Final answer:
True, short staple cotton was preferred to long staple before the invention of the cotton gin, as it was easier to clean and could be grown more widely.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question relates to the history of agriculture and the invention of the cotton gin. Prior to the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793, short staple cotton was indeed preferred over long staple cotton. The reason for this preference was that short staple cotton could be grown more widely and was less labor-intensive to clean than the long staple variety, which only grew well along the coast. The cotton gin changed that dynamic by making it much easier to remove the seeds from short staple cotton, thereby making it a more profitable crop.