Research discussed in this article represents one phase of a comprehensive project designed to study the demand for the principal textile fibers in this country—cotton, wool, and synthetic fibers. Results from the larger study are to be reported in a technical bulletin which will include a more detailed version of this paper, possibly slightly revised if warranted by research still in progress. From the standpoint of quantities consumed, cotton is by far the most important, fiber of the group. Annual variations in total fiber consumption—including flax and silk—have conformed rather closely to those for cotton, despite the steady advance in use of synthetics. Determination of factors primarily responsible for variations in cotton consumption and their relative significance is a noteworthy step toward understanding fluctuations in the use of all fibers in the aggregate.1