304 
COTTON 
cotton for weft or transverse threads, being unable 
to give that firmness and hardness which is re- 
quired for the longitudinal threads or warp. 
But the spinning-frame came a few years later. 
A really wonderful machine this was, spinning a 
large number of threads of any degree of fineness 
and hardness, calling on the operator simply to feed 
cotton to it, and to tie threads that broke accident- 
ally. Up to this time the hand loom was required 
for all of the work of weaving. That meant, of 
course, long, weary days for many, many people. 
Now something better was in store. The power 
loom was to supersede the work of the hand. And 
next, just as power is needed, behold it also comes ! 
For Watt has succeeded with his steam engine, ready 
to supply the manufacturer with a new power appli- 
cable to every purpose, easy to control, and read- 
ily placed where most convenient, and right in 
the midst of an industrious people. 
But what are these inventions without cotton ? 
Can cotton farming and manufacturing become 
extensive while the seed must be separated from 
lint by hand ? 
It has been said that "necessity is the mother of 
all inventions." Surely if cotton goods were to be 
manufactured, it was necessary that cotton be pro- 
duced cheaply and that it be easily prepared for 
manufacturing. 
And so finally this brilliant series of practical in- 
ventions is completed with Whitney's cotton gin. 
Other inventions leading to the improvement of 
those here mentioned or blending with them in such 
a manner as to make their work more efficient, 
called for increased quantities of raw cotton 
which could now be supplied economically and in 
quantities sufficient to meet the world's needs. 
