The story of tobacco is, too, largely the achievement of _Negro_ labor. In 1618, the Virginia planters exported 20 lb. of tobacco, which increased to 1,500,000 lb. in 1639 and reached a total of 53,000,000 lb. in 1773. In 1937, the United States raised more than one-fourth of the world’s tobacco supply. [Illustration: U.S.A. 1,553,000,000 LB. CHINA 1,400,000,000 LB. INDIA 1,200,000,000 LB. ] In addition to his labor in the cotton and tobacco fields, the _Negro_ has also helped to make profitable the production of rice and sugar. _Railroads_ The railroad played a great part in the settling of the West. With the completion of the Erie Canal, the _Irish_ transferred their energy and labor to building tracks for the transcontinental railroad. The _Chinese_ also labored on the western end. Today, _Irish_, _Chinese_, _Italian_, and _Mexican_ laborers help to maintain the railroads. In 1937, almost one-half the world’s miles of railways were in our country. [Illustration: U.S.A. 238,539 MI. RUSSIA 52,425 MI. INDIA 43,128 MI. ] _Automobiles_ Natural resources and inventive genius have enabled us to produce each year three times as many automobiles as the rest of the world put together. The work of the _Poles_, _Slavs_, _Mexicans_, and other groups has been an important factor in this phenomenal growth. [Illustration: U.S.A. 4,808,974 BRITAIN 490,366 GERMANY 331,894 ] _Steel_ Early colonial iron mills were operated by the _Germans_, whose muskets, made in Nazareth, Pa., were used by the continental troops. In later years, the _Poles_ and _Slavs_ have labored in the great steel mills of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New York. It is the endurance and physical heritage of these sturdy people that have made it possible for us to lead the world in the production of steel. [Illustration: U.S.A. 50,569,000 T. GERMANY 19,536,000 T. BRITAIN 12,964,000 T. ] _Coal_ The _Welsh_ with the _Scotch-Irish_ were the first to develop our coal mines in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These, together with the _English_, _Irish_, _Germans_, _Poles_, and _Slavs_, have made us the chief coal producer of the world. [Illustration: U.S.A. 488,692,000 T. BRITAIN 224,000,000 T. GERMANY 146,696,000 T. ] _Farming_ Our debt to the _German_ farmer is great, for he made the wilderness blossom in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Missouri. To Minnesota and surrounding states came the _Swedes_, _Norwegians_, and _Finns_ with their advanced cooperative methods and the _Danes_ with their dairy methods.... Sturdy _Czechs_ farmed Nebraska and Iowa. The _Swiss_ in Wisconsin helped us to become the greatest cheesemakers in the world. The _Russians_ brought us important seed varieties of wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, sunflowers, and millet.