MARKETS AND EUEAL ORGANIZATION. 393 



and other European markets, and it is hoped that this work will 

 assist toward securing universal adoption of these standards by 

 foreign exchanges. Copies of the official cotton standards of the 

 United States have been sent to purchasers in the following coun- 

 tries: Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Holland, India, 

 and Japan. Types of cotton have been collected from representa- 

 tive members of the trade in order to obtain the commercial idea as 

 to the lower lengths of staple, three-fourths to seven-eighths of an 

 inch. These samples have been carefully compared and studied with 

 a view to formulating a standard that could be used by the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture in the determination of disputes, and a tentative 

 standard was agreed upon. 



Samples of the various grades and classes of tinged and stained 

 cotton have been collected from the exchanges and large spot mar- 

 kets in different sections of the cotton belt. In order that a com- 

 prehensive standard for color might be established, an effort has 

 been made to represent the grade characteristics of each section. 

 Owing to the scarcity of tinged and stained cotton during the past 

 season, however, it has been found impossible to establish a standard 

 of color with such care and precision as would be necessary in order 

 to facilitate cotton transactions in the best way. It was decided 

 therefore not to attempt immediately to establish and formulate stand- 

 ards of color, but for the convenience of the department in passing 

 on disputes to issue three boxes of type representing the lowest 

 quality of cotton deliverable under the j&fth subdivision of section 5 

 of the United States cotton futures act; namely, one each for Low 

 middling blue tinged, Low middling yellow tinged, and Middling 

 yellow stained. In order to facilitate in the exchanges the work of 

 classification of cotton proposed for tender on contracts, the depart- 

 ment furnished to each of the future exchanges and to the bona fide 

 spot markets designated by the Secretary of Agriculture a set of 

 these types. This was done with the distinct understanding that 

 they were not issued as standards, but only for temporary use as 

 guides, and with a further agreement that the types should be re- 

 turned to the department when the standard was officially estab- 

 lished. 



Toward the end of the cotton season (May and June, 1915), when 

 tinges and stains were more plentiful, about 100 bales covering the 

 necessary qualities were purchased. The preparation of standards 

 for color is now in progress as follows: Yellow tinged and light 

 yellow tinged of the grades of Good Middling, Strict Middling, 

 Middling, Strict Low Middling, and Low Middling; blue tinged of 

 the grade of Middling, Strict Low Middling, and Low Middling; 

 and stained cotton of the grade of Middling. 



A representative of the department has been stationed at Mesa, 

 Ariz., during the past harvesting season to study the grade char- 

 acteristics of the Egyptian-Arizona cotton and to formulate grade 

 standards in cooperation with the Salt River Valley Cotton Growers' 

 Association. As a result of this work five tentative standards have 

 been prepared : Medium, Choice, Standard, Extra, and Fancy. The 

 cooperative associations through Avhich most of this cotton is mar- 

 keted have been furnished copies, and in order to maintain the uni- 

 formity of these tentative standards five copies of each have been 



