51 u EEPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



mortgages. Labor, now unemployed and sadly needing its wages for the 

 social and material advanceruent of a large class, will find steady and 

 remunerative engagement, new industries will be introduced, education 

 advanced, social order improved, home comforts increased, and peace 

 and plenty will smile as never before upon a sunny land. 



The mode of cultivation and preparation of so well known a fiber in 

 our own country can hardly claim a place in a brief and condensed re- 

 j)ort upon fibers in general, though its microscoi)ic features may be of 

 interest. Examined longitudinally, cotton fibers appear in the form of 

 ribbons, either flat or twisted spirally, corkscrew fashion, and are easily 

 detected when mixed with other fibers. Upon the margins of these 

 ribbon;^ swellings are observed, somewhat as though the edges were 

 rolled over, and these margins — narrow in comparison to the width of 

 the ribbon — indicate that the walls of the fiber the thickness of which 

 they represent are slight. Creases are sometimes observable in the 

 walls either parallel to the axis of the fiber, in an oblique direction, or 

 undulated, which may be taken for shts or breaks, but close examina- 

 tion reveals that their edges are not sharp and clear like the fissures of 

 tiax fiber. The ends are generally large and round. Viewed trans- 

 versely, tlie fiber is very characteristic. The filaments are always isola- 

 ted, never grouped or joined together, and in form are round, oval, or 

 elongated, often folding ujjon themseves at the ends, giving a kidney 

 shaped appearance, while others are convoluted into forms resembling 

 the letter S. The interior cavity, seen in the form of a line, takes the 

 same shape as that of the fiber, when viewed in cross section. 



The museum collection is cjuite large. The series commenced in 

 1864-'65 with specimens gathered from various localities at home and 

 abroad, and in a few years embraced the principal varieties grown at the 

 time. The samples were quite small, however, with some exceptions, 

 and in 1875, when it was determined that the museum should be repre- 

 sented at the Exhibition, a larger and more complete collection was 

 made by direct appeal to cotton growers throughout the country. This 

 collection was returned to the department at the close of the Exhibition 

 in Philadelphia, and now forms the principal exhibit in the cotton col- 

 lection of the d€j>artment. It includes favorite varieties, among which 

 may be mentioned Egyptian, Dickson, Improved Peeler, Tumel maki, 

 Goosey, Hurlong moina. Hunt seed. Old Petit Gulf, Texas Prolific, 

 Texas Wool, McShawn (the last named from a $1,500 prize bale, Saint 

 Louis fair, and grown at Eienzi, Miss.), Improved Eemessis, Zippora, 

 &c. The seed of the dififerent varieties also accompanies them. These 

 samples are followed by a complete series illustrating the (American) 

 manufactm^e of cotton goods in 10 stages or processes, with samjiles oi 

 the various fabrics for which cotton is employed. 



Among the foreign samples, a series of over forty specimens exhibits 

 the sources of the cotton supply of Great Britain during the late war, 

 with s])ecies attached. Other finer specimens of foreign cottons have 

 been received from time to time fi-om Asia and the South Sea Islands, 

 including tree cotton lint, nankeen, and other curious forms. The larg- 

 est series of foreign cottons was added in 1876, at the close of the Ex- 

 hibition, and embraces fiber from the various cotton-gTOwing sections of 

 the world. The most extensive donation was a pair of large cases filled 

 •with specimens of cotton and cotton manufacture from the imperial 

 mills in Japan, of which there are two (located near the cities of Tokio 

 and Osaka), which are provided with foreign machinery. These samples 

 include raw and spun cotton in all processes of manutacture, with yarns 

 of various colors to show the mode of dyeing. Egypt presented a col- 



