George Washington Carver: A National Agricultural Library Digital Exhibit

1941

National Agricultural Library

Some of the Nation's richest land, and some of its poorest, lies in the 13 cotton - and - tobacco States: 28 percent of the country's area, a region rich in natural resources, advantages of climate, population, and potentialities.

Industry is growing in the South, but the region still is predominantly agricultural. In addition to cotton, tobacco, and corn, this region produces a large proportion of the Nation's fresh vegetables and fruits for the great markets of Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Chicago, and other northern cities and towns.

These States produce all these things for the North, but not so much for themselves. And eventually, large parts of this vast region may not be able to produce so much for the northern markets, unless more positive action is undertaken to restore and conserve the soil resources of these 13 vital States.

The cotton-and-tobacco States include more than a fourth of all the land in the United States, and a fourth of the total area of these States now is being used as cropland — 124,500,000 acres given over to growing cotton, tobacco, corn, vegetables, peaches, apples, nuts, and subtropical fruits for the Nation. The agriculture of these 13 Southern States is a vast business.

The Cotton-and-Tobacco South