R E S O L U T I O N 1-1 WHEREAS, Cotton Day at the Capitol will be celebrated on 1-2 March 18, 1997, in recognition of the important role the crop has 1-3 played and continues to play in the economy of our state; and 1-4 WHEREAS, Cotton has earned its title of "King" in Texas for 1-5 more than a century; since 1880, Texas has led all other states in 1-6 cotton production, and the annual cotton harvest is approximately 1-7 one-fourth of the total production in the United States; and 1-8 WHEREAS, This bountiful crop was first cultivated by the 1-9 Spanish missionaries in San Antonio as early as 1745, when it was 1-10 reported that several thousand pounds were produced annually; and 1-11 WHEREAS, Anglo-American colonists began cultivating cotton in 1-12 1821 when Stephen F. Austin brought families to settle on the 1-13 fertile soil between the Trinity and Brazos rivers; and 1-14 WHEREAS, New areas for cotton production were opened as the 1-15 Indian tribes were pushed westward by an ever-expanding population 1-16 of settlers; the introduction of barbed wire and the building of 1-17 railroads increased the industry further; cotton-growing spread to 1-18 the plains and the prairies of the Panhandle by 1908 as irrigation 1-19 brought much-needed water to the regions; and 1-20 WHEREAS, Grown exclusively for its fiber in the beginning, 1-21 cotton has become a versatile plant whose seeds are used for 1-22 cooking oils, livestock feed, and cleansing products, as well as 1-23 for various other products made from their linters, hulls, and 1-24 meats; and 2-1 WHEREAS, Since 1987, the annual cotton crop has averaged 4.51 2-2 million bales; the total value of upland and pima lint cotton 2-3 produced in Texas in 1996 was $1,421,366,000, and cottonseed value 2-4 in 1996 was $238,290,000; and 2-5 WHEREAS, Texas exports much of its cotton to all parts of the 2-6 world with major buyers located in Japan and South Korea; cotton 2-7 continues to be a major source of income for our state, and Texas 2-8 remains an important supplier of cotton products for the world; 2-9 now, therefore, be it 2-10 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 75th Texas 2-11 Legislature hereby recognize March 18, 1997, as Cotton Day at the 2-12 Capitol and extend to all those associated with the cotton 2-13 industry sincere best wishes for continued success in the future; 2-14 and, be it further 2-15 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be 2-16 prepared for representatives of the cotton industry as an 2-17 expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives. Patterson Laney Gutierrez Oliveira Alexander Haggerty Olivo Allen Hamric Palmer Alvarado Hartnett Patterson Averitt Hawley Pickett Bailey Heflin Pitts Berlanga Hernandez Place Bonnen Hightower Price Bosse Hilbert Puente Brimer Hilderbran Rabuck Burnam Hill Ramsay Carter Hinojosa Rangel Chavez Hirschi Raymond Chisum Hochberg Reyna of Bexar Christian Hodge Reyna of Dallas Clark Holzheauser Rhodes Coleman Horn Rodriguez Cook Howard Roman Corte Hunter Sadler Counts Hupp Seaman Crabb Isett Serna Craddick Jackson Shields Cuellar Janek Siebert Culberson Jones of Lubbock Smith Danburg Jones of Dallas Smithee Davila Junell Solis Davis Kamel Solomons Delisi Keel Staples Denny Keffer Stiles Driver King Swinford Dukes Krusee Talton Dunnam Kubiak Telford Dutton Kuempel Thompson Edwards Lewis of Tarrant Tillery Ehrhardt Lewis of Orange Torres Eiland Longoria Turner of Coleman Elkins Luna Turner of Harris Farrar McCall Uher Finnell McClendon Van de Putte Flores McReynolds Walker Gallego Madden West Galloway Marchant Williams Garcia Maxey Williamson Giddings Merritt Wilson Glaze Moffat Wise Goodman Moreno Wohlgemuth Goolsby Mowery Wolens Gray Naishtat Woolley Greenberg Nixon Yarbrough Grusendorf Oakley Zbranek _______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 368 was adopted by the House on March 18, 1997, by a non-record vote. _______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House