Cotton is the leading agricultural product in Texas and has historically been one of the important enterprises in the state. Texas has been and continues to be the top cotton producer in the United States.[1]
Spanish and Mexican Texas edit
The first known cotton production in Texas was the work of Spanish missionaries in San Antonio. A 1745 report shows several thousands pounds being produced annually for weaving by the local craftsmen.[2]
Republic of Texas edit
State of Texas in the 1800s edit
Historical cotton production[2] Year Annual production
(thousands of bales)Acreage
(thousands of acres)1849 58 1859 432 1869 350 1879 805 2178 1889 1500 3935 1900 3500 7179
The exhaustion of soils in the southeastern U.S., the old heartland of U.S. cotton production, in addition to the rapid expansion of railroad networks in Texas led many cotton farmers to abandon their farmlands in the East and seek their fortunes in the Lone Star state.[3] Between 1870 and 1900 cotton production increased 1000 percent.[4]
Early 1900s edit
By the beginning of the 20th century "King Cotton" had become firmly rooted as a powerful industry in Texas. Cotton itself became a global commodity traded on the world's stock exchanges.[3] In 1926 Texas produced 40% of U.S. cotton. In 1919 cotton prices soared to their highest peak ever making the land owners among the wealthiest in the state (though the farmers themselves rarely saw any significant part of that wealth).[3]
The Great Depression marked the end of cotton's dominion as a source of wealth. Many of the tycoons during cotton's boom times abandoned the business, moving into oil or other ventures.[3]
Recent times edit
Whereas in earlier times cotton was predominantly a product of East Texas and Central Texas, today production has shifted to a great degree toward the Pandhandle/High Plains region and the Rio Grande valley.[2]
Texas cotton growers produced over 4 million bales of cotton in 2000, representing approximately 25% of all cotton produced in the U.S. The total value of Texas cotton produce exceeded US$1 billion. Cotton fields occupied more than 6 million acres (2.4 million ha) in the state.[1]
Notable enterprises and people edit
See also edit
Notes edit
- ^ a b "Texas leads the U.S. in cotton production". Texas A&M University Cotton Program. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 21 April 2010.
- ^ a b c Britton, Karen Gerhardt; Elliott, Fred C.; and Miller, E. A.: Cotton Culture from the Handbook of Texas Online. Retrieved 22 April 2010. Texas State Historical Association.
- ^ a b c d Gordon (2009), p. 53.
- ^ Schmidly (2002), p. 308.
References edit
- Gordon, Sallie; Jones, Penny (2009). Houston's Courtlandt Place. San Francisco, CA: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0738571096.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Schmidly, David J. (2002). Texas natural history: a century of change. Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University Press. ISBN 978-0-89672-469-3.
Further reading edit
External links edit
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