The competition for U.S. cotton has been identified as the man-made fiber. The weaknesses and strengths of the synthetic fibers have been evaluated. With passage of the Cotton Research and Promotion Act in 1966, the U.S. cotton industry and in particular the American cotton producers established a structure to meet the competition -- to exploit its weaknesses and blunt its strengths. The young Americans in the late 1960's and early 1970's were targeted as the "customer" for cotton's future. Natural Blends were promoted for permanent press fabrics. The attack on 100 percent cotton denim by synthetic fiber companies that tried to introduce blended denim fabrics was repelled. Cotton's share of the apparel and home furnishings market, exclusive of carpet, increased from about 36 percent in 1976 to about 51 percent in 1987. The challenge is still there. The competition is not going away. The program to meet that challenge must be strengthened and continued.