Aside from the cottons ordinarily classed as sea-island and upland, which are cultivated ex tensively in the united States, a third group, known as long-staple uplands (Fig. 357 ), is grown in considerable quantity, over 100,000 bales being produced annually. The long-staple upland cotton ranges from one and one-fourth to one and five-eighths inches in length of lint. While the derivation of the long-staple upland varieties is not positively known, it is probable that they have developed from variations of the ordinary short-staple upland, and they are ordinarily referred to the same species (G. hirsutum).
In what land and in what period of antiquity cotton was first used will probably never be known. Its use seems to be coeval with human history. Early writers tell us that it was worn by the ancient Egyptians and used for other purposes, more than a thousand years before Christ. With the progress of civilization it has grown in favor and in extent of cultivation, until it has become one of the most important crops in the world, the greatest of all fiber crops, and the most widely manufactured of all textiles. This great extension of the industry, however, has developed within comparatively recent years. Previous to the middle of the eight eenth century, cotton had to be spun and woven by hand machines. There was also great difficulty experienced in separating the seed from the fibers, as it had to be done by hand. This work was usually done at night. After finishing the ordinary day's work, the members of the family would gather around the fireside and begin the work of pulling the fibers from the seed with their fingers, the task of each one being to separate four pounds, or enough seed to fill one of his or her shoes. Because of these primitive methods of manufacturing the article and the great difficulty in separating the lint from the seed, it was for a long time produced only in limited quantities, mainly for domestic purposes, and thus prevented assuming the dignity of an important industry until little over a cen tury ago. In the latter half of the eighteenth century there was a great in dustrial revolu tion. The cotton industry was greatly stimu lated, ma inly by the invention of the spinning jenny, the self acting mule, the power loom, the steam engine, the saw-gin, and other useful ma chines.
these inventions,the house indus try soon gave way to the fac tory, and ma chines were substituted for hand labor. The demand for raw material became greater, and production was immensely increased. There was a minute division of labor and a great specialization of the industry. The markets for the manufactured products were enormously extended, and thus was developed almost as oy magic the most widely diversified industry in the world.
The growth of the cotton industry in this country has been marvelous indeed. With but few inter ruptions, there has been a rapid and steady increase in production since the invention of the saw-gin by Whitney. Estimating 500 pounds as an average bale, in 1792 less than 6,000 bales were produced; in 1820 the production was 320,000 bales, in 1840 it reached 1,668,221 bales, and by 1860 it had in creased to 4,483,311 bales. During the great civil war in the sixties, the production of cotton prac tically ceased, thereby causing a cotton famine in this country and in Europe. Hundreds of mills had to cease running, thousands of operatives were thrown out of employment, and prices soared be yond all bounds, reaching the high mark of over a dollar per pound and carrying the shock of the con test to the uttermost parts of the globe. During this period great efforts were made to stimulate the production of cotton in India and other parts of the world. The failure of other countries to supply the demand while stimulated by these fabu lous prices is a splendid demonstration of the prac tical impossibility of maintaining the industry without the American cotton. After the close of the civil war, production was resumed in this country and has been continued since at a rapid rate of increase, reaching 8,547,468 bales in 1892, and 13,693,279 bales in 1904. In a single century, from 1804 to 1904, the crop increased from 130, 000 bales, valued at $13,000,014, to 13,693,279 bales, valued at $557,147,306.65. In the early his tory of cotton cultivation the sends were not valued at all. Growers were troubled to know how to get rid of them. But in 1904 the seeds alone were valued at $90,258,227.86, making the total value of that year's crop, unmanufactured, $647,405,534 51.