253 



COTTON CULTIVATION AND SUPPLY. 



COTTON CULTIVATION AND SUPPLY. 



251 



cotton-growing districts in America, waa estimated a few years ago at 

 32 ; the proportion of young persona not yet arrived at their full 

 strength, and of elderly people still capable of some degree of labour, 

 25; the remaining 43 being composed of children under 14 years of 

 age, and superannuated persons, none of whom are capable of any but 

 very light work, such as weeding and picking the cotton. There is 

 reason to believe, however, that these ratios vary at different times. 

 It was estimated in 1836, that the whole quantity of land cultivated for 

 cotton in the United States was two millions of acres ; that the capital 

 employed for the purpose was 800,000,000 or 900,000,000 dollars ; and 

 that the whole number of persons engaged in field labour, picking, and 

 otherwise assisting in the cultivation of cotton, and raising their own 

 provisions, was about 680,000. If to these were added the aged, the 

 infirm, and the very young children composing the families of the 

 labourers, besides overseers, owners, and their respective families 

 dependent on the cotton crop, it was supposed that a million of persons 

 were at that time engaged in the growing of cotton in the United 

 States. Of later estimates we shall speak presently. 



The extension of the cultivation in the United States ia noteworthy. 

 In the year 1 786 no part of our supply waa obtained from that country ; 

 indeed it was not until the year 1800 that the amount thence obtained 

 became otherwise than insignificant. During the present century the 

 advance has been quite unprecedented. In the eight years 1850 to 

 1857, both inclusive, the produce rose to millions of bates annually. 

 To appreciate the full force of these numbers, it may be well to notice 

 that the weight of an average bale of United States cotton varied in 

 those years from 418 Ibs. to 445 IDS., giving a mean of about 430 Ibs.* 

 The total produca at the following periods, with the portion of it which 

 was exported from the United States to Great Britain and other 

 countries, was (in round numbers), as follows : 



1350 

 1854 

 1857 



Total Produce. 



Bales. 



. 2,204,000 

 . 3,1135,000 

 . 3,057,000 



Exported. 



B .les. 

 1,589.000 

 2,318,000 

 2,251,000 



The difference between the total produce and the quantity exported 

 represents pretty nearly the quantity worked up in the cotton milk of 

 the United States. Applying the mean of 430 Ibs. per bale, we shall 

 find that on an average of the eight years, 1850-1857, the United 

 States grew 2,960,000 bales, or 1,272,000,000 Ibs. of cotton annually, of 

 which 2,200,000 bales or 985,000,000 Ibs. were sold to other countries. 



The prices of United States cotton have varied considerably. In the 

 year 1806 they ranged from I5d. to 2M. per lb.; in 1820, from lid. to 

 17J. ; in 1830, from 7d. to 9(/. In 1845 the quality called " middling 

 bowed" was 4Jrf. ; and in 1848 it was 4j,d. Taking all the qualities 

 together, the average price varied, in the eight years from 1850 to 

 ;.t New York, from 4^d. to 12Jrf. per lb., and the aggregate 

 yearly value* varied, in round numbers, from 21,700,000/. to 36,000,000/., 

 which was the value in 1857. When the price at Liverpool is 4^rf. 

 per lb., it is considered that this is made up thus : 3</. for all expenses 

 and profit of growing, and \d. for further expense* till warehoused 

 at Liverpool. 



In 1857 the cotton manufacturers of Great Britain became very un- 

 easy at their prospects of a supply of raw material. Their dependence 

 on the United States was rendered every day more and more evident. 

 Deficient crops and increasing demand drove up the price from 8'74 cents 

 in 1855 to 12'75 cento in 1857. The American planters actually received 

 most money in the year when the crop was smallest showing how 

 much there was in the trade partaking of the nature of a monopoly : a 

 monopoly brought about, however, by our exclusive or protecting 

 legislation. The English demand began to overtake the American 

 supply about the year 1845 ; and ever since that date the state nf the 

 cotton crops in the United States has been a subject of yearly anxiety 

 to the Lancashire manufacturers. What foundation there may be for 

 hopes in other quarters, will be seen in the third article of this series 

 but the pressing question with manufacturers at present is Cm tin 

 United States produce be so increased in quantity as to be lessened in 

 price ? The chief cotton States are Louisiana, Alabama, South Carolina 

 aud Georgia ; these produce five-sixths of the total quantity. It may 



It is necessary to bear in mind the singular variations in the weight o 

 balea of civtton ; otherwise the comparison between tlie produce of din". ITII 

 years and different countries will lead to fallacious losults. Some cotton- 

 trowinir countries uniformly employ larger bales than others; while nearly ol 

 tare exhibited a gradual increase in weight, possibly due to closer and mor 

 perffct pckiti(T. The bales of United States cotton have gradually increased 

 from abnut 214 Ibs. to an average of 430 Ibs. during the pre-ent century 

 the last eight years ( 1 85 1-1 858) the average weight* of bales hare ranged 

 u follow : 



United states' cotton . . .430 lb. per bale 



Egyptian 384 



Bart Indies 276 



Wcit Indies 201 



f Brazilian 181 



In view of the great preponderance of United States cotton, it is consider* 

 that all the cotton used In Great Britain nay be now (1859) estimated at a: 

 average of 400 lb. per bale. 



e well to give, for two recent years, the actual quantities in the eight 

 otton-producing States : 



1856. 

 Bales. 



Louisiana . . . l,eci,433 

 Alabama . ... 675,738 

 South Carolina . 495,976 



Georgia 



Florida 



Texas 



North Carolina 



Virginia . . 



389,445 



144,404 



116,078 



26,098 



20,458 



1857. 

 Bales. 

 1,435,000 

 403,177 

 397,331 

 322,111 

 136,344 

 87,882 

 27,147 

 23,773 



Some of the planters, believing England to be wholly at their mercy, 

 advise a restriction rather than an extension of growth, in order that 

 >rices may be driven up still higher and higher. The merchants of 

 *ievr York, New Orleans, and the other shipping ports, however, more 

 nterested in the quantity of cotton to be shipped than in the price per 

 >ound, are making speculative estimates concerning the probable aud 

 >ossible in the cotton culture. Some computers, glancing at the 

 capabilities of various parts of the United States, assert that there 

 are 39 millions of acrea of land fitted for growing cotton ; that 

 these would require 5 millions of slaves to tend them ; and that 

 the produce might be 8000 million pounds of cotton annually 

 many times the quantity at present worked in all the mills in the 

 world. Hence there has been a sort of special pleading, to the effect 

 that if Christendom would silently acquiesce in a renewal of the 

 slave trade, there might be such an influx of slaves in the United 

 States, and such an increased area of ground laid down in cotton, as to 

 insure a lessening of price to English manufacturers. There are, on 

 the other hand, many reasons for thinking that slave labour is really 

 more costly than free labour ; and that we ought to look rather to an 

 ncreased supply of cotton from the East Indies and elsewhere, than 

 w an extension of slave-raised produce in the United States. It would 

 indeed be grievous if the hateful institution of slavery should be 

 encouraged by the demand of England for raw cotton. There are 

 agencies now at work which encourage a hope that such an evil may 

 be averted. 



South American Cotton. The remaining portion of the American 

 continent, as cotton growing districts, need not engage any lengthened 

 attention. 



The immense empire of Brazil does not occupy the rank which ia 

 due to it as a cotton-producing country. The total produce in sixteen 

 years only varied from 19,000,000 Ibs. to 35,000,000 Ibs ; 1847 giving 

 the smallest quantity, and 1850 the largest. The average may be 

 about 25,000,000 Ibs. This stagnant condition has been attributed to 

 five causes : the abolition of the external slave trade, the dearness o 

 labour, the ravages of insects, the peculiarities of climate, and the inac- 

 cessibility of the interior. Writers in the United States, especially 

 those in the slave-holding interest, endeavour to show that all these 

 difficulties must continue to prevent Brazil from being a flourishing 

 cotton-growing country. There are other parties, however, who advo- 

 cate the construction of a railway from Bahia into the interior, to a 

 large district said to be eminently litted for the culture. The Brazilian 

 cotton is of good quality ; and there certainly seems to be no sufficient 

 reason for a continuance of the present apathy. 



The other regions of South America need scarcely be named in 

 connection with this subject. The coast districts of Peru and Chili 

 have been found suitable for cotton cultivation ; but the state of 

 industrial enterprise has not hitherto been such as to lead to any con- 

 siderable production. 



Wat India Cotton. It has already been stated that England relied 

 upon the West Indies mainly for cotton, at a time when scarcely any 

 was grown in the United States. In 1786 one-third of the English, 

 consumption was brought from the British West Indies, one-third 

 from the foreign West Indies, one-quarter from Brazil, and the small 

 remainder from the Levant. The British West Indian portion rose a 

 little during the remaining years of the century ; but from 1801 till the 

 present time there has been a signal falling off. The yearly average quan- 

 tity has gradually decreased from 84,000 bales in the five years, 1806-10, 

 to 11,000 bales in the seven years, 1851-57. These quantities are nearly 

 equivalent to the total production ; seeing that nearly all the British 

 West India cotton has been brought to Great Britain. The diminution 

 has been attributed to several causes : the withering results of " protec- 

 tion," the maladministration of colonial affairs, supineness on the 

 part of the colonists, and the scarcity of labourers since the abolition 

 of slavery. The last is believed to be the more immediate cause of 

 the backwardness of the culture at the present day. The free negroes 

 will not work hard ; aa a class they prefer easy labour and small wages. 

 The other labourers are Creoles, Coolies, and Portuguese. The planters 

 are now urgently soliciting the British government for permission to 

 import labourers from Africa, India, and China ; but so strong is the 

 apprehension of a revival of the slave-trade, as a consequence of this 

 permission, that a disinclination at present exists to grant the neces- 

 sary facilities. Demerara declares that she could increase her produce 

 of cotton immensely, if the immigration of free labourers were allowed. 

 Many planters strongly assert that free labour is in the end cheaper 

 than slave labour. Lord Brougham, at the annual meeting of the 

 British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, ia May, 1868, said : " I find 



