﻿AGRICULTURE. 
  157 
  

  

  New 
  rollers 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  supplied, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  estimated 
  

   that 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  pair 
  are 
  daily 
  required 
  on 
  an 
  average 
  

   to 
  each 
  stand, 
  and 
  one 
  hand 
  is 
  kept 
  constantly 
  employed 
  

   at 
  the 
  lathe 
  to 
  furnish 
  the 
  necessary 
  supply. 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  half 
  a 
  bag 
  can 
  be 
  ginned 
  per 
  day 
  with 
  five 
  

   pair 
  of 
  rollers 
  under 
  favorable 
  circumstances; 
  but 
  the 
  

   process 
  is 
  greatly 
  retarded 
  in 
  damp 
  or 
  wet 
  weather. 
  

  

  Such, 
  until 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  Whitney's 
  invention, 
  

   were 
  the 
  miniature 
  gins 
  in 
  use. 
  The 
  small 
  hand 
  gins 
  

   were 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  nearly 
  every 
  planter's 
  house, 
  and, 
  

   indeed, 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  after, 
  were 
  often 
  met 
  with 
  on 
  the 
  

   small 
  farms 
  in 
  the 
  interior, 
  where 
  cotton 
  was 
  only 
  raised 
  

   for 
  home 
  consumption. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  readily 
  be 
  imagined 
  that 
  with 
  such 
  means 
  of 
  

   preparing 
  it, 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  cotton 
  in 
  Mississippi 
  was 
  

   restricted 
  to 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  space. 
  A 
  mere 
  spot 
  of 
  ground 
  

   sufficed 
  for 
  all 
  that 
  was 
  required 
  for 
  domestic 
  purposes, 
  

   or 
  which 
  the 
  grower 
  could 
  in 
  a 
  reasonable 
  time 
  free 
  from 
  

   the 
  seed. 
  

  

  The 
  long 
  staple 
  or 
  Sea 
  Island 
  cotton 
  had 
  not 
  been 
  

   introduced 
  into 
  Mississippi; 
  and 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  appear, 
  from 
  

   the 
  most 
  diligent 
  inquiry, 
  that 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  single 
  small 
  

   lot 
  of 
  only 
  three 
  bales, 
  or 
  rather 
  round 
  bags, 
  was 
  ex- 
  

   ported 
  from 
  the 
  country 
  previous 
  to 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  

   the 
  saw 
  gin. 
  

  

  This 
  was 
  produced 
  by 
  Mr. 
  William 
  Vousdan, 
  near 
  the 
  

   site 
  of 
  the 
  ancient 
  Whiteapple 
  Village 
  on 
  Second 
  Creek. 
  

  

  To 
  prepare 
  it 
  for 
  the 
  roller 
  gin, 
  it 
  was 
  kiln-dried 
  in 
  

   the 
  seed 
  on 
  latticed 
  scaffolds, 
  formed 
  of 
  cane, 
  under 
  

   which 
  fires 
  were 
  placed. 
  

  

  The 
  dawn 
  of 
  a 
  new 
  era 
  in 
  the 
  agriculture 
  of 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   try 
  was, 
  however, 
  at 
  hand, 
  and 
  was 
  ushered 
  in 
  by 
  the 
  

   introduction 
  of 
  Whitney's 
  gin 
  — 
  an 
  invention 
  in 
  ma- 
  

   chinery 
  which 
  has 
  not 
  only 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  our 
  

  

  