The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-10-20
COTTON THE BASIS
OF S0.U ]. WEALTH N
Texas Alone Credited with One
Third of the Worlds Supply,
Which Brings in Millions of
Dollars Each Year.
BETTER METHODS BRING
IN RICHER RETURNS
Utilization Of By-Products, Once
Considered of No Earthly VAL
ue, Now the Source of meal
culable Riches to the Planter.

uG, NOW GAC SOu4CC u AAO'A-
culable Riches to the Planter.
Special to The Journal.
HOUSTON, Texas. Oct 1s.-1n the
agricultural world today one of the most
important, products, if not the leading
one, is cotton, and in the manufacturing
world the greatest industry in many re-
spects is the manufacture of cotton and
cotton by-products. In the growth Of
cotton the United States holds the proud
| position Of contributing three-fourths OF
all this great staple produced in the
! world and of this amount the state OF
Texas alone can claim about one-third
The city of Houston, the second largest
city in Texas, stands today as the great
| est cotton market in the world. In 1905
the receipts for the cotton year showed
that 2,422,562 bales had been handled in
Houston representing total wealth of
I sos, 347, 500 at the average price for the
: year Of fraction over cents pound.
The city lies in the midst Of a very rich
cotton territory, where the yield from the
fertile bottom lands often is one and one
4 half bales per acre, and by means OF the
\ extensive railroad systems radiating from
Houston her markets are made readily
4 available to all the cotton growers OF
Texas no matter where they are located.
q This is not only a large source of wealth
4 to Houston itself, but it is Of the great
B est Importance to the cotton growers,
for they are thus brought in touch with
q the cotton interests of the whole world,
h and can secure the best prices for their
q bales.
I o. Although the United States almost
from the first period Of colonization has
produced cotton and has steadily been
every one who is at all familiar with the
conditions Of the cotton industry all over
the world today must admit that our
great South has but just passed the
in the future her power will be more alb
solute than that of the most famous
T. monarchs OF old.
Can Meet Worlds Requirements.
y year ago, in speaking to the Aneri-
/ can Cotton Manufacturers association,
L President Reinhardt said:
/ THE crop of 1904 and 1905 has dem
Z onstrated to the trade that the cotton
growing states Of America are capable of
producing a sufficient supply to meet the
requirements of the cotton manufacture
ing world
LII a recent OHlLeu StdteS government
report an even more significant state
ment is made in the assertion that Texas
alone could produce, if her resources
wdS is ~ the enfre
l at present. Having before us two such
statements as these, coming from most
reliable sources; 1t Is not difficult to
I Southern states, and especially in Texas,
| is destined to become the most prosper
Gus farmer In the world.
That there are great difficulties to be
I met and overcome, great problems to be
most scientifically worked out, is every
where admitted by those most interested
l in the progress of the cotton industry
so OF tbs
need be no doubt Of the ultimate success
Of the efforts which are being made ir
all Of the cotton growing states to intro.
l duce improvements
Better Methods; Better Crops.
! Better methods of cultivation are
yearly being introduced, and this mean:
less labor per pound. With the new cot
ton planting machines one man, driving
g single mule, can plant six acres in :
/ was planted with hoe, a good day.!
! work was one. acre. The modern gang
plow for cultivating,. the machine foi
ehopp PM out extr f plants the improved
2 times as many bales with half as man!
Z laborers as the old kinds, have all con:
4 tr1buted their share toward promoting
that modern ingenuity will devise prac
tical mechanical cotton picker.
Independence Of the Planters.
great sources of wealth Of the Texa
cotton farmer, and in other Southern
states It is not only making amends TO-
l years OF Wasteful cultivation of the soil
u but, Dv furnishing the n1antarc wit
\ plies for the home needs and fodder TO
I the live stock. 1t has made them more in
dependent, and they are no longer oblige,
I to sell their cotton at once for whateve
price they can get at the nearest market
but can store it until the prices are good
In Texas diversified farming is carried o.
states, because the lands are so rich. es
pecially in the southern counties abou
Houston, that they can be kept unde
cult1vatlon r;o, the year round round and thus b
out the use Of fertilizer to keep Their
4 from running out.
The by-products form a most import
ant factor in the cotton industry today
for 1t Is now profitable to work up prac
ttcally the whole available crop of see
into commercial products. The leave
nave certain value as coarse fodder, tn
stems can be made into fiber for bae
ging: and the bark of the root has med
cinal properties. Next to the lint, how
eyer, the seed is the most valuable for
yAeAus COttOu SeeQ OIL, meal Which ca
be used for fodder and for fertilizing, an
] hulls, which are used for the manufal
w ture Of paper and for fuel the ashes be-
q ing an excellent fertilizer, because the
u contain large amount of phosphor
Y acid and potash. It Is estimated thu
l the value Of the cotton lby-products
l Texas exceeds $2oooo,ooO annually.
e Enormous Amount Of Seed.
1 There are many thriving cotton see
nj oil mills throughout the state but the
n use only a small portion of the enormo,
n amount OF seed produced annually, ar
y there are fine opportunities for the il
q vestment Of capital in plants of this kin
- In Houston there are five of these mil
and seven cotton congresses, but. {
O account Of the unrivaled market and raj
>. road facilities Of this city, there could
many more manufactures establishe
a there with wonderful returns on the cal
= ital invested. The market value of II
p cotton seed products, Of Houston alrea6
exceeds $3,00O,00O a year, and it is steat
g lily increasing.
: Quite recently rich deposits of oil we
T discovered in Harris county, close
4 Houston, and with such an unlinite
u supply of cheap fuel at hand the mani
featuring on large scale not only
l. cotton seed oil and other by-product
. but also of cotton fabrics, In Houston,
, only a question of short time III
q number Of cotton textile mills in tt
South Is growing every year, and it
undoubtedly destined to become tt
greatest cotton manufacturing territol
h that the world has ever seen as it
already the producer of three-fourthS II