound Of
whirling spindles and throbbing looms;
Merrimacs and Willimantics do his
will and all around the world from
the Himalaya slopes to the Oarolinas.
millions Of human beings toll their
lives away in his servitnde. The time
In not known In history when cotton
did not form a part Of the clothing of
mankind. 1t 10 said that the "blue
hanging fastened with cords of fine
linen and purple to silver rings and
and pillars Of marble" in the palace Of
Ahasuerus, at Shushan, described In
the book Of Esther, were made of this
material.
Herodotus put 1t on record, 450, B. q.
" The wild trees Of that country (mean.
ing India) bear heeces as their fruit
passing those of sheep in excellence,
and the Indians use cloth made from
these trees" The Institutes OF Menu,
written some 400 years earlier, contain
many allustons to cotton and cotton
cloth under various names. The culti-
walton Of the cotton plant In India II
traced back more than 1000 years
before the Christian era. The calicoes
and Inuslins of that country have been
famous for centuries. All the inven-
ti0ns and mechanical skill OF the pre-
sent day have not been able to produce
such fine fabrics as are woven ON the
rude and clumsy machines used in Ori.
entail countries.
A French traveller, writing Of the
calicoes Of Surat, says they are 30
fine that you could hardly feel them in
your hand, and the thread when spun
Is hardly discernible." Muslin has
been made in Bengal 80 extremely thin
that when spread upon the grass and
mo!stened with dew it is almost invisi-
BILE. A single pound Of this thread has
been spun out to the length of hum
dred and fifteen miles. Cloth made of
these delicate threads has been poeti.
cally described as "webs OF the woven
wind"
In China and Egypt the produc ton
OF cotton began at remote period,
although 1t was not until recent tunes
that 1t assumed commercial import.
ance. IL was considered worthy OF
record by Chinese annalists that the
| Emperor Quit, who assembled the throne
in 502 A. D., wore robe of cotton on
that occasion.
The early explorers of America found
the Cotton king already established
here. Cortez received cotton garments
as presents from the natives Of Yuca
tan and Spanish historians describe 4
as forming the chief article OF clothini
among the subjects Of Montezuma
found In exploring the most ancien
Peruvian tombs, and there is eyidapss
that 1t was cultivated in that country
as early as 1882.
The process Of weaving cloth seeml
to have been one OF the first arts prac
ticed among mankind. 1t has been
found to exist among the rudest and
most eavage people, long anterior to the
dawn Of civilization. And although
performed with the simplest and rudesi
implements, the same that are used &c
this day in many Eastern countries, the
product of these primitive machines
often surpassed, in many respects, the
Textures now woven In the mills OF
Manchester aud Lowell. With the aid
of few sticks and the dexterous use
OF hands and fees, the native of India
constructs fabric OF marvellous fine.
ness aud beauty. Down to the time oil
the introduction OF improved machinery
weaving was chiefly done in the homes
OF the people, ard the weaver's art de-
scended as a heritage from generation
to generation. 1t WAS every where held
in high repute as a most useful and
honorable employment. The distaff
itself became the sign Of thrift and in
dustry.
The first manufactures of cotton
goods in Europe were established in
Italy, chiefly at Venice and Milan.
| whose fustians and dimities were high
ly valued in the household of early
times. The Netherlands were the next
country TO adopt the art, which from
thence was translated into England by
the Protestant refugees from Flanders
after the capture OF Antwerp by the
Duke Of Parma in 1885.
Tho Northwestern Harvest.
A dispatch from Bismarck, Dakota
Territory, says the harvest is nearly
completed on the Missouri slope, and
threshers are now at work. The yield
is better than expected, wheat being 20
to % bushes, and oats 45 to 80 bushels
to the acre.
According to the supplementary re-
port of the Bureau of Industries for
August, just issued, good harvest of
the grain crops of Ontario is assured.
Fall wheat gives an average yield Of
|21X bushels, aud spring wheat 18L
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