||| CHAPTER V. 



A 25,000,000 BALE CROP: WILL THE SOUTH BE 

 READY WHEN THE WORLD DEMANDS IT? 



Thirty years ago the South grew only 4,000,000 

 bales of cotton; twenty years ago 6,000,000 bales; 

 ten years ago, 8,000,000 bales; the last three crops 

 have averaged more than 11,000,000. 



And the end is not yet. Cotton is not only sup- 

 planting other fabrics (we have seen how rapidly 

 wool production is decreasing) , but the demand for 

 the great Southern staple is increasing as a result 

 of the constant raising of our standards of living 

 and of comfort, and as a result of the advance of 

 civilization among peoples heretofore barbarous. 

 The time will soon have passed when "the lady in 

 middle Africa may cavalierly inform the agent of 

 the American cotton mill that clothes are of doubt- 

 ful propriety amongst the aristocracy of the Con- 

 go Valley anyhow." 



THE WORLD WILL DEMAND 42,000,000 BALES 



"It is estimated," says the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, " that of the world's popula- 

 tion of 1,500,000,000, about 500,000,000 regularly 



wear clothes, about 750,000,000 are partially 







(42) 



