PREPARATION OF LAND FOR EGYPTIAN COTTON IN THE 

 SALT RIVER VALLEY, ARIZONA. 1 



By E.W. Hudson, Assistant in Arboriculture, Crop Physiology and Breeding 



Investigations. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The Department of Agriculture has from time to time during the 

 past year sent out circular letters to the Egyptian cotton growers in 

 the Salt River Valley, calling their attention to various phases of 

 cotton culture and offering suggestions in handling the crop. 



The harvest of the Egyptian cotton crop of 1912 grown in the Salt 



River Valley is so nearly completed that the growers who have taken 



good care of their crop are confident of a yield of from 600 to 700 



pounds of lint per acre. Owing to the success of the present crop, 



the growers are planning to increase their acreage and a number of the 



farmers throughout the valley are planning to plant on a large scale. 



From the present indications it is safe to estimate that from two to 



three thousand acres of Egyptian cotton will be planted in the valley 



in 1913. 



SELECTION OF LAND. 



Since it is very important that the land be prepared as early as 

 possible in the winter, it is well for those who are planning to plant 

 to give some thought at this time to the selection and preparation of 

 their fields. To secure the best crop of Egyptian cotton, it is of 

 very great importance that the grower select uniform land with very 

 slight grade on winch alfalfa has grown for at least three years. 



The amount of fall or grade in the land is of great importance to the 

 cotton crop. To produce the best crop the land should be almost 

 level. In many instances where alfalfa is plowed up it is advisable 

 to irrigate in a different direction to secure a lighter grade. Land 

 with a slight grade will require less water for the crop and will irrigate 

 more evenly and produce a more uniform cotton. If there is much 

 grade to the land it will be found that the fields dry out hi spots dur- 

 ing August and September, and in order to avoid injury to the quality 

 of the cotton it will be necessary to irrigate these spots separately, 

 thus causing much extra work. 



i Issued Jan. 18, 1913. 

 72780°— Cir. 110—13 3 17 



