The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-03-25
SOME COTTON FACTS.

A bulletin recently issued by the Gen.
sus Bureau gives statistics Of the amount
of cotton ginned in the United States
during the census year (crop of 1899. 1t
contains some facts that are of more
than passing interest to the public as
well as to those interested in cotton. One
of these is the rapid growth of the
South's capacity of absorption of raw cot
ton. In 1889 the total commercial crop
was $3.50 bales of an average weight
of 4S0 pounds. In that year the consump-
ton by Southern mills was 100000 bales,
or II per cent. of the American consump-
ton, and nearly Z per cent of the Amer
lean production. Ten years later, or in
1892 the Southern consumption had
grown to be 1.415OOO bales, or 80 per cent.
of the total American consumption and
one-eighth of the American crop. Since
that time many mills have been put into
operation. 1t is safe to say that within
five years time another enumeration
would show that Southern mills were
taking so per cent of the American con-
sumption.
The ginning statistics show Georgia to
be the second cotton state, leading Missis-
sippi by some 80 900 bales, and having a
total output for 1899 of 1896, SH bales of
500 pounds average. This was 1872 per
cent. of the crop of the year. Texas.
of course, is the great cotton producer,
furnishing more than 81 per cent. of the
crop. There are fourteen states and
two territories that produce cotton. Four
of these, Texas, Georgia, Mississippi and
Alabama, grow more than all of the 9TH
ers combined.
The round-bale had not much hold upon
the ginners when the census enumeration
was made, there having been during the
census year only sos, AGA round bales turn
ed out by the packers. These round bales
averaged 259 pounds or a little over one
half the average weight of the square
bales. Only about 25OOOO of the latter,
therefore, were displaced by the new
process. OF round bales Georgia turned
out a few less than 10000 The greatest
output of round bales was in Texas,
where the production was 226 461 bales.
| The average cost per bale of ginning and
| packing was less in Georgia than any
other state, being sl.26. against an aver
age of s2.0S for the whole cotton belt.
The cost in Texas was $2.19. in Missis-
sippi $17s and in Alabama $1.47. The
average in South Carolina was three
cents per bale more than in Georgia.
There are more ginneries in Georgia than
any other state, not excepting Texas. the
number in the former being 4.729 and in
the latter 4514.
Burke is the banner cotton county of
Georgia. In 1899 1t produced and market
ed 46152 commercial bales, equal to "A, 269
standard bales Of the average weight OF
500 pounds. And Burke. too, it seems,
has solved the problem of cheap ginning
and packing. the average cost in that
county being 70 cents per bale Following
Burke came Washington with 1854 bales.
Carroll with 2s.5N, Terrell with 25,7ls,
and Sumter with 25,164. These are the
big cotton counties. There are a dozen or
so that produced 10000 bales or more.
and forty-nine that produced more than
1000 bales. Lumpkin is the smallest
cotton producer IN Georgia. growing about
rs bales a year; but then up in Lumpkin
the altitude is high and the people are
busy with gold and minerals and wheat
and other wealth producers. Lowndes
and Tattnall counties lead the state IN
sea island cotton the former having pro-
duced In 1899 ISL bales and the latter
sS57 The average cost OF ginning and
baling sea island cotton In Georgia was
$3.50 for an average bale OF s94 pounds
The production OF sea island cotton IN
this state Increased from $40 bales IN
1873 20 57.si2 bales IN 1899.