COTTON CULTURE. 1G1 



and, four hundred and forty-five ; of the East Indies, four 

 hundred forty-five thousand, six hundred and thirty-seven ; 

 and for the United States, three millions, eight hundred 

 and eighty thousand, five hundred and eighty or nearly 

 seven-eighths of the product of the world. . 



Of this whole amount, a little less than half went di- 

 rectly to the English mills ; one-sixth was manufactured 

 in America, and the balance in other European States. 



A study of the tables prepared by Mr. Gribble, those 

 contained in the New Orleans Price Current, and those in 

 the Xew York Shipping and Commercial List, though va- 

 rying considerably in their details, as all such tables will, 

 and none of them more than proximately correct, has 

 brought me to the following conclusions : 



I. The regular increase in the growth of American 

 cotton from the year 1830 to the outbreak of the Civil 

 War was at the rate of an additional million of bales 

 about every ten years. 



II. The fluctuation in the amount of American cotton 

 produced has always been moderate ; thus, for instance, 

 between 1830 and 1840, the crop in three yoars went be- 

 low the figures of 1830; then again, between 1840 and 

 1850, the crop went three times below the figure of 1840 ; 

 thus apparently establishing the rule that drought, frosts, 

 or the caterpillar, may be expected materially to diminish 

 only three crops in ten on American soil. 



III. When a crop is once stowed in bottoms at the 

 great exporting towns, the country to which it shall go is 

 a matter determined almost entirely by the facilities for 

 manufacturing which different countries afford ; and as in 

 England there is, at present, a combination on the larg- 

 est scale of cheap motive power with cheap labor, Eng- 

 land will continue to receive the largest amounts of cotton 

 as long as her coal is abundant and low-priced. In 1860, 

 she manufactured half the cotton produced in the world. 



IV. The cotton manufactures of Great Britain have 



