RELATIONS TO OTHER SCIENCES 723 



wheat then fail us, Indian corn will be ready to take its place with an 

 equal amount of protein. 



The development of the rice industry in Louisiana and Texas fur- 

 nishes a good example of the building-up of a new industry by the 

 introduction of a new type of seed and of improved methods of cul- 

 tivation and harvesting. Rice was one of the earliest introductions 

 into this country and was grown for nearly two hundred years in 

 South Carolina and the adjacent states with little improvement of 

 method. It was thought that these states were the only ones that 

 possessed the requisite irrigable lands. It has recently been discov- 

 ered, however, that the prairie lands of southern Louisiana and 

 Texas will produce large crops of rice, if provided with the requisite 

 water, which is now obtained from bayous or artesian wells. The 

 water is drained off in time to permit the ground to dry and the crop 

 is then harvested with machinery similar to that used with wheat. 

 As a result of these improved methods, the total rice-production of 

 this country has increased in five years from about 100,000,000 

 pounds to about 400,000,000 pounds. The two states mentioned 

 produce over 90 per cent of this. As the American people import 

 some 40,000,000 pounds of rice annually, there is still room for 

 the development of this industry. It is estimated that there are 

 available in these two states alone 3,000,000 acres of land suitable 

 for rice-growing. This is perhaps the best single illustration of the 

 introduction of new races of seed and the use of improved methods 

 of cultivation in their production. 



I wish next to suggest another place where scientific investigations 

 of a similar character are greatly needed. Cotton-culture needs pre- 

 cisely the same sort of attention from scientific men and expert 

 agriculturists as has been given to wheat, corn, and rice. Con- 

 sidering the immense importance of this crop, it is remarkable that 

 it has not received more systematic study. 



A group of states in the southern portion of America, constituting 

 less than one fourth of the total area of the United States, grows from 

 60 to 70 per cent of the cotton consumed in the world. The total 

 value of the annual crop is exceeded, among the cultivated crops of 

 the United States, only by Indian corn and occasionally by wheat, 

 both of which are grown in almost every state. Since it is fair to 

 assume that all the fibers have been pretty well tested as to their 

 capabilities and uses, we may conclude that cotton, now the preferred 

 fiber, is destined to grow steadily in favor with civilized man, and 

 will continue to be used by him in increasing amounts. We are 

 constantly finding new uses for it, and may safely predict that the 

 demand for cotton will increase rather than diminish. It has been 

 estimated that to meet the world's demand, when its standard of 

 consumption has been raised to that of the civilized nations, will 



