206 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



COTTON AS IT COMES INTO THE FACTORY 



When cotton reaches the factory in the bale the fibers are kinky 

 and tangled, like a bunch of snarled hair. One pound out of 

 every four of the bale's weight is due to the dirt, sand, and other 

 foreign substances in it. Massachusetts annually spins a million 

 bales like the one shown here. 



the thirty years, 1880-1910, that followed, 

 the forest was able to retake from the 

 field half of the territory the hardy 

 farmer had won, and has left the State 

 only a little more than a million acres of 

 improved land where formerly it had 

 considerably more than two million. 



Nor is it to be doubted that this year's 

 census will show even larger losses in 

 improved land. One has only to motor 

 through the better farming communities 

 to see thousands of acres that have been 

 abandoned recently, and to find "For 

 Sale" signs along every highway ; for 

 how few farmers can withstand the lure 

 of $40 a week for himself, $30 for his 

 wife, and $25 for his daughter, with 

 eight hours a day for everybody ! 



This tremendous 

 slump in agriculture has 

 taken place in spite of 

 the fact that, acre for 

 acre, the value of Mas- 

 sachusetts crops is prob- 

 ably higher than that of 

 any other State in the 

 American Union. Fur- 

 thermore, it is in spite 

 of the fact that some of 

 the most fertile farming 

 land in America is to be 

 found in the Bay State 

 adapted for the growth 

 of specialties, seeds, on- 

 ions, etc. 



The Massachusetts 

 Agricultural College is 

 intelligently striving to 

 offset the sweep of the 

 tide that is carrying peo- 

 ple from the farm to the 

 factory. The task is a 

 hard one and the odds 

 against its accomplish- 

 ment are tremendous, 

 but much good is being 

 done. 



Massachusetts was one 

 of the first to appreciate 

 the advantage of good 

 roads and to undertake 

 a State-wide program of 

 highway construction. 

 Many millions of dol- 

 lars have been spent in 

 perfecting a system of trunk lines. The 

 result is that the whole State is a paradise 

 for the summer motorist, and tens of 

 thousands of Americans gather in this 

 vacation land, which can suit every taste 

 and pocketbook. 



A statistician has estimated that sum- 

 mertime visitors swell the population by 

 one-fourth. That is probably an over- 

 estimate, but it gives some idea as to the 

 influx of folk on vacation bent. 



HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS PRESERVED 



Just as Massachusetts was a pioneer 

 in recognizing the advantage of good 

 automobile roads, it was also the first 

 State to appreciate the development of 

 its historic resources. There are mark- 



