COTTON 



265 



rupture. Acreage is gradually increasing, but so 

 also is the number of spindles ; so also is the demand 

 for the products of these acres and spindles. 



While during the past twenty-five years there 

 has been no great change in the price of the raw 

 product, it is true that the cost 01 farm labor has 

 increased with no appreciable decrease in the gen- 

 eral cost of production ; it is true also that manufac- 

 tured goods have very greatly decreased in price, 

 while here the cost of production has materially 

 decreased because of increased skill in manufacture 

 and the increasingly large number of labor-saving 

 machines. 



PRICES OF COTTON 



That the selling price of cotton has not decreased 

 is seen in the table below; but let it be remembered 

 that few improved tools and implements have yet 

 been found of service in cotton production so as 

 to decrease the cost of growing. 



HIGH AND LOW PRICES IN NEW YORK 

 FOR MIDDLING UPLAND COTTON 



