The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-09-16
COTTON CROP OF CHINA
vARfoUsLY ESTIMATED AT FROM
 i;eOO,oOO TO 13,oO0,O0O BALES.
The American Cotton Manufacturers Discusses the output of the Celes- tial Kingdom--Little Patches
 of the Staple.

Charlotte, N. C.. Sept 15,-This weeks issue of the Amercian Cotton Manufacturer will say:
 A not inconsiderable body of people are prone to under estimate the poten- tialities of the teeming millions of the Orient. they sheer and scoff at the idea that the Chinese will ever become otther than they are, indeed we heard the other day, lawyer who Is also a man of affairs. give utterGnce to some such opinion
 His knowledge of the subject could orly~have been acquired by most cursory reading of un:mportant pro- vincial papers. The real reason un- derlying the titantic struggle now on between Russia and Japan, is the de- termination on the part O. the rulers of the former country to secure for themselves the tra+e of as much of the empire as they can. and shks to the exclusion of all others. Until a few years ago the Celestial Empire was shut out absolutely from contact with modern progress by an inherent and general aversicn among the mass of the people to intercourse Of any kind with outsiders.
 This repusnance went 90 far as to breed a savage desire to destroy every discovered intruder, knowing little and caring less for anything the out side babarian" might think or do. Probably the war will decide before very long whether they will be leav- ened by an admixture of modern free man or be abso fbed and bottled up as far as trade Is concerned by the au- tocratic and sem -barbarous Muscovite.
 No group of individuals Is mmunta- ble, and the Chinaman will in short hapnrnN member in the community of nations. or he will be subjugated. The change will be rapid. as time Is measured in the birth growth and decay of na- tions.~ From a sleep as pacific as the ocean dividing the oldest empire of the east from the youngest republic of the west, they will one day awake. possi- bly with a viSor corresponding to that shown by their energetic neighbors. the Japanese.
 Examine the future of such nation revified! Their adoption to changed conditions. their economy, versatility and stoicism are today inherent viz tues,s these charterictics are demon- strated by the yellow denizens of our country. Again study their pat. Their historical records go back 70 forgotten times and supply many miss ing links in the ancient history of western nations. To them wc owe the compass, silks, pottery and gunpow der They had, even before we mod erns~dreamed of such things, lithogra- phy and block printing. canals an'. vaccination
 This terra incognita is of immense importance to the future of the uni versal cotton growing and manufuc- turing industry.
 The native grown cotton of China has been varioGlsly estimated az being equivalent to from 100000 to 12,000.- 900 bales per annum. An examination of interior conditions so far as they are known to exist will throw an in. teresting light on their domestic cot ton culture and manufacture.
 From cotton is made the clothing oi the people this is more so with them than@ with Western nations who use large quantities of woolens for outer garments. The masses use cotton all most exclusively. The poorer folk wear. garments padded after the fash ion Of a bed comforter during the win, ter, while such of the people as can afford to do so. wear several suits of cotton apparel one over the other.
 Considering the unimportance of the Chinese cotton mills it can be said that Approximately the whole of the raw material from which the garments of these 400.000.000 people are made mustS be of native growth. In that mysterious hnterland there are scat tered little cotton patches. Not mea0- uredgas patches are with us. in twen- ty to. thirty acres. but In units of eighth or quarter acres. or even less Millions of the people growing enough for their own requirements and ped ding. the small remainder among the neighbors in the inevitable wheelbar- row. selling a handful here and an. other or two there.
 Forty years ago two-thirds of the value of the exports from Tientsin con. sisted of raw cotton. It has long age disappeared from the export list.
 Consider the possibilities of a com. mercialIy free China,
 In 1900 the United States had rough. Iy 76,000, 900 inhabitants and our mills used 3,435.0O0 standaru bales of cottor of 500 pounds each. If then We con slider our exports of cotton goods a: not far from being offset by our i'm. ports of similar articles. We used 22. pounds of cotton per capita, and tC