Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-23

quIch SuCceSSiOn throughout the Soutn,
and now the total cotton manufactures
of America amount to $5OO.OOO.0OO In
value and pay an annual sum approx
mating $10o.cOO.eOo for wages. There are
about 11.DOO manufacturing establish
ments, employing about 100000 opera
tors
The bulk of the cotton manufacture in
the United States. especially in the south
ern states. consists of the heavier fabrics
such as denim and unbleached muslin.
In the New England factories ginghams
and prints of various kinds are produced
or quite as high quality as can be made
in any other part OF the world, and mill
lions of dollars worth of these goods
are exported each year. There is vet
however, demand for imported manu-
features in the way of. embroideries.
swisses and other fine cotton fabrics
which causes each dealer to import
articles which are in no respect superior
to those manufactured in this country
The making Of the finer fabrics is being
rapidly taken up in the south.
The processes of finishing cotton have
become so skillful during the past few
years that 1t forms substitute for many
other materials. Little, if any. strictly
all-wool cloth is now on sale. Cotton is
so dextereusly introduced as to be I'M
recognizable exceDt to the expert If
property, combined. cotton serves to
strengthen WOODEN fabrics, rendering
Mercerized cotton is used as a sub,ti-
tute for silk in many ways. Mercerzed
cotton thread is
mercerlZed Cotton used for en-
Substitute for Silk. va oiaes ana ID
ornamental needleworl, as well as being
introduced to take the place of silk in
many kinds of fabric There are a,so
.mercerized cotton cloth, woven in yari-
Gus designs. which greatly resemble silk
In appearance and texture The mercer
lz!ng process was invented by John Mer-
Ger In 1851, but did not come into gen.
erai use until 1895 and 1896 If properly
uo"e the mercerizing. process strength
ems the nber OF the cotton, rendering it
more durable. although much of the mer-
cer1zed fabric sold is almost valueless
because it has been improperly treated in
Its manufacture
Inc invention Of the cotton gin bv Eli
whitney revolutionized the cotton pro-
duct1on of America. There have heen
rev improvements made upon this ma.
chIne, which is now practically the same
as whitney left it. The process of nut-
ting the cotton into the gin by means Of
the suction pipe economies the labor
70 large degree, but the gin itself does
not perform its work much more eff
GENTLY than in its early history. and
manufacturers frequently are Impressed
with the need of Improvement.
NO material used@in clothing is quite 81
necessary to the comfort of humanity as
E s.e There is not a minute in the
IRE OF a man from his cradle to his
grave IN which he does not come in con-
tact with cotton. He rises in the morn
ing from between cotton sheets on his
Deu' he uses cotton towels in his morn
ing path, and almost invariably wears
t tp next to his skin in dressing. In
tnese days of substitution the probabji-
tues are that mercerized cotton is sub-
sttuted Tor linen in the tablecloth and
napkin with which his breakfast table is
urn. .uInisneo. throughout the entire day
there Is scarcely an hour. wben he 5nas,
not In some special way again come in
contact with cotton. III