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Plantation owners weren't farmers in the sense that they themselves were actually out working the fields, and since they had set up a system where labor and cap
by Finnucane 7y ago
Plantation owners weren't farmers in the sense that they themselves were actually out working the fields, and since they had set up a system where labor and capital expense were conflated (i.e., labor was treated in the same category as farm animals or machines) they didn't place a priority on 'labor saving' systems until the time and maintenance cost became an issue.
- TomMckenny 7y agoThis effect can not be over stated. Plantation owners never invented the cotton gin in spite of the vast numbers of them and decades of cotton raising. I suspect there were additional social issues at play as well. For example, plantation owners, being at the top of the social hierarchy have less incentive to invent. Also that tier typically views tinkering and mechanics as lower status and so would avoid it on principle: prestige was based on land size and number of other people owned. Certainly not number of new ideas.
- bsder 7y agoIn short, steam power. Until you have industrial demand, you don't need industrial supply rates. Prior to the industrial demand, no one cares that cotton takes people too long to process as supply is matched to demand.