The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1916-11-14
First Improved Gin by Gen. Wade
Hampton, Father OF South Caro-
lima Governor and Senator
Sea Island Development.

Sea Island Development.
The earliest mention of the cotton
plant was 400 B. c., when Herodo-
tus writes of the wild trees of India
which bear fleece as their fruit.
surprising those of sheep for beauty
and excellence, and the Indians use
cloth made from these trees"
Nearchus, an admiral of the fleet
of Alexander the Great, describes a
machine used by the Hindoos for
separating the seed from the lint.
thus showing the even in those carry
days the progress which had been
for weaving into cloth.
The Romans used cloth made OF
cotton very extensively, and it's use
was well known in China in remote
periods.
1t was found in use among the In
dians in Central America and Mexico
when the Spaniards came. Spin
ming and weaving were practiced by
the women of the West Indies when
Columbus landed in those islands.
Their suspended beds were made OF
the cloth, and called "humacs.
where we have the modern name of
hammock
It's early discoveries Of the Mes
chacehe, or Mississippi, saw cotton
growing in 1926. 1t was the staple
product of Hipaniola, and in 1853
Jamaica exported two thousand
bags.
1t was stated in Carroll's Histori-
cal Collections that experiments were
made on the Ashley river as early as
1870 in the growing of cotton. and
IL was found to thrive well. but for
some reason it was given up, prob
ably because Of the difficulty in sep
arating the seed.
The earliest attempt to plant cot
ton in South Carolina as a crop was
made in 174S, when seven bags were
exported to England, bringing three
pounds, seven shillings and sixpence
per bag; again in 1851 cotton was en-
ported in small quantities; this did
not pay, however. and it was not un-
til 17SS-9O that it was planted as a
market crop to any great extent
1870 there were shipped TO Eu-
rope three bags of cotton from New
York. four from Virginia. two from
Maryland, and three from North
Carolina.
In 1885 these exports amounted 10
fourteen bags; 1886, six; 1887. one
hundred and nine; 1888. three hun.
dred and eighty-nine; 1889, eight
hundred and forty-two, and 1890,
eighty-one.
The first bags OF cotton sold in
South Carolina in 1884 were pur-
chased by John Teasdale from
Bryan Cope
In 1887, small quantities were sold
in Charleston, brought from Orange
burg; principally purchased by la.
dies for lining bed quilts.
In 1894 an American vessel ar.
rived at Liverpool from South Caro-,
lima. AS part of her crago were eight
bales Of cotton. which were seized on
the ground that so much cotton could
not he raised in the United States
! The invention of the cotton gin by
Eli Whitney gave great impetus TO
the growing of cotton in 1894. At
first this invention was carefully
guarded and exhibited to ladies only.
a man disguised as a woman saw the
working model. made certain i'm
provements, and so introduced it to
the public.
The State of South Carolina paid
Whitney the sum OF fifty thousand
dollars for the privilege OF the free
use OF his gin in the State.
The first improved gin was used
by Gen. Wade Hampton, the father
OF our late Governor and senator.
In 1898 Gen. William Moultrie
planted one hundred and fifty acres
of cotton on Northampton planta-
ton, but the crop failed because of
a lack of knowledge as to the cult
vation.
Capt. Peter Sinker. OF st. Johns
Berkeley. planted his cotton in hills,
four feet square, leaving two stalks
to each hill after thinning. In 1899
he planted three hundred acres on
which yielded an average production