302 COTTON 



known to a limited extent to England and to other 

 countries of average civilization. Cotton possessed 

 value as a textile fabric. And that these advan- 

 tages were early appreciated there can be no doubt, 

 since it was readily used whenever it could be 

 obtained. Naturally, however, there could be no 

 large growth so long as the supply varied constantly. 



We must understand, however, that for a century 

 or more cotton had been used in a limited way for 

 the weft or transverse threads of the web; the warp, 

 or longitudinal threads, being of linen yarn, pro- 

 duced mainly in Germany and Ireland. Cotton 

 factories were of course unknown in those days, 

 weaving being largely done in the homes of the 

 weavers. This cotton-linen fabric was, during 

 these times, made in these cottage homes, and later 

 carried to the market, to which points the city 

 merchants came and made their purchases. 



Sometime about the middle of the eighteenth 

 century we find the beginning of a new era, when 

 merchants began to send agents into the country to 

 develop this embryonic but isolated factory system. 

 The plan as introduced and carried out, secured 

 linen for warp, and cotton for weft as had been used 

 before; but now the merchants (through their 

 agents) provided the raw materials, and hired the 

 weavers to do the work. Before this time the 

 weavers made all their purchases and sold their 

 products themselves. Now the materials were 

 furnished and they received wages for their labor. 

 A radical change, you will see, had been inaugu- 

 rated which doubtless worked to the common 

 advantage of both parties. 



Up to this time cotton had been spun by means 

 of the common spinning wheel in the weaver's 

 own house the same spinning wheel whose monot- 



