This volume is an Armenian translation by Nersēs Khosrov Tatian from materials in English provided by the Manchester Cotton Supply Association. Tatian states in his introduction that “Everyone knows that cotton is in agriculture one of the most important and productive parts, whose cultivation is more developed in America” so that “there is almost a monopoly in America.” Tatian explains that he is translating this work so that the Armenians in his homeland might benefit from the information he has provided and thereby improve their lot and the agricultural productivity of their lands. The book was published in Paris shortly before the American Civil War, during which France, in large measure because of the cotton trade, leaned toward the Confederate cause.