152 AGRICULTURE FOR BEGINNERS 



period ; (c} abundant sunshine and little rain during the 

 plant's maturing period. 



In America, the Southern States from Virginia to Texas 

 have these climatic qualities, and it is in these states that 

 the cotton industry has been developed until it is one of the 

 giant industries of the world. This development has been 

 very rapid. As late as 1736 the cotton plant was grown as 

 an ornamental flowering plant in many front yards ; in 1 899, 

 1 1,199,994 bales of cotton were grown in the South. 



There are a great many varieties of cotton. Only two 

 of these, however, are of much interest to the practical 

 American farmer. These are (i) the short-stapled, upland 

 variety most commonly grown in all the Southern States; 



FIG. 144. IN THE GROWING SEASON 



and (2) the beautiful, long-stapled, black-seeded sea-island 

 variety that grows upon the islands and a portion of the 

 mainland of Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. The 

 air of the coast seems necessary for the production of 



