456 ANNUAL EEPORTS OF DEPAETMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the 28's. It was not found practicable to make numbers 36's and 40's 

 out of the Half-and-Half cotton, while all of the other varieties ex- 

 cept two bales of the Rowden were spun without difficulty into 36's 

 and 40's. In most cases it was found impracticable to produce suc- 

 cessfully yarns finer in numbers than 24's from the Half-and-Half 

 variety. 



COMPARATIVE TEST OF THE MEADE VARIETY WITH THE SEA ISLAND COTTON GROWN 



UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS. 



The Meade variety, which was developed by Mr. Eowland M. 

 Meade, of the Bureau of Plant Industry, is a long-staple cotton very 

 similar to the Sea Island cotton in character, but matures several 

 weeks earlier. This variety is now being tested in the textile depart- 

 ment of the North Carolina State College together with Sea Island 

 cotton. The Meade variety is about one-eighth inch shorter than the 

 Sea Island cotton. 



SPINNING TEST TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF VARIOUS METHODS OF COMPRESSION. 



Seed cotton of different staples ranging from seven-eighths inch 

 to 1-^^ inches was secured and ginned under the supervision of em- 

 ployees of the Bureau of Markets for the purpose of making spinning 

 tests to determine the damage, if any^, caused by compressing cotton 

 to greater densities than usual by various methods. The cotton rep- 

 resenting each staple was divided into equal parts and ginned, after 

 which the lint was baled under different conditions. The following 

 kinds of bales were produced: Gin compressed, flat bale or uncom- 

 pressed, compressed or railroad compressed, high density compressed, 

 and round bale compressed. The cotton has been shipped to a com- 

 mercial cotton mill in North Carolina, where spinning tests to deter- 

 mine the results of various methods of compression are in progress. 



SERVICE. 



Probably the most directly useful and concrete work of the Bu- 

 reau of Markets is its market news service on various commodities. 

 This service, and the resulting series of daily and other periodical 

 reports issued by telegraph, telephone, and mail, are the outgrowth 

 of investigations by the department. In the development of these 

 services the department has had the advice and services of men of 

 commercial experience whose aid has been of great value in shaping 

 the work. 



FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



Four series of reports are issued relating to fruits and vegetables : 

 The Daily Carlot Shipments and Jobbing Price Eeports of Fruits 

 and Vegetables; the Weekly Summaries of Carlot Shipments; the 

 Weekly Market Reviews ; and the Daily Market Reports on Locally- 

 Grown Truck Products. The first three series are under the direc- 

 tion of Mr. Wells A. Sherman. The last has been developed by Mr. 

 G. V. Branch in cooperation with the producers or consumers of the 

 localities affected. 



