The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1889-12-21
THE WONDERS OF COTTON.
Mobile Register.1

"Will wonders never cease 2" It
would seem not, so Ear as relates to the
cotton plant, at least. Its first appear
ance before the civilized world was a
wonder, mentioned by the old historian
as q plant fcand i'll india that 'syield-
cd wool like asheep!' And now, SAYS
the Youths Companion, no vegetable
growth has shown so many extraordi
nary wonders within so short a space
OF time as has the growth we call cot
ton. It.marks an age of most extra
ordinary progress. The history of the
seed itself, as developed within the
past few years, sounds almost as
fairy tale. For several years the seed
was despised as a nuisance and burned
and dumped as garbage. Then, only
a few years back, it was discovered to
be the very food for which the soil
was hungering, and reluctantly ad-
mitted to the rank of utilities, and
began to be treated with respect.
Cotton seed was next found to be
nutritious food for beasts; and then
this formerly despised product was
discovered to hold thirty-Gve gallons
of pure oil to the ton, worth in its
crude state, s14 ton, which amount
ed to $40, 100000 for the whole crop
of seed. The refined oil is now worth
81 a gallon.
Then, what was the oil good for?
Almost everything in which pure oil
was needed, including a cheap and
food for man. 1t was found
to be much more than q substitute for
olive oil, that material that has almost
Ted large portions of the world since
far back in the misty ages Of long,
Ong ago.
But a new wonder was yet to come.
Experience showed that the ton of .
cotton seed was a better fertilizer and t
better stock-food after it has been s
obbed of its thirty-fve gallons of oil I
han it was before; that the hulls of {
he seed made the best fuel for feed g
ng the oil-mill engine; that the ashes |
# the hulls had the greatest CONNER s
ial value as potash, and that the gre t
use" of the whole made the best and c
'urest soap-stock, to carry to the toilet t
he perfumes OF the best manufactu- Il
ers. @
And newer development has again ?
cen made, which is robbing the steam n
ngine of its fuel-those cotton seed g
ulls have popped to the surface as one b
t the best stock foods known under S
roper preparation. a
The history of cotton seed has, per- S
APPS, scarcely been paralleled by that n
petroleum which, in its crude state,
l-looking and bad-smelling, has PROV
d mine of wealth in the wonderful Q,
distances that have been produced it
rom it.
And now comes in the stalk of the
lant to figure as Il new wonder-it is
} figure, in point of value, well up to
Mt, as 3 material out of which to o.
AXE all our finest papers. And the u
blowing by the well-known writer, o.
If. d. d. L. Moore, founder of |,
Ioore's Rural New Yorker, tells us o.
i'll another developing wonder: SI Gs
According to French invention :, l
Gently patented, artificial leather is =
ade of a cotton fabric, the warp u u
reads of which are very slightly l
visited, the welt threads being finer o.
ian usual. This fabric is serrated on II
9TH sides and immersed in a prepara- % !,
on consisting of a decoction of lin el el
ed, glue. linseed oil and coloring &C
after When the fabric is impreg- p'
lted with this preparation, it is 0, Q,
retched upon polished zinc plate, d
id upon steam heated hot plate, w
e drying being continued until the u
Iueous portion is entirely evaporated. y
is claimed that this artificial leath- NJ !.
is an excellent imitation Of the real ,i'
ing, and is even more endurable OF
hen manufactured into boots and oi
oes. OF
bi