H.R. No. 912R E S O L U T I O N WHEREAS, Cotton has ranked as one of the most important crops in Texas for a century and a half, and its significance was formally recognized in 1997 by the 75th Legislature, which named it the official fiber and fabric of the Lone Star State; and WHEREAS, Introduced to Texas by Spanish missionaries, cotton soared in production between 1850 and 1900, when it reached more than 3.4 million bales; contributing to the expansion were the opening of new lands for cultivation, the invention of barbed wire, and the extension of the railroad; cultivation on the Blackland Prairie of Central Texas was also spurred by the development of a plow that could break the heavy soil there and by the influx of thousands of immigrants, both from the Deep South and from Europe; and WHEREAS, The State of Texas has been the scene of several major innovations in the cotton industry; Robert S. Munger, who became a leading designer of ginning equipment, developed an automated system ginning process in Mexia in 1884, and in 1980 the country's first high-volume instrument cotton-classing office opened in Lamesa; and WHEREAS, Evolution of the industry within the state has seen the center of cotton cultivation shift from East and Central Texas to the High Plains and the Rio Grande Valley, where the use of fertilizer and irrigation has promoted large yields; and WHEREAS, In past years, approximately a quarter of all the cotton harvested in the United States has been grown in Texas, and the state usually ranks first among all the states in cotton production; since 1995, the annual cotton crop in Texas has averaged 4.8 million bales and in 2003, Texas upland cotton and pima lint cotton were valued at $1.2 billion and Texas cottonseed at $208.3 million; and WHEREAS, With improved seed cotton varieties, along with the recent success of the boll weevil eradication program in Texas, this year's production of 7.5 million bales of cotton on 5.4 million acres will far exceed the previous production record of 6 million bales on 11.1 million acres in 1949, allowing the state to account for 32.8 percent of the total U.S. production; and WHEREAS, Much of the Texas cotton crop is shipped abroad, with Mexico, Central America, and Asian countries figuring among the largest buyers; and WHEREAS, The history of Texas cannot be told without taking into account the enormous role that cotton has played in the development of the state and in the life of so many of its people, and the crop continues to provide the livelihood of thousands of Texans; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 79th Texas Legislature hereby recognize March 29, 2005, as Cotton Day at the State Capitol and extend to all those associated with the industry and who are present here today a warm welcome and sincere best wishes for an enjoyable and memorable visit. Herrero ______________________________ Speaker of the House I certify that H.R. No. 912 was adopted by the House on March 29, 2005, by a non-record vote. ______________________________ Chief Clerk of the House