August 13, 1853
1 min read
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Mr. R. T. Brown, of Crawfordsville, in a communication to Governor Wright, President ef the Indiana State Board of Agriculture, says:— " I send you enclosed a few samples of flax cotton presented to me by the Hon. H. L. Ellsworth, of Lafayette. Mr. Ellsworth has secured the machinery necessary for the manufacture ot cotton, and will have it in operation eaily in the season. He has on hand the stem grown on 120 acres last season, which, from experiments already made, will, he supposes, yield about 300 pounds per acre of cotton similar to No. 2 of the enclosed specimens. The expense of reducing the fibre to this state, after the stem is produced, is about two cents per pound, which, at the usual price of cotton (10 cents) will leave eight cents per pound, or $24 per acre for the farmer who produces it, To this must be added the value of the seed, which will range from $6 to $8 per acre—giving a final result of $30 at least for each acre. This is Mr. Ellsworth's calculation.
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