Cotton may be grown with profit throughout South Missouri and the acreage is being rapidly increased. The area planted to cotton in 1897 was 68,700 acres and the average yield per acre is 750 pounds. Heretofore it has been grown principally in the Southeast counties where the producer had the advantage of cheap transportation afforded by the river.

But since the completion of the St. Louis Cape Girardeau and Ft. Smith railroad, the Current River and the Kansas City and Ft. Scott & Memphis lines of railway the production has been stimulated in south central and southwest Missouri, the acreage having been increased 100 per cent within the last few years.

The average yield per acre is equal to that of any other cotton producing section, the fibre is of superior quality, equal to the best sea island grades and commands an advance price over southern cotton.

The yield of seed for 1897 was 14,000,000 pounds and cotton seed products 10,000,000 pounds, and being close to the feed yards of the more northern counties found ready sale at good prices. Arrangements now being made for more efficient levees of the Mississippi river and for the drainage of low land in southeast Missouri the cotton acreage will no doubt be largely increased and cotton production become a prominent industry in the State.