92 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



ENTRY OF SILK COCOONS. 



L. Provost, San Jose" : 



Two bouquets of cocoons. 

 Two wreaths of cocoons. 



COTTON. 



" Cotton is King" — a political axiom not found to stand the inexora- 

 ble logic of war. Within the past two years, attempts have been made 

 in various parts of the earth to cultivate this valuable fibrous plant, and 

 with what measure of success remains yet to be learned. Cotton, as a 

 fibre for human clothing, was grown ages before the era of written his- 

 tory, so that its extraordinary claim as an arbiter of commerce may not 

 be of modern assumption. This much, however, is known, that it had 

 no commanding importance until after the invention of the "gin" to 

 separate the seed from the fibre. Possessing a well disciplined and 

 abundant compulsory labor, with a climate and soil covering eveiy 

 requisite, the Gulf Atlantic States soon became the great cotton growers 

 of the world. This pre-eminence was maintained against powerful 

 efforts in India, aided by the British Empire, which could detail to this 

 enterprise hordes of laborers, quite as much subject to the involuntary 

 condition as was negro slavery in the United States. With quite as 

 rich a soil, India } T et lacked the favoring seasons which follow with 

 periodical certainty in America. Cotton growing may assume some 

 importance in countries where the climate assimilates to that of the 

 Southern States, but such importance will be limited to the removal of 

 the difficulties which have temporarily convulsed the industry of those 

 States. With the return of stable government will return social order, 

 and all classes being brought to the common level of necessity, will be 

 obliged to work. This will add vastly to the physical labor power of 

 the Cotton States, as there will be no longer any requirement that one 

 half of the community should be employed in compelling the other half 

 to labor. 



Thus it is seen that the inducements to cotton culture in California 

 arc of a temporary rather than permanent character, and will be with- 

 drawn entirely with the resumption of the industrial pursuits in the 

 disturbed districts of the cotton growing States. Neither is California 

 more favorably situated by reason of climate than by lack of labor facil- 

 ities for the growing of this fibre. Cotton requires a warm moist cli- 

 mate for its most successful production, and on the phenomena of hu- 

 midity the growing and ripening season in our State is the veiy reverse 

 of that of the cotton States. 



These suggestions are not made for the purpose of discouraging 

 experiments in cotton culture in our State, but that important facts con- 

 nected with it may not be lost sight of by those too sanguine in an en- 

 terprise which on first sight gives promise of splendid results. 



ENTRIES OF COTTON. 



Jackson & Johnson, Sacramento County : 

 Samples of a field of twenty -five acres. 



J. Clark, Sacramento : 



Sample grown on dry sandy soil. 



