Year: 1861

Home MISUNDERSTANDING Cottonade.


Never have we seen with greater force than of late
the truth of the old anage which says: NO country
prosper that buys all it uses and sells all it raises
Heretofore the policy of planters has been make
large crops for market and to rely altogether upon the
proceeds to supply them with the articles necessary for
consumption their plantations. The consequence
has been that although good crops were made and good
prices realised still the profghave been comparatively
triHng. "LabCr Is too dear" Labor is too dear has
been the constant and only argument used against home
manufacture-but now that the prices of cotton and
sugar are so low scarcely to pay the expense of pro
ducdon it discovered that other line of policy
must be pursued In Mississippi the cotton planters
are recommending through their agricultural papers
and adopting the policy OF reducing the Of the
prodvct improving the quality and raising their own
plantation supplies Such must be the course in Louis
ana. Our planters must reduce the amount Of their
sugar and cotton crops improve the quality and raise
upon their own estates whatever can be produced for
the support of their families, their negroes CATTLE etc
The land and labor employed in raising the necessary
provisions and clothing for the immense number Of
abofers horses and cattle used by the planters of this
state would so Tar reduce the production OF sugar that
the crop would probably yield Just as much and the
money spent forforeign supplies would be saved.


We will prove that aabor' is not ''too dear In
this State to be employed in manufactures AttakapaB
has long been celebrated fer her coonade The women
Of Attakapasthe creoles-have long abored udustri
ously in the manufacture Of cloth from the cotton raised
on their own land The women, first ia every enter
prise calculated to ameorate the condition Of mankind
nave given us noble example Of the benefits Of home
industry. Lock at the creole women, who sit, from
hour hour their wheels or looms playing their
fingers in the manufacture of clothing fer their fathers
their husbands their hrohers-onc of them is worth


dozen Of your modern bellies who sit from dag day
sirummiug upon their pianos while their fathers TIER
husbands their brothers tOillng the field -
Would they have abored or employed their slaves SO
long this business if they did not find it profitable
One woman, with common spinning wheel, reel,
and loom, will make twenty-five els Of cOttonade i'll q
mouh-th at three dollars per ell (the price at which
it usually sells, would bring sevcnty-fve dollars. Ws
have Of judging the expense of producing the
materials but presume it very trihng. This cotton
ade although dearer than that of northern manufacture
STILL is better and is in demand in the New Orleans
market and throughout the State


But we have a to notice in the manufacture
of Attalapas cotonade Some eighteen months or two
years since, gentleman from Tennessee brought to
this section, number of machines intended to gin,
clean card, and spin cotton. We remember having
heard the fact mentioned then but all who spoke Of
it, ldiCued the idea and spoke Of this gentleman one
who imposing on the people, did notice it.
Now however we have the qualification Of stating that
there probably upwards OF hundred Of those ma
chimes in successful operation throughout Attakapasl
In this parish there upwards Of twenty. We have
given the OF creole lady of this parish who
lately made herself through the aid of of those ma
chimes, iii month, three hundred ellis of cotonads
This she sells at dollar and seveutyye cents per
ell WuCn Will yleld I'VE hundred ana tNentN-lVe dol
lars. Here Is q great and important Improvement in
the manufacture OF cotonade The price is now reduced
so low that compete with the northern manufac


ures, and the protection afforded by the tariff will keep
French cottonade ont of our market. Our cottonade
if still dearer than that made at the north is three tnes
as durable But it is not only the creole women who
use those ginning and spinning machines. We learn
that some few planters have them, and intend here
after manufacture coonade and negro clothing for
their plantations. Mrs. Murphy lady Of John B. Aur-
phy, of this parish has had in for upwards Of
year, and il has been Of order, We had the
pleasure Of eeingit ii operation few days since II
is not than four fve feet square. Th cotton
gathered from the field, is placed upou a g-lf
carrier which drops 1t into box where it a.lHBl
by common and grates--It then goes tn ice
operation Of caldng, and is arranged on 81 nG rs
ready fer the shuttle. This machine may be managed
BY two children, place the the 4sIrzz
and the other to turn the crank. We saw at sr 4ur
phys piece Of cotton stuff Of fifty yards, sh aa&
just been finished and there was sufficient wa Ia TIE
loom for another piece, at which negro wcasa vaa
working We asked Mr.. Murphy if he did no sieve
with other planters that it would be more pro El Fey
employ the labor engaged in raising cotton llala.
featuring cotton stuis in the manufacture of Iia
replied that he had not the money CouyenieIt rl-
chase clothing for the use OF his plantation an ff
the means of making it-he must either manl.se. t
himself raise sugar to pay some one else tc "a f.
him. Here has been the policy with many sase-a--
they have dways relied upon sugar for none % 0gr
chase negro clothing, carts, cart-wheels, a. aaaae
corn, pork lard hay butter cheese potatoes a.. .i
We have actually known a sugar planter who was com
pelled to purchase sugar tor the Of bis family
But this time trust, is pasta era dawns upon
us-we must encourage home manufactures motto
hereafter will be retrenchment and reform.


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