The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1909-05-06
EGYPTIAN COTTON
SENATOR FLETCHER URGES
THAT 1T BE TAXED.
Egyptian Cotton, Grown in the Nile
Valley, Completes Seriously With
Southern Long staple Cotton.

| he. w dSuluSlOu COIl IlCSpoiuCAI VI
The News and Courier says in a
speech on the floor Of the Senate a
uay of two ago, Senator Fletcher, OF
| Florida, declared that South Caro-
| lina long staple cotton was the best
raised and commanded a better price
on the market than that grown any
where else in this country. In
adding to- this he threw considerable
light on long staple growing aloag
the sea islands of the South Atlantic
coast generally.
Speaking of this industry the Flor
ida Senator said:
The production of cotton on an
| important scale began about 1883,
when we produced 5000 bales and
the price was % cents per pound.
In 1889 we produced $4,000 bales
and the price was "A cents. In 1900
the production was $4,000 bales and
the price was 2S cents. In 1920
the production was over 100000 and
the price II cents From iS4O to
1850 it reached the low price of D
cents per pound, and again about
ten years ago. The introduction OF
the factory, the utilization of the
seed and by products, the use of cot
ton in place Of wool and silk and
hemp in increasing quantities have
made the crop today worth more
than double what it was ten years
| ago. and the increase in the value OF
the crop in one year, caused by the
presence of factories at the fields,
doubtless would more than pay for
all the spindles in the South. Even
now the grower, labor and supplies
having gone up, is making no tre-
mendous profit.
The value of the exports from this
crop amounts annually to S4S2,OOO,-
600. It is said that if Europe had
stacked up all the gold and all the
silver mined from the earth for the
past six years and shipped it to the
South she would still owe us $780,
100000 for our raw cotton alone.
The protection given to cotton
yarns and cotton cloth may to some
extent help the price of cotton. l
question if the former is benefited
thereby materially. There is but lit
tie of the short-staple cotton import
ed. There is produced in this coun-
trv, however, the sea island or long
staple cotton, which competes with
that grown in the West lndes and
in the Valley of the Nile.
On the free list in the pending bill
are cotton and cotton waste or
flocks." The annual crop of long
staple cotton fuctuates, but the aver
age production may be fairly esti-
mated as follows:
Florida, $1,000 bales; Georgia,
$4,000 bales, and South Carolina,
$4,000 bales-of about 400 pounds
each.
The Growing Area.
The producing area being about
Charleston and extends down the
coast to the Georgia line, and then
it leaves tie coast and extends south
through Georgia into Middle Flori-
da. About one-third of the South
Carolina crops gives staple to
2 1-2 inches long, and it is sold gen.
orally for export at from 40 to so
cents per pound, it is the finest staple
produced. The East Florida" sta
pie is / 3-4 to . inches long; the
FLORIDA / SIS to l ga inches. The
Georgia" staple is 1 5-S inches long
| but not so fine as the "FlOrida. y
Fineness is a factor with the spinner
and only the superlative fine fibre
brings the fancy price. Outside the
islands of South Carolina the price
is about 20 cents per pound.
Egyptian Cotton.
The West Indes is the original
home of the plant and produces about
1000 bales annually. 1t was in 1855
that the plant was transplanted on
the American Continent from the
! West Indies. There is produced in
the Valley Of the Nile cotton which
is capable Of competing with our sea
/ island cotton. This rich region pro-
duces about 100000 bales of 400
pounds each annually. 1t is long
staple. fine fibre cotton, and about
10000 bales of it are imported by
American mills every year at a price
ranging about Is cents per pound.
1t spins we'll and wastes about per
cent less in going through the va
rious processes of preparation for the
| spindle than does the sea island cot
ton. The Egyptian cotton wastes
/ about % per cent, while the sea
island wastes about %3 per cent. The
Egyptian staple is about 5-S inches
long: but is preferred to the Ameri-
can for some purpose because of less
waste and greater strength and its
color.
Il seems that while the Egyptian
cotton is a near relation of the sea
island. it cannot be grown in our
country. = Gu;y oi " cents 4 pou;i,.
on the lint cotton would yield rye
ruc of $4,000. 900 bales be-
ing 6O,0OO.OOO pounds.
This cotton is used in the manu-