REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 127 



As a result of these several lines of work the importance of com- 

 munity action as a means of limiting the cotton grown in any partic- 

 ular region to a single variety has been shown. It has been further 

 shown that the methods necessary to preserve a variety are totally 

 different from the methods employed to develop new varieties. As 

 the work of improving the types developed it became more and more 

 evident that decisive steps had to be taken in the matter of aiding the 

 producers of cotton in marketing their product. 



With a view to bringing this about the department for a number 

 of years conducted certain work directed toward bringing about 

 improved conditions, especially through the establishment of national 

 standards for American cotton. Recently those phases of the work 

 dealing more specifically with handling and marketing have assumed 

 such importance that an independent project has been established for 

 their proper conduct. 



That the prevailing methods of distributing this great staple crop 

 require radical improvement and simplification has been recognized 

 for some time. The present methods are expensive and wasteful of 

 fiber. They are so highly complicated that only the specialist mid- 

 dleman, very rarely the grower, is able to operate successfully in the 

 selling end of the business. There are opportunities for inaugurat- 

 ing improvements all along the line from the time of picking until 

 the staple reaches the spinner, but no one element in the industry 

 acting alone can bring about the necessary changes. 



The department inaugurated and is developing the movement 

 toward cooperation in the matter of growing cotton and cooperation 

 in the matter of marketing of the same. A study is being made of 

 cooperative efforts in the handling of other crops, and educational 

 work is being conducted in order to place in the hands of farmers the 

 information necessary to enable them to organize for producing and 

 marketing purposes. 



ADVANCES IN CORN CULTURE. 



The past 12 or 14 years cover history of great interest legarding 

 the improvement of our most important crop. At the beginning of 

 this period little concerning the improvement of corn had been re- 

 corded. Plant breeding attracted wide interest, and general at- 

 tention turned suddenly to corn. All sections of the country were 

 filled with descriptions of points that constitute fine-appearing ears 

 of corn. By many careful workers these points were strictly adhered 

 to for a number of years, resulting in demonstrating that in appear- 

 ance corn is readily improved, but that fine appearance is not neces- 

 sarily an indication of greater productiveness or profitableness. 



When these facts were thoroughly established by practical field 

 work, the general interest in " fancy point " breeding gave way to a 



