6 The Bulletin. 



Its cultivation in the United States seems to date back about 175 

 years before the industry became at all important. Like tobacco, its 

 cultivation was first begun at Jamestown, Va., about 1608 or 1609, and 

 subsequently spread southward through North Carolina and South 

 Carolina to other southern territory where the climate was more con- 

 genial for its production. 



The northern limit of its production was not confined to Virginia, 

 however, as historians point out that it was grown, at least, on a garden 

 scale, as far north as the 39th parallel as early as 1736, and at the time 

 of the Revolution the supply of cotton in Pennsylvania was sufficient 

 to supply the domestic needs of the State. Cotton was grown in Mary- 

 land as late as 1826. 



After its introduction into Virginia in 1608, or thereabouts, it was 

 grown to a very limited extent from Pennsylvania to Florida. Nowhere 

 was it produced on a commercial scale sufficiently large to make any 

 impression on the markets of the world prior to 1793, when Whitney 

 invented the cotton gin. From that time on the production of cotton in 

 the South has steadily grown in magnitude and importance, till now it 

 forms the most important money crop not only of the South, but of the 

 United States ; the export of which brings more foreign money into our 

 country than any other single crop we produce in addition to giving 

 year-round employment to hundreds of thousands of men, women, and 

 children in factory, field, and mill. 



As early as 1708 ISTorth Carolina seems to have grown enough cotton 

 to supply clothes for at least one-fifth of its population at that time, 

 but cotton growing was first, probably, introduced into North Carolina 

 by Sir John Yeaman, along the Cape Fear River, in 168.5, when he was 

 placed in charge of the Claiendon Colony. 



Each colonist grew a small patch of cotton which was picked, carded, 

 spun, and woven into cloth or knitted into hosiery by the members of 

 the family. At that time growing, ginning, and manufacturing were 

 all done on the farm. The ginning was usually done by the younger 

 members of the family during evenings between supper and bedtime— 

 the usual task of each one being to separate by hand a "shoe full" of 

 lint from the seed before retiring. And as noted above, this practice 

 of separating the seed from the lint continued till 1793, when the inven- 

 tion of the cotton gin came to the relief of the planters. 



Early in the 18th century John Lawson wrote in his history of North 

 Carolina, "We have not only provisions plentiful but clothes of our own 

 manufacture, which are made and daily increase, cotton, wool, and flax 

 being of our own growth and the women are to be highly commended 

 for industry in spinning and ordering their housewifery to so great 

 an advantage as they do." 



Little or no cotton was sold in North Carolina at that time, it being 

 a difficult task to get enough for home consumption. In 1788, how- 

 ever, the industry had grown considerably and we were beginning to 

 sell some cotton out of the State. Our competitors in cotton growing 

 at this time were the West India Islands and Brazil, from which much 

 cotton was imported to make up the deficiency of the home-grown 



