COTTON GIN AND PACKING SCREW. 293 



States reduced ; and in England it is forbid to employ minors 

 in cotton mills to work more than ten hours per day, or nine 

 hours on Saturday ; in consequence they work at something 

 else. 



1834. Cotton at 17 cents. 



1835. Extensive purchases made of cotton lands by specu- 

 lators and others. 



1836. Cotton from 18 to 20 cents. 



SECTION VI. COTTON GIN AND PACKING SCREW. 



MESSRS. EDITORS : One of your correspondents has dis- 

 covered that cast-iron screws are a desideratum in packing 

 cotton, and refers to Mr. Finley, of Macon, for the cost of 

 them. This is no new discovery. The first screw employed 

 in packing cotton was probably made of iron. About the year 

 seventeen hundred and ninety-five, a gentleman from Balti- 

 more the father of Judge Bull, of La Grange settled in Co- 

 lumbia county, in this State, and introduced the cotton gin, 

 although Whitney claimed the credit of it and will probably 

 always be known as the inventor of a machine which has pro- 

 duced such a marvelous revolution in the commerce of the 

 world. Bull lived in Columbia county, and Whitney resided 

 on the plantation of Gen. Green (of revolutionary memory) in 

 Liberty county, two counties at that period considered very 

 remote from each other and between them there was but little 

 intercourse. Their inventions having the same object in view 

 were nevertheless made without a knowledge of any preexist- 

 ing machine for ginning cotton. Bull used at first perpendic- 

 ular saws, but very soon ascertained that circular saws were 

 better adapted to his purposes and substituted them. Whit- 

 ney obtained a patent for his invention and commenced suits 



