By Patterson                                     H.R. No. 368

      75R9102 JTR-D                           

                                 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.