130 



COMMERCE OF THE UNITED STATES. 



627 gallons ; in 1877, 344,872,422 gallons. The 

 value of the shipments for ten months of 1880 

 was $28,829,945, against $30,087,807, a falling 

 off of six per cent., the falling off in quantities 

 being over thirteen per cent. 



The total cotton-crop of the United States 

 for the year ending September 1, 1880, was 

 5,757,397 bales of 481 "55 pounds each. The 

 exports for the year, with the figures of the 

 preceding crop for comparison, are presented 

 in the following table : 



The stock on hand at the seaports on Septem- 

 ber 1, 1880, was 137,419 bales, against 59,110 

 bales at the close of the preceding crop year. 



The takings in bales of American factories, 

 found by deducting the exports, the stocks re- 

 maining in port and at the mills, the burned cot- 

 ton, and the consumption of the mills estimated 

 on ilia outturn of goods, are given in the sub- 

 joined statement, covering the last six years 

 ending September 1st: 



The relative position of the several cotton- 

 raising States in the production of cotton is 

 indicated in the folio wing table, giving in round 

 numbers the crop of each : 



STATES. Bales. 



North Carolina 200,000 



South Carolina 400000 



Georgia 710,000 



Florida 162,000 



Alabama 650,000 



Mississippi 720 000 



Louisiana 695 000 



Texas 900,000 



Arkansas 770,000 



Tennessee 400,000 



All others 150,000 



Total 5,757,000 



The average weight of the bales has increased 

 from 468 pounds in 1875 to 481*55 pounds in 

 1880. The following statement exhibits the 

 number of bales and the aggregate gross weight 

 of each crop since 1873 : 



For the crops of previous years, as far back 



as 1830, see COTTON in " Annual Cyclopaedia' 1 

 for 1877. 



Between September 1 and December 31, 

 1880, the receipts at the seaports were 3,454,- 

 099 bales, against 3,120,871 bales in the same 

 four months of 1879; the overland shipments 

 were 331,468 bales, against 342,192 bales in 

 1879 ; making the total quantity marketed 

 during these months in 1880, 3,823,567; in 

 1879, 3,491,063 bales. The quantity taken by 

 Northern spinners was 920,840 bales, against 

 921,000 bales taken during this part of 1879; 

 the takings of Southern mills are estimated to 

 have been 38,000, against 28,000 bales in 1879 

 for the four months. The visible stocks in the 

 interior amounted to 4,117,567 bales on Decem- 

 ber 31, 1880, against 348,000 bales at the end 

 of 1879 ; making the total quantity in sight at 

 the close of the calendar year 4,117,567 bales, 

 against 3,839,063 bales at the beginning of the 

 year. The average weight of the bales was 

 485-53 pounds. The estimated extent of the 

 new crop, according to the report of the Agri- 

 cultural Bureau, is about 5,719,000 bales, and, 

 according to the returns of the cotton ex- 

 changes, 5,300,000 bales. The indications 

 gathered by the Bureau predict an increase 

 of 30 per cent, in the crop of Texas ; an in- 

 creased product in South Carolina, Georgia, 

 North Carolina, and Florida ; and a falling off 

 in the crops of the other States of from 7 per 

 cent, in Arkansas to 17 per cent, in Mississippi. 



The overland shipments of cotton have in- 

 creased from 497,083 bales in 1873-'74 to 

 1,181, 147 bales in 1879-'80, or 137'61 per cent, 

 while the increase in the quantity raised has 

 only been 38 - 05 per cent. The recently effected 

 consolidation of railroad lines, and the improve- 

 ments in rails, road-beds, etc., which have been 

 introduced within a few years, have rendered 

 rail transportation much cheaper than former- 

 ly, and promise to lessen the cost still more in 

 the future, and cause greater quantities of cot- 

 ton to be shipped by rail. 



The year has been a busy one for cotton- 

 manufacturers. The first impulse to the re- 

 vival of the cotton industry in Manchester was 

 given by the signs of returning prosperity in 

 the United States in the last half of 1879 and the 

 beginning of 1880. The sudden demand for Eng- 

 lish cottons soon ceased in the United States, 

 but was replaced by the reviving markets of 

 other countries. The considerable exportation 

 of cotton cloths from the United States which 

 took place in 1878-'79 was much reduced in 

 value and quantities in 1879-'80, owing to the 

 better prices and active request prevailing at 

 home. In Europe, according to Ellison's sta- 

 tistics, the consumption of cotton during the 

 first three months of the season, beginning 

 October 1, 1880, was 871,000 bales of 400 Ibs. 

 in Great Britain, and 689,000 on the Conti- 

 nent. The quantities and value of the leading 

 cotton manufactures exported from the United 

 States for the years 1880, 1879, 1878, and 

 1874, are given in the following table: 



