1791 490,000,000 1801.......520,000,000 1811 .. .. 555,000,000 1821 .. 630,000,000 1831 .. 820,000,000 1834 .. 900,000,000 In 1791 the United States produced only 2,th of the entire quantity ; in 1834 its share exceeded one-half; and in 1844 its produce was nearly double of that in 1834. More than half in value of the entire exports from the United States now consist in cotton wool. More than four-fifths of the entire cotton pro duce of the United States is purchased by Great Britain. In the Mississippi valley land fresh brought under cultivation will yield on an average from 1000 to 1200 lbs. per acre of cotton with the seed, which will yield 250 or 300 lbs. of cleaned cotton.
As there are frequently doubts entertained concerning the capability of the United States to supply us regularly with cotton, and con cerning the prudence of depending mainly on one country for a supply, attempts are now being made to encourage the growth of cotton in the West Indies and Port Natal, and an increased growth in the East Indies. Many of
these attempts seem likely to be attended with success. The experiments now being made in respect to flax EFLAxj were in like manner sug gested by uncertainty concerning the American supply of cotton, The imports of cotton in the years 1845-6 7-8 and 9, and placed under the names of the countries whence imported, were as follow, in hales :— 1845-49. Yearly average.
United States .. 6,188,144 .. 1,237,619 Brazil .. .. 495,685 .. 99,137 Egypt .. 224,579 .. 44,918 East Indies .. 899,213 .. 179,852 Miscellaneous .. 44,833 .. 8,966 7,852,454 .. 1,570,492 A bale or bag of cotton has become a gra dually increasing quantity. In 1820 it ave raged about 250 lbs. ; at present the average is somewhat above 400 lbs. Our imports, in lbs., were 717 millions in 1848, and 775 mil lions in 1849.
Nearly all the cotton used on the continent of Europe is grown in the United States. The average United States produce for the years 1814-50 has been about 2,200,000 bales— nearly a thousand million lbs. !