,,cotton1 ,,its ,,progress ,,from ,,the 
,,field ,,to ,,the ,,needle3  ,,being ,a
 ,,brief ,,sketch ,,of ,,the ,,culture  
,,of ,,the ,,plant1 ,,its ,,picking1    
,,cleaning1 ,,packing1 ,,shipment1 ,,and
 ,,manufacture4  ,illustration  ,,new   
,,york3 ,,published ,,by ,,robert       
,,logan  ,,co41 #ea ,,dey-,,street4     
#ahee4   ,,oliver  ,,brother1 ,,steam   
,,printers1 ,no4 #cb ,beckman-,street1  
,new-,york4     ,,preface4   ,among the 
utilitarian gifts of nature and art we  
know of none in more general use1 or of 
greater practical value1 than           
sewing-cotton4 ,the taste which turns   
into graceful shapes the products of the
 loom1 the executive skill which        
converts them into convenient and       
elegant apparel1 would be powerless     
without this simple accessory4 ,it is   
the food of the needle1 and might almost
 be called the thread of life to        
thousands of the gentler sex4 ,yet as it
 passes through the delicate fingers of 
mothers1 wives1 and daughters1          

ministering to so many wants1 and       
creating so many beautiful              
superfluities1 little thought is        
bestowed upon the labor1 the care1 the  
dexterity1 and the scientific ability   
required in producing the article4 ,the 
cultivation of the raw material1 the    
processes of picking1 ginning1 packing1 
shipping1 combing1 spinning1 and        
twisting1 are among the most interesting
 operations in the whole range of       
agriculture and manufactures2 and we    
think the ladies1 for whose especial    
convenience such a vast amount of       
industry1 skill1 and talent is employed1
 will not be unwilling to trace with us 
in a familiar way the progress of this  
great domestic staple from the field to 
the needle4  ,we therefore claim their  
attention to the following short        
treatise1 from which1 without being     
fatigued by dry details1 they may derive
 a tolerably accurate idea of what      
capital1 labor1 and science have done to
 bring to its present perfection the    

simple article of sewing-cotton4        
,,cultivation ,,of ,,the ,,cotton       
,,plant4   ,the cotton-planting season  
in all the ,southern ,states commences  
in ,april4 ,the seed is sown in drills1 
a negro girl following the light plough 
which makes the furrow1 and throwing the
 seed into the shallow trench as she    
moves along4 ,a harrow follows to cover 
up the deposits1 and the work of        
planting is completed4 ,about two and a 
half bushels of seed are required for an
 acre of ground4  ,illustration  ,in a  
week or ten days the cotton is up1 when 
a small plough is run along the drills1 
throwing the earth from the tender      
plants4 ,the next process is scraping2  
in other words1 thinning out and        
earthing up the plants1 so as to leave  
each in the centre of a little hill1    
some two feet distant from its nearest  
neighbors4 ,the dexterity and accuracy  
with which this feat is accomplished are
 wonderful2 and there are few spectacles
 more animated and picturesque than that

 of a hundred active field-hands        
flourishing their bright hoes among the 
young vegetation1 each striving to      
outstrip the others in hoeing out his   
row4 ,several ploughings and hoeings    
intervene between the first of ,may and 
the last of ,june4  ,in ,july the cotton
 fields burst into bloom1 creaming the  
landscape with a sea of blossoms1 the   
flower being very nearly of the same    
tint as the ultimate product in its     
unbleached state4 ,the new beauty thus  
imparted to the scenery is1 however1    
ephemeral4 ,the blossoms unfold in the  
night1 are in their full glory in the   
morning1 and by noon have begun to fade4
 ,on the following day their cream-color
 has changed to a dull red1 and before  
sunset the petals have fallen1 leaving  
inclosed in the calyx the germ or form  
of the filamental fruit4  ,the cotton   
plant1 in its progress towards maturity1
 is liable to the assaults of as many   
enemies as the young crocodile on the   
banks of the ,nile2 but among them all1 

the army-worm is the most destructive4  
,this worm is produced from the eggs of 
a chocolate-colored moth of particularly
 harmless and demure appearance2 but its
 name is legion1 its ravages terrific4  
,no one who has beheld an invasion of   
these caterpillars can ever forget it4  
,deep trenches are dug to arrest their  
progress1 but these are soon filled up  
by the accumulating myriads2 and onward 
move the living destroyers over the     
bodies of the buried masses4 ,huge logs 
are drawn through the trenches by yokes 
of oxen1 and the multitudinous swarms   
crushed to a paste1 of which the        
effluvium taints the air for miles2 but 
still the incursion1 if checked1 is not 
arrested4 ,when the planter sees the    
army-worm in his fields1 he is ready to 
give up his crop in despair4  ,by the   
middle of ,july the bolls or forms begin
 to open2 and the cotton fields1 when   
viewed from a short distance1 present   
the appearance of being covered with    
ridges of white surf4 ,toward the close 

of the month the picking season         
commences1 and is continued without     
intermission until the ,christmas       
holidays4 ,each field-hand is supplied  
with a basket and a bag4 ,the basket is 
placed at the end of the cotton row1 and
 the bag1 as fast as filled1 is emptied 
into it4 ,it is a pleasant sight1 on the
 old plantation1 to see the pickers     
returning at nightfall from their work1 
with their well-filled baskets          
picturesquely poised upon their woolly  
heads4 ,falling into line with the      
stoutest in the van1 they move along    
through the twilight1 too tired to talk 
or sing1 anxious only to deposit their  
store in the packing-house1 and retire  
to their quarters to rest4 ,a first-rate
 hand will pick from three hundred to   
three hundred and fifty pounds of cotton
 per day4  ,illustration  ,the next     
process is the ginning1 or separation of
 the cotton from the seeds4 ,the        
invention of the cotton-gin by ,eli     
,whitney1 a ,new ,england youth1 in     

#agic1 marked a new epoch in the cotton 
trade1 and at once more than quadrupled 
the value of the article as a national  
staple4 ,arkwright had already          
introduced the spinning-frame1 and      
through the genial influence of these   
two great inventions1 a pound of cotton1
 formerly spun tediously by hand into a 
thread of five hundred feet1 was        
lengthened into a filament of one       
hundred and fifty miles2 and the value  
of our cotton exports was increased in  
sixty years from fifty thousand to one  
hundred and twelve millions of dollars6 
,illustration3 ,,packing ,,press4       
,after the ginning comes the baling of  
the cotton1 which ends the labor        
bestowed upon it on the plantation4 ,in 
this process powerful screw-presses are 
employed4 ,the cotton is inclosed in    
,kentucky bagging1 and the contents of  
each bale are compressed by the screw   
almost to the solidity of stone4 ,the   
cotton is now ready for market4         
,illustration  ,toward the close of the 

packing season there are jolly times on 
the plantation4 ,fox-hunting and racing 
are the order of the day4 ,the ,southern
 planter1 like the fine old ,english    
gentleman1 opens house to all1 and all  
goes merry as a marriage bell4 ,sambo   
rubs up his old musket1 and is out after
 the ducks1 while ,dinah's shining face 
wears an extra gloss in anticipation of 
the holidays4 ,throughout the holidays  
there is high festival in the negro     
quarters4 ,the shovel and the hoe are   
laid down1 and the fiddle is continually
 going4 ,so ends the cotton season4     
,shipment on the ,mississippi4   ,the   
cotton1 being packed1 is to be sent to  
market4 ,for this purpose it is hauled1 
generally by oxen1 to the nearest       
landing on the river1 where the bales   
are rolled down the banks and stowed on 
board freight boats bound to ,new       
,orleans or ,mobile4 ,this process is   
technically called bumping4 ,there are  
certain plantations famous for the      
tenacious and beautiful quality of their

 cotton1 from which the supplies for    
,,dick  ,,sons' celebrated sewing-cotton
 mills at ,glasgow are principally      
derived4  ,illustration     ,delivery   
and ,re-shipment at ,new ,orleans4      
,illustration  ,it would be difficult to
 describe the scene of bustle and       
seeming confusion presented by the levee
 at ,new ,orleans when the bulk of the  
new crop begins to come in4 ,the songs  
and clamor of the negro stevedores1 at  
work in the holds and on the decks of   
the vessels2 the sharp authoritative    
expletives of the overseers and masters2
 the eager conversations of the         
merchants1 and the preternatural        
activity into which the occasion seems  
to have spurred all the energies of     
,southern life1 are to ,northern ears   
and eyes at once amusing and            
confounding4 ,but order reigns amidst   
this seeming chaos4 ,the ,mississippi   
boats are rapidly relieved of their     
bulky cargoes1 and the cotton is        
warehoused or re-shipped1 as the case   

may be1 with marvellous celerity4       
,generally the shipments for the ,clyde 
,mills1 ,glasgow1 are among the first of
 the season2 and the primest article in 
the market is always selected for ,,dick
  ,,sons by the ,new ,orleans agents of 
the firm4  ,illustration3 ,,dick        
,,sons' ,,clyde ,,thread-,,mills4       
,arrival at ,glasgow4   ,the view of the
 ,,clyde ,,thread-,,mills1 furnished by 
our engraver from accurate drawings     
taken on the spot1 affords a very good  
idea of the extensive manufactory of    
,,dick  ,,sons1 from which this country 
is now supplied with the most perfect1  
even1 and tenacious sewing-cotton made  
in the world4 ,the cotton for the mills1
 after having been unloaded and         
inspected by the revenue officers1 is   
conveyed at once to the mills1 where    
there is an immense amount of warehouse 
room for the raw material1 independent  
of the space devoted to machinery and   
the storage of the manufactured article4
 ,of the latter1 however1 there is never

 a large accumulation1 the active and   
ever-increasing demand taxing to the    
utmost the facilities of production1    
great as they are4     ,the             
,manufacturing1 c4   ,a full description
 of the processes of scutching1 carding1
 spinning1 twisting1 bleaching1 and     
spooling1 through all of which the      
cotton passes before it is packed for   
exportation in the form of thread1 would
 require more space than we can devote  
to them in this treatise1 and1 moreover1
 would be rather dry reading for the    
ladies1 for whose information and       
amusement this little publication is    
intended4 ,it is sufficient to say1 that
 all the latest improvements in         
machinery1 in each of the above         
branches1 have been introduced at the   
,clyde ,works2 and that as regards the  
perfection of their mechanical          
facilities1 as well as in point of      
capacity1 they have no rivals in the    
,united ,kingdom4     ,manufactured     
,article in ,new ,york4   ,the          

consignments of ,,dick  ,,sons'         
spool-cotton to this city are on a scale
 of magnitude which those who have never
 reflected upon the immense and         
universal consumption of the article    
would scarcely believe4 ,the bulk of the
 importations is received by the        
,collins' line of steamers1 and         
delivered at the ,collins' wharf1 whence
 it is conveyed to the ,new ,york agency
 of the firm1 #ea ,,dey-,,street4 ,to   
the trade it is unnecessary to say1 that
 ,,dick  ,,sons' six-cord spool-cotton  
is the best in the market2 and ladies   
generally are aware that in strength1   
uniformity of thickness1 and closeness  
of fibre1 it is superior to any other   
sewing-thread in use4  ,illustration    
,mr4 ,dick1 senior1 has probably had    
more experience as a manufacturer of the
 article than any other man living4     
,prior to commencing business on his own
 account he had been for nearly thirty  
years the manager of a factory          
celebrated for producing a superior     

description of sewing-cotton1 also well 
known in the ,united ,states4 ,hence the
 cotton of ,,dick  ,,sons came into the 
market with a ready-made popularity4    
,the name of ,mr4 ,,dick was a guarantee
 of its excellence1 and a large demand  
for it spontaneously sprang up in the   
,united ,states1 ,canada1 the ,west     
,indies1 and the ,british possessions in
 ,india1 and throughout the world4      
,illustration  ,infinite pains are taken
 to retain for the article the celebrity
 it has acquired4 ,every spool is       
inspected before it leaves the factory  
at ,glasgow1 so that no defective       
specimens can possibly reach the hands  
of consumers4     ,,conclusion4   ,the  
history of the culture of cotton1 and of
 its application to the uses of man1    
forms an almost romantic episode in the 
annals of agriculture1 commerce1 and    
manufactures4 ,we have already mentioned
 the extraordinary impetus given to its 
production1 sale1 and use by the        
introduction of ,whitney's saw-gin1 for 

separating the seeds from the wool1 in  
the years #agic and #agid4 ,since that  
time the progress of the demand and     
consumption has been no less wonderful4 
,in #agid the export rose from #ahg1jjj 
lbs41 the sum total for the previous    
year1 to #a1fja1gfj lbs4 ,the next year 
it was over #f1jjj1jjj lbs4 ,in #ahjj it
 had advanced to about #ah1jjj1jjj lbs41
 and in #ahaj to upwards of #ic1jjj1jjj 
lbs4 ,the last returns before us are for
 #aheb1 when the export of the short    
staple variety alone exceeded one       
thousand one hundred millions of pounds6
 ,to this aggregate we suppose about one
 hundred millions of pounds may be added
 for the sea-island and other           
long-fibred cottons4  ,it may well be   
doubted whether among all the fabrics   
into which this enormous amount of raw  
material is converted there is one more 
valuable than sewing-cotton4 ,we think  
if the question were put to the ladies  
to-morrow1 whether the textile fabrics  
produced from cotton1 or cotton         

sewing-thread1 were the most            
indispensable to their comfort and      
convenience1 every thimbled hand would  
be held up in favor of the latter4      
,sewing-silk is too expensive for       
ordinary exigencies1 and linen thread   
cannot be spun of the same smooth and   
even fibre as cotton thread2 and        
besides1 being liable to knot and twist1
 is apt to cut the lighter and more     
fragile products of the loom4 ,abolish  
sewing-cotton1 and you abolish muslin   
embroidery and innumerable delicate and 
fairy-like embellishments of female     
loveliness1 which taste and fashion have
 endorsed4  ,every lady is by habit a   
connoisseur in the article4 ,she        
examines the spools with a critical eye2
 she tries the strength of the thread2  
she passes it through her fingers to    
test its evenness and compactness1 and  
when seated at her work1 detects in a   
moment any defects which may have been  
overlooked by the manufacturer4  ,to    
this ordeal the six-cord cotton-thread  

of ,,dick  ,,sons is cheerfully         
submitted4 ,it challenges inspection and
 comparison4 ,there is little necessity1
 however1 for an appeal to the ladies in
 relation to its good qualities1 for    
they have them already at their fingers'
 ends4