THE FARMER'S MONTHLY VISITOR. 



27 



whicb, foi- its properties and influeuce on tlie hu- 

 man system, I think make it preteral)ie to our 

 best Foreifin Tea. On account oi" its healing 

 qualities, the Indians called it Side weed : they 

 made use of it for pain in the side. It has been 

 called "cure-all:" I think they might as well 

 call it Patent Medicine. But I have given it the 

 name American Free Slion Tea. It grows on 

 dry sandy soil, newly cleared, and sometimes in 

 the woods. A small round stalk rises iiom one 

 to two feet high — the leaves grow at joints round 

 the stalk four or five at a joint. The flower ia 

 small and yellow, projected from the stalk by a 

 fine stem above the leaf. It flowers the last of 

 June, and is then fit to pick. I have made use of 

 this Tea for more than ten years in my family, and 

 believe it to be a good and wholesome tea,"and I 

 am convinced, would feeble constitutions or se- 

 dentary people make use of Free Slion Tea, they 

 would liave less disease to complain of. It may 

 be prepared as Hyson Tea to suit the taste. 

 Yours with due respect, 



SHADRACII GATE. 

 To the Editor of the Monthly Visitor. 

 Loudon, JV. H. 



From tlic Journal of Commerce. 

 America against England in Cotton Manufac- 

 turing. 



The Monthly Chronicle, published at Boston, 

 contains an article [)repared by Mr. Montgomery, 

 an Englishman practically aco,uainted with the 

 cotton manufactures of England and the United 

 States. In connexion with the remarks of the 

 editor of the Chronicle, who aL-^o is learned in such 

 matters, the article presents a iniiiiite statement of 

 the cotnparative expense of inanulactMiing in both 

 countries, and proves that we have the advantage 

 and can make cotton goods 4 per cent, cheaper 

 than they can be made in England. These 

 statistics are of great ^'alnc ; tor they dissipsite the 

 false opinion which has been inculcated so indus- 

 triously, that labor is vastly cheaper in England 

 than here, and that she, by means of the abject 

 poverty of her operatives, has the ability to over- 

 whelm and destroy our manufacturers, unless they 

 are saved by high duties. There has been a great 

 deal written, and tacts have been abundantly 

 stated, proving the truth ; yet some men lijgh in 

 honor have not yet left ofl^ talking alionf the 

 degradation which Americans must suffer if left 

 to contend unprotected aeainsl the '■ (laiiper la- 

 bor" of Europe. The llic-t is. tluil Ann rii-aii man- 

 ufacturers are able to jiay lli>' v-ml< ;< \\\\]'^\i Iiiim' 

 been so much complainnl i4', ami su i-iiahle i.ur 

 laborers to maintain their own rLspei-laliility and 

 that of their families, aiul yet sell their fabrics all 

 over the world cheaper than the English. In the 

 supply of our own market with plain cotton goods 

 the advantage in favor of the American manu- 

 facturer stands about thus : — 



Greater cheapness in prime cost of the goods, 

 4 jjer cent. 



Difference of interest, freight and 

 other charges of importation, 9 



1:3 

 Duty according to compromise, 20 



33 

 It IS proved by these facts, that neither the 

 success of our manufacturers, nor the honor of 

 our laboring population, nor the furtherance of a 

 home market for the products of agriculture, 

 require an increase of duty for tijc purposes of 

 protection. The American maniiHictiirer, as the 

 matter will stand two years hence, will be protec- 

 ted by an advantage over Englishmen of 33 per 

 cent. In other words, the goods which cost the 

 American manufacturer ten cents a yard, the 

 American consumer must pay him 13 cents for 

 before the ascending scale of i)rofits will be check- 

 ed by foreign competition. In our judguient, the 

 agricultural interests oftlie country wouhl show 

 little of the sagacity for which the Yankees are 

 famed, if they should be led to make farther sacri- 

 fices in favor of manufacturers. The spinning of 

 cotton is a business as firmly established in oui- 

 country as the grinding of wheat, and no more 

 needs protection. In truth it has a much broader 

 field of enterprise, and is less encumbered by 

 competition. The manufacturing interest of our 

 country in all its branches has great reason to be 

 satisfied with its present position. Manufacturing 

 was never so healthy under the American system 



as it has been since that system was overthrown. 

 At no period in our history have the prospects of 

 our manufacturers been so good as they are at 

 this moment. The mushroom growth of estab- 

 lishments has in a great measure ceased. Men 

 who know nothing of manufacturing have learned 

 to abstain fiom it. The same prudential princi- 

 ples have been found applicable to this as to all 

 other branches of business. It has been learned 

 that, as in other avocations, so in manufacturing, 

 a man must understand his business and manage 

 it himself There is nothing which our manu- 

 facturers have to fear so tnuch, as an abandon- 

 ment of these sound maxims, and a return to polit- 

 ical gambling for manufacturing prosperity, We 

 are glad to know that in all this we speak the 

 sentiments of the more intelligent portion of our 

 manufacturers. There is no danger that those 

 who are now engaged in manufacturing, will not 

 find domestic competition springing uj) fast e- 

 nough around them, without the stimulants of 

 a liigh tarifl^ Nor is there any danger that the 

 home market for the products of agricultuie, will 

 not be enlarged as fast as the best interests of the 

 country require. The business of spinning cotton, 

 though recently depressed, has not at any moment 

 within the last three years been carried on in well 

 regulated establishments at a very great loss. 

 And now such establishments are making good 

 profits on all the goods they can turn out, and are 

 unable to keep pace with the demand. In the 

 connng five years there will be a great increase of 

 cotton factories in this country. This business 

 will eidarge itself more, in all probability, than 

 any other ; and the enlargement will be created 

 by the stimulant of higli profits. Since, then, 

 the manufacturers have been placed in the very 

 best possible position, we trust they will be too 

 sagacious to abandon it. 



We annex same extracts from the Chronicle 

 article, taken from the Boston Dailv Advertiser. 



The last inimber of the Monthly Chronicle con 

 tains an analysis of an important work lately pub 

 lished at Glasgow; by "James Montgomery, 

 superintendent of the York Factory, at Saco, 

 Maine." Tlie author is an Englishman, and is 

 ^V(•I1 acquainted with the state of the cotton man- 

 facttu-e in Cieat Britain, by many years' prac- 

 tical acquaintance with the business, and he has 

 also lin-cinii' acquainted with the state of the 

 iManurnriuie ill this country by four years' expe- 

 rience and oliservation, under the tnost favorable 

 circumstances. His work i<. lliei-eliire, fidl of facts 

 of great interest, and which it is in)|ii;rlant for the 

 manuracturers of tliis e(iuiiii y to Ivuow. The 

 article in the Monthly Chronicle, to which we 

 refer gives an analysis of the more important 

 facts, with tables abridged from the work, giving 

 the comparative prices of each description of ma- 

 chinery, and each branch of labor. It is too long 

 (or publication in a newspaper, but we here give 

 thegcnei-al recai)itidation of the estimates there 

 pivsentcd, showing the cost and produce of an 

 American and an English cotton mill of the de- 

 scription there given, with the general remarks 

 of tlie Chronicle, which we rccoinincnd 10 the 

 attention of ihose who are interested in this sub- 

 ject. 



Weft, No. 18, spindles [Am. 

 throstle ; Br. mule,] 2,112 2 400 



Speed 4,700 4,200 



Pounds produced 7,7'14. 5,660 



Hanks do 133,332 102,000 



Do per spindle 66 '424 



Pieces* of cloth woven from 



128 looms, 1,710 1408 



\ards woven 01300 35 20O 



Speed ot looms rier minute 120 93 



Effective shots oDtained 104 771 



From the foregoing estimates, is deduced the 

 comparative cost of manufacture in the two 

 countries. The expenses of a fortnight's opera- 

 tion in the American Mill, $1954 45, divided by 

 the number of yards produced, gives the cost of 

 a yard 3 4-5 cts. The expense ofthe British mill 

 for the same period $1133 69 cts. divided by 

 35,200 yards, gives a cost of 3 1-2 cents per yard. 

 The difference of cost 3-5 of a cent is equal to an 

 excess of 19 per cent, in the cost of the American 

 manufacture over the Britisli, the former, though 

 narrower, beiug the heaviest clotli, and containing 

 the most threads. 



To this is added an estimate ofthe comparative 

 cost ofthe raw material to the British and Amer- 

 ican manufacturer. The charges to the British 

 manufacturer, on the inqiort of cotton from an 

 American southern port, for shipment, freight, 

 instn-ance, importer's profit, duty and inland car- 

 riage, are estimated at 27 1-2 per cent, which 

 supposing the cost of the cotton at the place of 

 shipment to be 7d. or 14 cents, and supposing 

 2-5 of a pound of cotton to be required loia yard 

 of cloth, makes the originial cost of cotton 5 1-2 

 cents, and the cost in England 7 cents lor each 

 yard of cloth. The charges to the American 

 manufacturer, are estimated at J 1 per cent, on tie 

 cost of cotton at the exporting market, cr 6 1-5 

 cts. at the mill for the quantity required for a yard 

 of cloth. The American manufacturer, therelbre, 

 has the advantage of 4-5 of a cent per yard in the 

 cost ofthe raw material, while the English man- 

 ufacturer, has the advantage of 3-5 of a cent in 

 the cost of mantifacture ; making the advantage 

 in the aggregate in favor of the American manu- 

 facture 1-5 of a cent, per yard, or 1-35 or 3 per 

 cent, nearly in the whole cost. 



From other modes of calculation, it will be 

 apparent that in the cost of cotton the American 

 manufacturer has the advantage of about half 

 a cent a pound in the freight fiom the place of 

 production, as much more in being fiee from 

 import duty, and probably another half cent in the 

 difference of other charges. This makes a great 

 difference in his favor. 



In reference to the comparative expense ofthe 

 cotton manufacturers, in Great Britain ai;d this 

 country, the author remarks as follows : 



"That the general rate of waees is higher in 

 the United Stales than in Britainls admitted, par- 

 ticularly the wages of females employed in the 

 factories. The greater part of these aie farmers' 

 daughters, who go into the factories only for a 

 short time, until they make a little monev, and 

 then "clear out," as it is called : so that there is 

 a continual changing amongst them, and in all 

 the places I have visited, "they are generally 

 scarce; on that account the njanuiiicturer.-» are 

 under the necessity of pajiiig hij^h waces, as an 

 inducement ihr girls to prefer working nt the fac- 

 tories to house-work ; and while this state of 

 things continues, it is not to be expected that 

 wages in this comitry will be so low as in Great 

 Britain; and although they have undergone a 

 CO siderable reduction during the late depression 

 still they are higher than in any part of Britain." 

 " Throstle siiinning is nearly as cheap in this 

 country as in Britain, in consequence of the 

 higher speed at which the spinning frames arc 

 driven and the greater quantity of work p'roduced 

 in a given time. But the price of carding is fully 

 double that paid in Biitain, because here, men 

 are generally employed to attend the eanl:^ 

 spreading, scatcliing machines, &c. whil(> the 

 same work is done by boys and girls in Britain. 

 The lowest wages paid to any girl in the card 

 room, that I am aware of, is one dollar i;er week 

 and her hoard ; and taking her board at llie lowest 

 rate, viz: one dollar and twenty cents per week, 

 her wages in all will amount to two dolkrs twentv 

 s, equal to 10s. sterling per week. The a\e"- 

 rage rate of wages for girls in the cai-d ioom, may 



» The American pieces of 2,400 threads, a lliice-lealed 

 tweel, IS's warp, 30 inches broad, 30 yards lonfr. wei^diing 

 10 lbs. ; the British, a shirtiiij 2,000 threadf.^ie's warp, 

 18 s well 35 inches broad. 23 yards long weighed Zh ILs. 



