New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-03-09
NATIONS GREATESTASSET
Value of Southern Cotton Crop
and Worldwide Influence.

In The Manufacturers Record OF
March was a summary Of an article on
cotton which is very interesting. Many
facts of international interest are SET
forth relating TO cotton and its Importance
TO the world, a few of which are mere
quoted
Produced upon 100000 acres -or-l rs
rer cent Of the 294.343.00O acres de-
voted 70 twelve leading crops OF the coun-
try in 1913 the cotton crop. including its
seed. in that year had a value or $1,000
900. 900. equal TO 2O.4 per cent of the ag-
rresate value ga. 200, $4,000 Of those
crops. Upon something more than one
eighth of the land devoted 10 those crops
in the whole country. the South produced
one crop. cotton. having value more
than one-ffth Of the aggregate value. of
the twelve crops.
.'In-Ithc' last census var G909) the
value Of all factory products in the United
states was s2o,672, $4,000. In that year
the value of the outputs of blast furnaces
and iron and steel works and rolling mills
was s1.377.15 900. and the value of cot
Ton goods, including hosiery and knit
Goods, and of primary products Of cotton
seed. was s9l5.07o,000. In the first named
industries 27s.505 wage earners were en-
ployed. and in the second group f74.1ol.
Tho value of merchandise exported
from the United states in the fiscal year
ended June so. 1912, was s2,2oi.SE:. sos.
of the total, raw cotton represented
s565.Sia"1r, manufactures of cotton 500
169.51l and cottonsecd and its products
s421421S1. an aggregate of s61S.'6V,'o"'
representing products of the cotton plant
and go per cent of the total value OF All
merchandise exports from the country. In
the thilty-threo years between 1850 ana
le1a there was exported from the United
states merchandise to tho value Of $50
I51.<9S.1a5. and Of that total s9.GSj.:S: /.
iS>. or 80 per cent, was the value o.
southern cotton exported.
in the thirty-thrce wears the cotton
crops Of the South. including seed, had
AN aggregate value of sl6.ij2.O0e.0Oo. the
output Of all the gold mines Of the world
was worth S7,GSi.105.Go0 and the output
ot all the silver mines was worth sS.+0''-
'.OG.Gi2 The thirty-three cotton crops had
"a value Of SS.S94.400 greater than the
thirty-thrce ycals gold production in the
world and S5.S5T.9S4.,5S greater than Tho
,on!bined sold and silyor production. IN
the same period the value OF exports ..
raw cotton from the South reached the
sym Of sa6S5S5IJ74. OF S2.05l.'5S.5'
creater than the value Of the worlds gold
production in the same time
In 10 year since 1850 has the combined
output Of all the gold rincs and silNe.
mines i'm the world cquailcd IN value the
value Of the SOuth's cotton crop. with It's
seed. and in only five OF the thi'ty-thiee
years VAS the output OF 3i the colo mines
IN the world sufficient 70 pay for The col
ton exported from the United states.
.'rhe value Of merchandise exports from
The United States IL rhc thuty-thrce
Years WAS greater by 81 -! 40 30 man the
value Of imports TO this county. and that
sum was So. AL SO less than tho value o.
The South's raw cotton exported.
Southern cotton fields, now represented
in 20 per cent Of annual ,Hpor, merchant
disc values. are thus s,ri!Iine!y shown 10
he an essentially important factor. not
only in the agriculture Of the United
States in the manufactures INDUSTRIES
and commerce Of the world. but in tho
basis OF exchange.
Southern cotton mills alone arc now
consuming annually more cot'oa than INC
South produced in ls6s, more tLan all the
mills OF the whole country consumed ds
late Is $40 and more than hah the
amount now consumed 1nnual!t b.! all thf
mills Of the country. IN all the South.
now embracing sixteen states. there were
ss1 0C6 active spindles m 1857, which used
lll.177.l77 pounds of cotton, the spinules
boinc ga 6er cent Of the tora! number or
active ones in the United States and using
IFS per cent of the cot-)n used by al! inc
mills in the country. Last year the u,SIs-
go active spindles IN The South used
1Sl9107sl pounds Of cotton, theiI num-
ber being SIS per cent c. those IN al! the
mills OF the country. and the cotton used
being more than 20 per cent oil the total
quantity consumed. COntemporaneous.y
the active loom equipment "f Southern
mills increased from i.'JL o. So per cent
of tho total OF the COUNTRY 10 252.@'e, o.
b.. pei cent Of the total. These equip
ment statistics suggest noJ only the null
.iplicity. but also the muitlfo?mi,N. Of the
south's textile actilit to-day, producH,s
4 hundred different lines OF goods spun.
woven and knit