DURANGO COTTON IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY. 1 < 



DURANGO COTTON COMPARED WITH THE ALLEN. 



The Allen variety has been included in experimental plantings as 

 the best representative of the Peeler varieties which formerly fur- 

 nished the long-staple crop of Mississippi and Louisiana. The results 

 leave no doubt that in the ImperiaL Valley the Allen is a very un- 

 promising variety, on account of the usually low yields of seed cotton, 

 the low percentage of lint, and the small bolls. Even when the plants 

 are large and vigorous they may yield very little (fig. 3). In all 

 these particulars the Allen falls far below any of the other varieties 

 included in the test. In the El Centro planting of 1912 the lint 



Fig. 3— Allen cotton plant (left) and Foster plant (right), showing different habits of growth at El 

 Centro, Cal. The Allen plant had 12 open bolls, the Foster plant 14, in rows adjacent to those 

 illustrated in figure 2. 



percentage was only 20, whereas none of the other varieties fell below 

 27 and the Durango gave over 30. With respect to the size of the 

 bolls the Allen cotton has little or no advantage over the Egyptian 

 varieties and is also less productive. If the Peeler cottons were 

 the only Upland long-staple type available there would be no pros- 

 pect of establishing a long-staple industry in the Imperial Valley, 

 for planters would continue with short-staple cottons or go over 

 to the Egyptian. Either of these alternatives would be more promising 

 than the growling of the Peeler varieties. 



[Cir. Ill] 



