The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-11-14
Earliest Mention Of Cotton
400 Years Before Christ

BEFORE the introduction OF machin.
cry the seed was separated from the
lint by hand; the average yield was
one pound OF lime to three pounds of
seed. Very little care was taken. as
quantity and not quality was the OBJ
tect.
The first gin was a clumsy affair,
and was worked by the foot. The
greater part Of the ginning was done
at night or in the early morning. A
hand doing four or five pounds each
time.
1897, two bags of cotton were
sent to England as samples. 1t was
reported back that it was not worth
producing because of the difficulty
in separating the seed. This, how.
ever was before the invention OF the
gin.
Cotton planting advanced rapidly
after 1894, and finany entirely sup
planted the culture of indigo, which
previous to that time was the stapIe
crop of this section of the country.
Col. William Thomson of Orange.
burg county, was the first extensive
planter of that section in 1894. John
Mayrant, in 1897, was the first to
plant cotton in Sumter. Gen. Wade
Hampton introduced it into Richland
county in 1901. He was the first to
use water power for propelling the
machinery of the gin. He gathered a
crop OF six hundred bags from 81.
hundred acres
Weaving the cotton cloth was dome
entirely by the hand loom until 1919.
The power loom cas not successful
until 1922.
The first sea island cotton was
planted on st. Simon's Island. Geor-
gia, in 1888, from seed brought from
the West Indies. Mr.. Kinsey Burden
obtained some seed and was the first
to introduce it into South Carolina
His first experiment failed. but he
persisted in his efforts in the face or
difficulties.
Mr.. William Elliott planted a
small crop on Hilton Head ana met
with success. Mr.. Burden continued
his efforts, and by a careful selec-
ton OF seeds, noting results obtain
ed finally improved the staple, and
developed the sea island cotton as
we now know it. For many years
he kept the secret Of his success. In
1925 he sold sixty bags for one dolla,
and sixteen cents per pound. and in
1928 for two dollars. Mr.. Burden
was the first planter to use Hessian
cloth for packing his cotton. So
carefully was this precious produc;
put up that for time the outer bags
were lined with cotton cloth to pro-
tect the cotton from dust and dirt.
AT first some OF the English spin
ners complained that the staple was
too long, and used to cut it shorter.
The cultivation of sea island cot
ton increased enormously, and the
sea coast planters grew rich. MANY
are the tales told of the wealth and
hospitality of these ante-bellum cot
ton growers.
SO well we'll known were their
brands that often the crop was sold
by that, rather than by sample.
OF course the civil war brought
ruin and desolation to this industry.
The seed deteriorated to such an ey-
tent that after the war the only pure
seed known was contained in an or
dinary envelope. which was given
by Capt. George C. Hayward to Mr..
Joseph T. Dill. Mr.. Dill planted this
seed, and it is said that all the pres
ent sea island cotton came from this
small remnant.
The value of cotton seed was al
most unknown, and thousands of
tons were annually thrown out into
the fields and allowed to rot as n
fertilizer for the next crop. For
many years both the short and long
staple cotton was packed only in
bags. The cotton bales came later.
and then the compress.
Following are some of the prices
obtained for short cotton in the
early days of its cultivation:
Ia IL
1881. >. =. ..26
i''% ..29
10" ..32
lI9f - ..33