MARKETS AND EURAL ORGANIZATION. 381 



and during the past fiscal year has received help in an advisor}^ way. 

 This expert and the president of the association were sent East to ar- 

 range for the direct sale of cotton to mills and mill brokers, and upon 

 their request a representative of this office accompanied them. By 

 this personal presentation of the work of the association, business con- 

 nections were made with cotton mills or mill brokers at Charlotte, 

 N. C. ; Fall River, Mass. ; Providence, R. I. ; and Montreal, Canada. 



The first cooperative work of this office, then the Office of Markets, 

 Avas started at Atkins, Ark., and the largest measure of success has 

 been accomplished at this point. The association has purchased and 

 is operating a 4-stand gin and has built a fii'eproof warehouse with 

 a capacity of 2,000 bales. This warehouse was built by the labor of 

 the farmers, so that the only expense charged to the funds of the as- 

 sociation was for corrugated iron sheathing. This association has 

 secured more than the local price on both cotton and cottonseed. 



Subsequently, the work of this office in Arkansas was centralized 

 at Little Rock. Here, in connection with grading studies, samples 

 from 10,573 bales from 45 different points received attention. The 

 statistics for this work are now being compiled, and while com- 

 parative prices are not yet on file it is evident that cooperative efforts 

 in this line are meeting with financial success, and that increased 

 prices must follow when better varieties are planted, when the cotton 

 in ginned with greater care, when it is sold in even-running lots, 

 and when mixed packed bales and plated bales are eliminated. 



Continuing the grading studies and working in cooperation with 

 the North Carolina Agricultural College and Experiment Station, a 

 representative from this office was stationed al Tarboro, N. C, from 

 October 2, 1914, to February 5, 1915. The ginners of the county 

 mailed to this representative a sample of each bale ginned, with 

 proper identification as to the gin number and owner's name and 

 address. These samples were classed immediately and notice regard- 

 ing the classification was mailed to the owner, with the request that 

 information covering date of sale, price obtained, and whether sold 

 for cash or in trade be furnished in return. Thus the farmers of 

 Edgecombe County were furnished with the grade and approximate 

 staple of 10,620 bales of cotton. 



As a check on this work, 3,300 samples were collected in neighbor- 

 ing counties having similar soil and climatic conditions, where the 

 producer was not informed as to the class of his cotton before making 

 sale. These samples have accompanying slips giving date of sale 

 and price received. Upon the compilation of all data covering this 

 work much valuable information should be available concerning the 

 benefit to the producer of knowing the class of his cotton before 

 making sale and concerning the advantages of cooperation. 



A committee on cotton culture in the southwest was organized in 

 the Bureau of Plant Industry in 1910 for the purpose of aiding 

 in the establishment of a cotton industry in Arizona and California 

 and of encouraging its continuance. With the increase of produc- 

 tion the question of handling and marketing the crop has become 

 important and the committee has become an inter-bureau committee, 

 this office being interested in the latter phases of the subject. In 

 this connection further studj'^ of the standardization of Arizona- 

 Egyptian cotton was made, an expert from this office classing the 



