Pocahontas star herald., 1914-01-02
Origin and History Of Cotton

The cotton crop Is extensive ia
|>houl twelve Of the southern states
IN exceeds IN total value any other
A.Ain the United States, except
corn, which Is produced in each Of
the forty eight states Of the union.
The rpinners OF Europe are much
more ooucerned about the size Of
The American cotton crop each fall
than about peace OF all the nations.
The cotton plant furnishes the
raw material for the greatest textile
industry of all times. The volume
Of the export trade 1t supports is
cnormons. Cotton has been known
and perhaps used As iiber since the
earliest civilization. The impor.
tant par it played IN the economic
adjustment Of the worlds products
and finances was not realized until
after the American Revolution.
Silk. fax, wool aud cotton have al
ways been the staples TO furnish
mankind with clothing. By reason
Of the cheapness Of production, the
ease OF manufacture, aud the gener-
al excellence Of the manufactured
goods FOR wearing apparel, cotton
Is rapidly taking place Of the other
three materials.
The original home OF the cotton
plant has not been diiinitely estLb
lished 10y historians, bat from the
best data at hand was probably the
east Indies. Hindoo history, 1000
years, speaks Of fiber, evidently
cotton, and leads to believe il was
Manufactured into fabrics at this
early period. Cotton has been
known in the countries OF southern
Europe Tor several centuries. The
carly fragmentary history Of various
countries mention some plant bear
ing wool like fiber, which was un
doubtedly cotton.
Some species Of cotton have been
fouod growing Wild in practically
all countries lying between s7th de-
grec Of latitude north aud south Of
the equator except the present cot
ton area Of the United States. Ma
gellan found the Brazlllaus using
cotton f,r beds aud fabrics in 1919.
The fret record ofits being grown
a. iiber in the United States was
10 1921, aud then only in small
quantities. Cotton seed was
brought from the Barbados to
South Carolina IN 1850. The first
foreign shipment Of cotton from
tins country was from Savannah,
Ca, in I747-only 3 bags. There
seems to have been o little grown
that no authentic re,oId Of the crop
was kept until 1871. at which date
the entire American crop was ssS9
bales weighing 2s5 pounds each.
The lint had to be separated from
the seed by hand, which was tedi
Gus and difficult task. The first cot
ton gin was invented by Ely Whit
ney in 1898. The 6rst saw gin was
erected in South Carolina IN l7s5,
and from this date the beginning of
an industry which, for rapidity and
volume Of growth, has no parallel
in the worlds history. The total
crop of the United States in 1850
was, in round numbers, 2,5OO,OOO
bales. In 1860 it reached $780,
600 bales. Then the civil war came
on and so paralyzed all the business
industries of the south that it took
almost two decades to get back 10
the production Of 1850.
Since 1880 the increase has been
continuous and rapid. The average
yearly production, for the twenty
sixth year ending 1904 was 1000
900 bales. The average for the
past ten years has been IL, $780, 900
bales. The crop of 1911 was over
l6, 900, 900 bales, the largest OF any
yet grown. The highest average
prices for thirty years have been
paid for the last FIVE crops, averag-
n A.