510 



COTTON 



tions in the stocks at the end of the year. The 

 consumption in India in 1887 was about 1,000,000 

 bales, including about 700,000 to 750,000 used by 

 mills containing machinery imported from England, 

 and built and worked as in Lancashire. 



The first import of cotton from the United States 

 took place in 1784, and consisted of eight bags 

 weighing about 1200 Ib. Occasional small ship- 

 ments had been received from the American colonies, 

 prior to this date, but they consisted chiefly of 

 West Indian produce transhipped, and as the 

 colonies were now independent, the eight bags just 

 mentioned were detained by one of the customs' 

 officials, on the ground that as West Indian pro- 

 duce it was a breach of the then existing naviga- 

 tion laws to import them in a foreign vessel. But 

 the parcel was liberated on proof being forthcoming 

 that the cotton was really the produce of the 

 United States. In 1791 about 189,000 Ib. were 

 exported, but in 1792 only 138,000 Ib. In 1793 Eli 

 Whitney invented the saw-gin, and the cultivation 

 of the plant increased so rapidly that the exports 

 bounded from less than 500,000 Ib. in 1793 to over 

 6,000,000 Ib. in 1795, to more than 9,000,000 in 

 1798, and to 20,000,000 Ib. in 1801, or in eight years 

 from about 1200 bales of 400 Ib. to 50,000 bales. 

 What has since taken place is shown at a glance in 

 the following table, wnich gives the crops of the 

 various states, the total quantity exported, and the 

 balance left for consumption and stock in various 

 years from 1800 to 1887, in 1000's of bales of the 

 uniform weight of 400 Ib. : 



The Virginian figures for 1880 and 1887 include 

 some cotton raised in Missouri. Alabama was 

 admitted into the Union in 1819, Mississippi in 

 1817, Louisiana in 1811 (purchased from France in 

 1803), Florida in 1845 (ceded by Spain in 1819), 

 Arkansas in 1836, and Texas in 1845. The reduced 

 crop of 1870 shows the extent to which the agri- 

 cultural industry of the South had been thrown 

 back by the war of 1861-65. Even in 1887 the crops 

 of several of the states were still below those of 

 1860, in consequence of the transference of labour 

 farther west to Texas and Arkansas. Of the total 

 increase of 1,083,000 in 1880 over 1860, 791,000 

 belonged to these two states, which also figure for 

 1,756,000 bales out of the 2,038,000 increase in 1887 

 over 1860. 



As the crops increased prices declined, especially 

 as the cost of production was gradually reduced 

 by improved methods of cultivation and cleaning. 

 The cost to consumers in Europe was also dimin- 

 ished by cheapened freights and carriage, and by 

 other economies brought about by the competition 

 amongst the various middlemen who had the 

 handling of the crop from the plantations to the 

 spindles. At the opening of the century the aver- 

 age price of middling American was about 18d. 

 per Ib. In 1803 it fell to 12d., but in 1814 it stood 

 at 30d. , and during the year was as high as 36d. , 

 owing to the partial cessation of imports caused by 



the war. Thence (with fluctuations) the tendency 

 was downwards until 1829, in which year the aver- 

 age was only 5fd. Production had outrun con- 

 sumption, and the stock of American cotton in 

 Great Britain at the end of 1827 was equal to thirty - 

 eight weeks' requirements. The low prices retarded 

 production and stimulated consumption, and by 

 1835 the stock of American was reduced to only 

 ten weeks' requirements, while the average price 

 advanced to 10d. per Ib. During the subse- 

 quent ten years, production again overtook con- 

 sumption, and in 1845 the stock of American in 

 England was equal to thirty-three weeks' require- 

 ments, while the average price was only 4Jd., after 

 having in the course of the year touched 3|d. per 

 Ib. These prices were repeated in 1848 owing to 

 disturbed politics. In 1850 there was a rebound to 

 7d., but thence to 1852 a fall to 5 T \d., owing to 

 increased crops. Thence to 1860 the average price 

 fluctuated between 5fd. and 7Jd., ending in 6d. 

 The war between North and South cut oft' supplies, 

 and prices rapidly advanced, until in 1864 the 

 average reached 27d., while as high as 31d. had 

 been touched in the course of the year. In 1865, 

 with peace, the average fell to 19d. , and it was 

 thought that values would rapidly decline to the 

 ante-war level. But the war, and the abolition of 

 slavery incidental to it, had so thoroughly disorgan- 

 ised the industrial system of the South, and so 

 completely impoverished the planters, that the 

 average price of 1860 ( 6d. ) was not touched until 

 1876, while the crop of 1860 (4,824,000 bales), 

 though almost repeated in 1876 (4,660,000 bales), 

 was not actually exceeded until 1879 (5,073,000 

 bales). Between 1876 and 1879 the average price 

 ranged from 6Jd. to 6 r \d. Since then the tendency 

 has been downwards. In 1886 it fell to 5d., but 

 in 1887 rose to 5d. The decline in prices which 

 has taken place within the past ten years has been 

 due mainly to reduced cost of production, to dimin- 

 ished land and ocean freights, and to lessened 

 intermediate charges brought about by the elimina- 

 tion of unnecessaiy middlemen, though part of 

 the fall is, no doubt, traceable to the currency 

 changes, which have affected values in general. 



The variations in the outturn of the crops were 

 due to climatic causes. In 1881-82 the plant suffered 

 from severe drought ; 1882-83 was a phenomenally 

 perfect season ; 1883-85 were drought seasons ; 

 1885-87 were average seasons ; 1887-88 was better 

 than an average, but not so good as that of 1882-83. 

 The 6,514,000 bales produced in 1886-87 weighed 

 2,970,384,000 Ib. net, equal to 7,425,000 bales of 

 400 Ib., as given in the table above, containing 

 particulars of the crops of each state separately. 



Particulars of the extent of land planted, and of 

 the weight of cotton produced, are given in the 

 following table : 



The production per acre varies considerably from 

 less than 100 Ib. per acre in the poorest upland 

 soils to 500 Ib. per acre in the rich bottom lands of 

 the south-west. The average production per season, 

 for the entire cotton-growing region, has for the 

 past seven years ranged from 145 to 197^ Ib. per 

 acre. The average for the seven seasons was 162 Ib. , 

 or about one-third of a bale. The crop of 1886-87 

 was worth at the plantations about 51,800,000, 

 according to the. annual report of the Department 

 of Agriculture. 



The following is an account of the imports of 



