Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-11-01
BIG FIELD FOR COTTON
England Win Investigate South west, Says Edward Atkinson.
MAY ooLoHIzE VAST DISTRICT

Boston Econom Suggests That ItaI-
 Ian Peasants on Virgin Lands Could
 Add 6,OOO,00O Bales of Cottop and
 3OO,OOO, ,OOO Bushels of Wheat to the
 Present Annual Production of the
 United States.
 The possibility that English cotton manufacturers may look to certain DOT tions of the south and southwest for insurance of a steady supply of cotton is suggested in recent issue of the Manufacturers Record by Edward At kinson of Boston, who has recently returned from England. He says that in conversation with his British friends he made the following statement:
 ..The present crop of maize of the United States is grown on 105,000 to 10000 square miles. The present crop of wheat is grown on 65,000 to 10000 square miles; the present crop of cot ton upon less than 30,000 square miles. We may add 10000 to 25,000 square miles for rice, tobacco, hops and such other minor products of the soil as enter into our exports, making total area, say, of 230,000 square miles out of 100000, emitting Alaska. On this small fraction even of our arable land the people of the United States are fully supplied with meat, dairy prod ucts, grain and cotton, with large excess for export, mainly to Great Britain.
 Our kin beyond the sea are mainly dependent upon us for food and cot ton. We may mainly depend upon them for market for our surplus. Such being the fact, I hold that they must be recognized and that the atten- tion of consumers in Great Britain should be turned to the development of these resources in cooperation with us
 Two most important groups of, in vestigators are now being organized to find out whether my statements, al- most incredible to them, can possibly be sustained.
 Having thus measured the area of these special groups, then affirmed that section could be defined in north ern Texas, Oklahoma, the Indian Terri tory, northern Louisiana and perhaps a patch of Arkansas, coupled with an area of the prairie rice land of Louisi- ana and Texas, of 230,000 square miles Corresponding to area now in maize, wheat, cotton, tobacco, rice and hops). of which not one in ten was yet under the blow or not yet developed.
 T stated that the land is there, the capital abundant, the power of direc- tion simple, all that is needed being in telligent labor, preferably Italian and southern European. Italian peasants, being accustomed to live on fruit and macaroni would find in this section every variety of the semitropical fruits increasing in abundance and an ample produce of the hard macaroni wheat.
 ''I also called attention to the, fact rthat erthe aRed river navigation to, New Orleans and its affiuents offered cheap and quick transportation on the way to Liverpool, that several great systems of railroads were gridironed along this whole section, with ample railway service, and that the school system, from the public kindergarten to the itate university, the normal schools, he technical schools and the agricul- .ural schools, was in complete working ,rder.
 T then made this further-to them icredible-statemen (can it be sus-
 ,ined dD-to wit, one quarter part of
 is area of 230.000 square miles never
 touched by the blow. save 55.000
 uarc miles, may be devoted to cotton
 d wheat, and by intelligent cultiva-
 on G.G00,000 bales of cotton may be
 lded to the present crop of the United
 sates at the present rate of product
 .r acre and 300,000,000 bushels of ,heat may be added to the present .rop of the United States at the aver lge product of this section at the pres ent time, or an increase of about 90 per cent on the present product of the whole country. Whether or not these statements can be justified will pres ently be proved by the two lines of in- vestigation from England to which l have referred