HISTORY OF COTTON 9 



so long as present high prices for other products 

 exist. The present practice of growing cotton 

 and buying from the proceeds the necessary 

 supplies to run the farm is seldom profitable. 

 About one third of the American crop is 

 consumed in the United States, the remainder 

 being exported. The estimated total value of 

 the last two crops, including seed, is #1,000,- 

 000,000 each. This is a vast sum of money 

 and should the Southern farmers make up 

 their minds to grow this amount of cotton and 

 in addition all the food supplies for man and 

 teams, a thing that could easily be done, it 

 would be only a question of a few years until 

 the cotton farmers of the United States would 

 be the most prosperous and independent of 

 all men. 



